Hossein Amini has been hired to write the second part of the His Dark Materials fantasy action/adventure, Phillip Pullman's The Subtle Knife for New Line Cinema.

Currenly shooting in London is the first of the trilogy, The Golden Compass; Chris Weitz wrote the script and is directing, adds Variety. It stars British newcomer Dakota Blue Richards as 12-year-old Lyra Belacqua, who travels to a parallel universe to battle the forces of evil and rescue her best friend; Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig and Eva Green also star.

In The Subtle Knife, Pullman introduces the character of a 12-year-old boy who has learned the art of invisibility and is seeking his missing father when he encounters a vanishing cat and joins forces with Lyra Belacqua.

No word yet if The Subtle Knife will go to production; it depends on the box office of The Golden Compass which hits theaters later this year.

The Golden Compass was released December 7th, 2007 and stars Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Dakota Blue Richards, Ben Walker, Freddie Highmore, Ian McKellen, Eva Green, Jim Carter. The film is directed by Chris Weitz.