The lead role for new Philip Pullman film The Golden Compass will be chosen by open audition.

Producers will hold sessions across Britain to find a youngster to play Lyra Belacqua on her travels through parallel universes.

According to Screen Daily, producers want a girl aged nine to 13, not necessarily with acting experience. They want someone "who embodies Lyra's loyalty, bravery and mischievous nature".

Keen applicants should come to a casting session with a parent or guardian, dressed warmly, without costumes or make-up, and prepared queues.

The locations are: Cambridge's Corn Exchange (4 April), Kendal's Castle Green Hotel (6 April), Oxford's Examination Schools (11 April), and Exeter's Great Hall at the University of Exeter (13 April). Queues will be open from 10am-12am, ending at 5pm.

The first in a trilogy based on Pullman's His Dark Materials series, The Golden Compass will be directed by Anand Tucker.