Philip Pullman has waded in to the reignited controversy concerning the cancellation of the film series based on the author's His Dark Materialstrilogy.

Noting actor Sam Elliott's recent suggestion that protests from Catholic bodies were responsible for the series' apparent abandonment after The Golden Compass, Pullman commented: "If Sam is right, then I am very disappointed because it obviously would have been very good to have seen the other two films made."

Bill Donahue, the abrasive head of the New York-based Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, has already suggested that the organisation's campaign – alleging that The Golden Compassconstituted atheistic propaganda – killed the series.

“It’s disgusting, but only the sort of behaviour I expect of these people. It’s rubbish,” Pullman said of Donahue’s declarations.

Donahue duly shot back: “Pullman has been widely quoted in Britain taking aim at me for my alleged ‘triumphalism’. The accusation is accurate. I am positively gloating. Cheers, everyone!”

Don’t try and snatch the last word from Bill.

Reports of DVDs’ death are . . .

One of the key alterations

to the cinematic landscape over the outgoing decade came with the new ability – both legally and illegally – to download movies. Yet it has remained difficult to legitimately download less mainstream material.

Now the Metrodome Group, a leading distributor of independent pictures, has negotiated a promising deal with Apple to make its films available via iTunes. Other smaller companies have seen their films become available in this manner, but they have invariably had to use a larger movie company as a middleman. Is the DVD now doomed? www.metro dromgroup.com

dclarke@irishtimes.com