A blustery morning after an icy night in Cambridge failed to deter about 1,500 girls, accompanied by 2,500 parents, from turning up to try their luck at the first open casting call for the role of Lyra Belacqua in the hotly-anticipated film adaptation of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials yesterday.

According to reports, the queue outside the Corn Exchange began to form at 5am even though the casting session was not scheduled to start until 10am, and most girls faced a two-hour wait before being seen by the casting directors.

Producers are looking for a female UK resident aged between nine and 13 to star in The Golden Compass, the first instalment of Pullman's award-winning trilogy. The film, which is expected to cost about £53m, will be directed by Anand Tucker, who made his name with the much-praised Hilary and Jackie and recently directed Shopgirl. It is slated for release in September 2007.

Some girls later recounted their experience to CBBC's Newsround: parents were asked to stay behind as the hopefuls were ushered into the hall in groups of 50-60. There, several were picked at random to answer a few questions and then the group was whittled to about four, whose pictures were taken and told that they might be contacted to read some lines. The successful candidate might find herself acting opposite Nicole Kidman, rumoured to be in the frame to play villainess Mrs Coulter.

New Line Cinema announced the nationwide casting call last month. Further auditions are scheduled: in Kendal in the Lake District (Cattle Green Hotel, April 6), Oxford (The Examination School, The High Street, April 11) and Exeter (The Great Hall, University of Exeter, April 13).