 Before "The Golden Compass" was released, Richards had already been cast as the lead in another film, "The Secret of Moonacre", her second book-to-film adaption, in which she would play Maria Merryweather from the book 'The Little White Horse'.Principal photography began in October 2007 and the film was eventually released February 2009.In December 2008, Richards played April Johnson in "Dustbin Baby", the BBC dramatisation of the Jacqueline Wilson novel of the same name.