BLOCKBUSTER SEASON HAS BEGUN!!
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
Peter, Edmund, Susan and Lucy Pevensie (William Moseley, Skandar Keynes, Anna Popplewell, Georgie Henley) are summoned back to Narnia by a magical horn. One year for them is 1300 years for Narnia, and when they return, the siblings find that the magical land they once knew is no longer. The Golden Age of Narnia has ended and it is now under the tyrannical rule of evil King Miraz. The Pevensies unite with rightful heir to the throne, King Miraz’s nephew, Prince Caspian (Ben Barnes). Together, (along with the help of a kindly dwarf, a courageous talking mouse named Reepicheep, a badger named Trufflehunter and a Black Dwarf, Nikabrik) they will embark on a journey to find Aslan (voiced by Liam Neeson), rescue the Narnians from the evil King Miraz, bring Caspian to the throne, and restore magic to Narnia.
According to the cast and director of The Chronicles…, the sequel is told in a much grander scale than the previous film. “It’s a bigger story, it’s a bigger adventure,” said director Andrew Adamson. With the battle scenes and change in the story’s tone, the film’s location was moved from New Zealand to Eastern Europe’s Slovenia, Poland, and Czechoslovakia.
As if a studio would let a lucrative franchise like this slip through their fingers, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (May 7th, 2010) is already scheduled to begin filming this summer. In order to get the movies out as fast as possible, and ideally–a year apart, they have brought on Michael Apted to direct the third movie, while Andrew Adamson finishes up the second. The Silver Chair is scheduled for a 2011 release. Production has yet to begin, and casting has yet to be announced. However, it is presumed Ben Barnes will return as King Caspian due to his three-film contractual obligations. However, I imagine they will need to use a considerable amount of aging makeup, because he is supposed to be 66 years old with a grown child in the storyline. Barnes is currently 26 years old. ALSO, I imagine they cannot begin simultaneous production on The Silver Chair until they cast the part of Eustace. She is the only character (at least in the book) that will appear in both Dawn Treader and Silver Chair.
According to the books, Peter and Susan Pevensie only take part in The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe and Prince Caspian. Caspian, Edmund and Lucy Pevensie’s roles extend to The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Dawn Treader also introduces future main character, and Pevensie cousin, Eustace Scrubb. The Silver Chair does not include any of the Pevensie children. However, with William Moseley, Skandar Keynes, Anna Popplewell, and Georgie Henley being so closely linked to the public’s perception of the franchise, it is unclear what sort of roles (if any) the actors will play in the rest of the series. With The Horse and His Boy taking place during the Pevensie’s reign of Narnia (as told in The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe) it is up to the studio/writers if they will bring those characters or actors into the film. (But if you remember, different actors portrayed the adult versions of the child actors in the end of The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe. So, they may not even need to rush through production because keeping the child stars looking young won’t matter. Either they will use adult actors, or those actors will look old enough by the time they film their parts. If they DID return, wouldn’t that make for exciting cameos?)
Here is a complete list of all the 7 books that make up The Chronicles of Narnia: (They are listed in chronological order, not in the order that they were written by C.S. Lewis.)
1. The Magician’s Nephew (published in 1955)- The sixth book written, it is a prequel. It explains the beginnings of Narnia and how people could go from the outside world into Narnia. It follows two English children Digory and Polly. The old professor that the Pevensie children stay with in The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe is an aged Digory.
2. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (1950)- The first book written by C.S. Lewis, he introduces the Pevensie children for the first time.
3. The Horse and His Boy (1954)- The fifth book written, it takes place during the Golden Age of Narnia when Peter is High King, Edmund is King, and Lucy and Susan are Queens. It pairs Bree, a talking horse, and Shasta, a boy, who plan to return to Narnia and alert the king of impending invaders.
4. Prince Caspian (1951)- The second book written, it brings the four Pevensie siblings back to a changed Narnia and introduces Prince Caspian.
5. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (1952)- The third book written, Edmund and Lucy return to Narnia with their cousin Eustace. They embark on a seafaring adventure with Prince Caspian.
6. The Silver Chair (1953)- The fourth book written, it is the first time the Pevensie children are not in the story whatsoever. Cousin Eustace returns and brings her classmate Jill Pole. They aid an aged King Caspian find his kidnapped son, Prince Rilian.
7. The Last Battle (1956)- The seventh and last book written, Eustace and Jill return to save Narnia from an Aslan impersonator.
