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on 2008/5/10 23:55:54
The return, the reunion, and the new arrival
Andrew Adamson is a man in need of a vacation.
As the director, producer, and co-screenwriter of "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian," the filmmaker and his Oscar-winning CGI crew have been up around the clock to complete the final two effects: a close-up of a Narnian River God and a shot of the five leads - returning child actors William Moseley, 21, Anna Popplewell, 19, Skandar Keynes, 16, Georgie Henley, 12, and crucial newcomer Ben Barnes, 26 - charging into battle.
But while Adamson is eager to bid adieu to the editing bay, the 41-year-old New Zealand native is less excited about leaving behind the fantastical world of Narnia. Having also made the Disney and Walden Media 2005 adaptation of C.S. Lewis's "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe," Adamson has guided the naïve adolescent characters to become seasoned warriors and rulers, and the work has dominated his imagination for the past four years.
Disney is hopeful audiences will be equally invested in the fate of the young clan and their newest compatriot, the swashbuckling - and easy on the eyes - Prince Caspian. Despite media fuss over the first film's peek-a-boo religious symbolism, "Lion" won over critics and grossed an astounding $745 million worldwide, making at least a second film (Lewis's Narnia series consists of seven titles) inevitable. But where the first film was light and mythological, its successor, which opens here Friday, is dark, more sophisticated, and ultimately a richer cinematic experience.
"The resonating theme behind 'Caspian' is a feeling of loss, of learning to let go of childhood," says Adamson, whose turmoil-ridden childhood in Papua New Guinea helped him connect to the story's emotional core. "This is the story of four kids who have lived through 15 years of glorious reign, but now their world is destroyed and they have to accept that and move on."
When audiences last saw Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie, the World War II-era children had just returned to the "real world" after serving nearly two decades as the kings and queens of the fantasy land of Narnia. At the start of "Caspian," the quartet find themselves summoned back to their former haunt by the besieged Prince Caspian, who is struggling to overthrow his uncle, the corrupt King Miraz (Sergio Castellitto), and reclaim his kingdom.
" 'Caspian' is not as sweet and charming as the first film," says Barnes, a theater vet ("The History Boys") who was plucked from a casting call of 100 candidates to play the prince. ["Lion"] "was like a Christmas fairy tale and this is a rollicking summer movie."
No sweetness and less charm, check. With its casualty-heavy battle sequences, weapon-wielding dwarves, and own brand of fighting trees, "Caspian" plays like a less-grungy installment of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, albeit one sanitized for a strictly PG-crowd. (This is Disney.)
"Caspian" is a lot more human than "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe," says Adamson. "Evil and good were much more symbolic in the first film; Aslan [the lion] was pure good and the White Witch was pure evil. This film is more character-based and as much as the characters have grown up, so has the film."
more stories like this
But the story isn't all that has grown up. Like the child actors from the Harry Potter series, the adolescent actors who portray the Pevensies have matured on-set and on-screen as well, forging a new family among themselves.
"William, Skandar, Georgie and I are very close because you bond with people when you're doing extraordinary things," says Popplewell ("Girl With a Pearl Earring"), who is studying literature at Oxford University. "And walking into Narnia together, that's definitely an extraordinary experience."
"After being together 16 hours a day, every day for seven months, there's an awful amount of trust on every level and people are considerate of that," says Moseley. "During the two-year gap between filming ['The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe' and 'Caspian'], we would e-mail each other, and when we saw each other again on set, it all just came rushing back."
And like real families, the Pevensie portrayers welcomed new members into their fold, including Barnes, whose Caspian gets under the skin of both Peter and Susan (though for very different reasons) and Peter Dinklage ("The Station Agent," "Elf"), who endured two-and-a-half hours of daily prosthetics and makeup application to play the curmudgeonly Red Dwarf Trumpkin. Says Popplewell, "It was a mishmash of family reunion and brand-new party."
But just as loss permeates the plot of "Caspian," it also extends to the cast. Although "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader," the third installment of the Narnia series, is currently in pre-production and set to begin filming in Mexico in October, Moseley and Popplewell will not be aboard. (The seafaring adventure only involves Edmund, Lucy, and their cousin Eustace as they meet up with Caspian in his quest to find seven lost lords.)
"Narnia was my life for six years," says Moseley, who was once a candidate to headline another seven-part fantasy series about a certain boy wizard. "We started shooting when I was 16 and I'm 21 now. So it's like I've graduated from Narnia, and have learned everything I can, acting-wise."
Popplewell concurs. "Creatively, I'm not sure I could play the same character seven times and do something new with it seven times," says the actress, who will also not miss the costuming. "Although I loved shooting the night raid sequence with the gryphons, it was incredibly uncomfortable. I was wearing this leather-bodice-type arrangement and getting a three-inch-thick support harness underneath that, and keeping me the same size meant that all of my insides were smushed together."
Also not returning is an exhausted Adamson, who only gave himself a six-week respite between writing and shooting "Lion" and "Caspian," and will only serve as a producer for "Dawn Treader." Instead, the directing reins will be passed to Michael Apted ("The World Is Not Enough"), a change the remaining cast and crew find bittersweet.
"I should be nervous, but I'm not," says Henley, who adds that she loves learning from new costars, whether it was James McAvoy as Mr. Tumnus in "Lion" or Castellitto in "Caspian." "Because if they've chosen this person, then he obviously must be lovely."
Aside from cast and crew changes, the bigger question for Disney and Walden is if their Narnian adventure will end with "Dawn Treader." At this year's New York Comic Con in April, producer Mark Johnson told audiences that "right now" there were no plans to go beyond "Dawn Treader," but an extra hundred million dollars or so at the box office just might change their minds.
Whatever the outcome, the Pevensie kids are prepared.
"For Andrew, this industry is his life, but it's not for me," says Henley, with all the wisdom of her 12 and three-quarter years of life. "I've got lots of different worlds in my life that I enjoy quite a bit."
Spoken like a true professional.
Andrew Adamson is a man in need of a vacation.
As the director, producer, and co-screenwriter of "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian," the filmmaker and his Oscar-winning CGI crew have been up around the clock to complete the final two effects: a close-up of a Narnian River God and a shot of the five leads - returning child actors William Moseley, 21, Anna Popplewell, 19, Skandar Keynes, 16, Georgie Henley, 12, and crucial newcomer Ben Barnes, 26 - charging into battle.
But while Adamson is eager to bid adieu to the editing bay, the 41-year-old New Zealand native is less excited about leaving behind the fantastical world of Narnia. Having also made the Disney and Walden Media 2005 adaptation of C.S. Lewis's "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe," Adamson has guided the naïve adolescent characters to become seasoned warriors and rulers, and the work has dominated his imagination for the past four years.
Disney is hopeful audiences will be equally invested in the fate of the young clan and their newest compatriot, the swashbuckling - and easy on the eyes - Prince Caspian. Despite media fuss over the first film's peek-a-boo religious symbolism, "Lion" won over critics and grossed an astounding $745 million worldwide, making at least a second film (Lewis's Narnia series consists of seven titles) inevitable. But where the first film was light and mythological, its successor, which opens here Friday, is dark, more sophisticated, and ultimately a richer cinematic experience.
"The resonating theme behind 'Caspian' is a feeling of loss, of learning to let go of childhood," says Adamson, whose turmoil-ridden childhood in Papua New Guinea helped him connect to the story's emotional core. "This is the story of four kids who have lived through 15 years of glorious reign, but now their world is destroyed and they have to accept that and move on."
When audiences last saw Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie, the World War II-era children had just returned to the "real world" after serving nearly two decades as the kings and queens of the fantasy land of Narnia. At the start of "Caspian," the quartet find themselves summoned back to their former haunt by the besieged Prince Caspian, who is struggling to overthrow his uncle, the corrupt King Miraz (Sergio Castellitto), and reclaim his kingdom.
" 'Caspian' is not as sweet and charming as the first film," says Barnes, a theater vet ("The History Boys") who was plucked from a casting call of 100 candidates to play the prince. ["Lion"] "was like a Christmas fairy tale and this is a rollicking summer movie."
No sweetness and less charm, check. With its casualty-heavy battle sequences, weapon-wielding dwarves, and own brand of fighting trees, "Caspian" plays like a less-grungy installment of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, albeit one sanitized for a strictly PG-crowd. (This is Disney.)
"Caspian" is a lot more human than "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe," says Adamson. "Evil and good were much more symbolic in the first film; Aslan [the lion] was pure good and the White Witch was pure evil. This film is more character-based and as much as the characters have grown up, so has the film."
more stories like this
But the story isn't all that has grown up. Like the child actors from the Harry Potter series, the adolescent actors who portray the Pevensies have matured on-set and on-screen as well, forging a new family among themselves.
"William, Skandar, Georgie and I are very close because you bond with people when you're doing extraordinary things," says Popplewell ("Girl With a Pearl Earring"), who is studying literature at Oxford University. "And walking into Narnia together, that's definitely an extraordinary experience."
"After being together 16 hours a day, every day for seven months, there's an awful amount of trust on every level and people are considerate of that," says Moseley. "During the two-year gap between filming ['The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe' and 'Caspian'], we would e-mail each other, and when we saw each other again on set, it all just came rushing back."
And like real families, the Pevensie portrayers welcomed new members into their fold, including Barnes, whose Caspian gets under the skin of both Peter and Susan (though for very different reasons) and Peter Dinklage ("The Station Agent," "Elf"), who endured two-and-a-half hours of daily prosthetics and makeup application to play the curmudgeonly Red Dwarf Trumpkin. Says Popplewell, "It was a mishmash of family reunion and brand-new party."
But just as loss permeates the plot of "Caspian," it also extends to the cast. Although "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader," the third installment of the Narnia series, is currently in pre-production and set to begin filming in Mexico in October, Moseley and Popplewell will not be aboard. (The seafaring adventure only involves Edmund, Lucy, and their cousin Eustace as they meet up with Caspian in his quest to find seven lost lords.)
"Narnia was my life for six years," says Moseley, who was once a candidate to headline another seven-part fantasy series about a certain boy wizard. "We started shooting when I was 16 and I'm 21 now. So it's like I've graduated from Narnia, and have learned everything I can, acting-wise."
Popplewell concurs. "Creatively, I'm not sure I could play the same character seven times and do something new with it seven times," says the actress, who will also not miss the costuming. "Although I loved shooting the night raid sequence with the gryphons, it was incredibly uncomfortable. I was wearing this leather-bodice-type arrangement and getting a three-inch-thick support harness underneath that, and keeping me the same size meant that all of my insides were smushed together."
Also not returning is an exhausted Adamson, who only gave himself a six-week respite between writing and shooting "Lion" and "Caspian," and will only serve as a producer for "Dawn Treader." Instead, the directing reins will be passed to Michael Apted ("The World Is Not Enough"), a change the remaining cast and crew find bittersweet.
"I should be nervous, but I'm not," says Henley, who adds that she loves learning from new costars, whether it was James McAvoy as Mr. Tumnus in "Lion" or Castellitto in "Caspian." "Because if they've chosen this person, then he obviously must be lovely."
Aside from cast and crew changes, the bigger question for Disney and Walden is if their Narnian adventure will end with "Dawn Treader." At this year's New York Comic Con in April, producer Mark Johnson told audiences that "right now" there were no plans to go beyond "Dawn Treader," but an extra hundred million dollars or so at the box office just might change their minds.
Whatever the outcome, the Pevensie kids are prepared.
"For Andrew, this industry is his life, but it's not for me," says Henley, with all the wisdom of her 12 and three-quarter years of life. "I've got lots of different worlds in my life that I enjoy quite a bit."
Spoken like a true professional.
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