Prince Caspian, the sequel to
'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' is darker, grittier - and more
epic. Its director tells John Hiscock how he topped the first
installment. The question facing director Andrew Adamson after the
success of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the
Wardrobe was how to make a sequel that would appeal to fans of the
original film and draw in new audiences, too. His answer was to make it
bigger and more complex in scope and story. "We had to start epic and
then get more epic," he says.
It
has taken the efforts of 2,000 cast and crew and £100 million to
produce The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, which contains twice
as many special effects shots as The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
It is also darker, grittier and more adult in nature, says Adamson.
"The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was a very emotional story about
sacrifice and forgiveness. In some ways, this is a more personal story,
a story of these kids returning to a place that they love, but which no
longer exists. This is more about coming to adulthood, about growth and
adventure.
"I had a more adult cast this time, and whereas the last story followed
the four children, this time we have three stories that are
intertwined."
Judging by the reactions of teenagers in the audience at a pre-premiere
screening in New York, Adamson has done his job well. They cheered,
applauded and some even cried emotional tears.
The Walt Disney company has slapped an embargo on any reviews appearing
until a few days before the film's release, but Adamson and the young
actors talked at length in a New York hotel about bringing CS Lewis's
Christianity-based story to the screen.
Filmed mainly on location in New Zealand and the Czech Republic, Prince
Caspian is set more than 1,300 years after the previous adventure,
although for the four Pevensie schoolchildren only a year has passed
when they are whisked from an Underground station in Second World War
London back to Narnia.
During their absence, the kingdom's talking animals and mythical
creatures have been forced into hiding because the Telmarines, a race
of humans led by the evil Lord Miraz, have taken over. The mighty lion
Aslan, who helped the Pevensies rescue Narnia from the grip of the
White Witch, has not been seen for a thousand years.
Summoned by Caspian, the young heir to the Telmarine throne (played by
newcomer Ben Barnes), the children set out to overthrow Miraz and drive
the Telmarines from Narnia.
Their motley army includes a bad-tempered dwarf (Peter Dinklage), a
sword-fighting mouse named Reepicheep (voiced by Eddie Izzard),
centaurs, minotaurs and, of course, Aslan.
"We've got a forest of trees that join the battles this time, and we've
generated trees that can move and wade through the earth," says
Adamson. "Technology has evolved; just the speed of computers has
evolved, so that helped us out."
It is the final Narnia movie for 20-year-old William Moseley and Anna
Popplewell, 19, as the two older Pevensie children do not feature in
any more of the Narnia stories. Moseley, as Peter, the High King of
Narnia, was delighted to find he is bowing out with such a prominent
role, which includes a duel with King Miraz, played by the Italian
actor Sergio Castellitto.
"I felt honoured that I had so much to do and so much physical and
emotional stuff," he says. "I saw the film for the first time last
night and I'm really proud.
"Narnia has been my life for six years, and it's been so much more than
just a film and a job to me. But now I'm ready to pass it on to Ben."
Ben Barnes, 26, was cast as Caspian only three weeks before filming was
due to begin, after Adamson and the producers had conducted a year-long
search that spread to Spain, Italy, France and Argentina.
Barnes was plucked from the London stage after being spotted in The
History Boys by a casting director, and his good looks and raffish
smile ensure that he will be a heartthrob around the world when the
movie is released.
"I keep telling him he has no idea what is in store for him," says
Adamson. "But he is a really well-adjusted, down-to-earth young man, so
I believe he will survive this experience and stay the way he is."
'Prince Caspian' is out on May 16th.
Prince Caspian, the sequel to
'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' is darker, grittier - and more
epic. Its director tells John Hiscock how he topped the first
installment. The question facing director Andrew Adamson after the
success of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the
Wardrobe was how to make a sequel that would appeal to fans of the
original film and draw in new audiences, too. His answer was to make it
bigger and more complex in scope and story. "We had to start epic and
then get more epic," he says. 
