Ben Barnes: From Prince Caspian to Dorian Gray
Right on the heels of starring in the No. 1 movie at the box office, Ben Barnes has landed another gig - and it’s a doozy. The adorable Prince Caspian will play the title character in a film adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray.According to The Hollywood Reporter, director Oliver Parker is “planning to make a visceral, dark horror story and says the themes of stardom are as relevant as ever.”
That was my immediate thought as well, that the book’s themes of vanity and the desire for everlasting youth and beauty seem to be incredibly relevant to today’s world (especially in American society, though Dorian Gray does not take place in America).
Dorian Gray is a young man of impossible physical beauty whose portrait - painted by the artist Basil Hallward - becomes connected on an occult level with the workings of his soul. Drawn into a corrupt and sensual life by the dissolute Lord Henry Wotton, Dorian remains young and beautiful, while the painting ages in his stead, ultimately becoming a monstrosity.
Have you read this work by Oscar Wilde? What do you think of this movie news?
‘The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian’ Set For Box Office Crown
Two weeks after “Iron Man” opened to $99 million at the North American box office, “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” will likely earn almost as much this weekend.
Industry observers expect the fantasy sequel will gross $85 million or more during the three-day period beginning Friday. Its 2005 predecessor, “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” opened to $65.6 million, and finished with $292 million.
The Disney release has been scoring high in prerelease surveys for must-see sentiment among all demographics and has drawn solid early reviews from critics.
The second book in a 1950s children’s literature series written by the theologically rooted C.S. Lewis, the sequel features a more adult central character via the title role, played by Ben Barnes (”Stardust“). Both films were directed by Andrew Adamson.
Disney distribution president Chuck Viane said:
“This is the quintessential general-audience film — moms and dads, families, date-pic couples, teens by themselves — this plays to everybody”.
Walden Media, a family-friendly production company owned by Denver billionaire Philip Anschutz, is a co-financer and equity partner on the film, which totes production costs of nearly $200 million.
After two weekends at No. 1, “Iron Man” will pass the $200 million mark. As of Wednesday, the Paramount and Marvel superhero saga had earned $188 million.
But the Warner Bros. dud “Speed Racer” will likely crash again, a week after the costly adventure opened at No. 3 with just $18.6 million.
New ‘Prince Caspian’ Photos
Disney has released new interesting promotion photos from the upcoming “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian“.
The second installment of “The Chronicles of Narnia” is set a year after the introduction to the four brave Prevensie siblings. They re-enter the magical land, only to learn that a long time has passed and the evil King Miraz, who is the leader of Telmarines, now rules Narnia. Prince Caspian is the rightful heir to the throne but has been forced into hiding by the cruel king, his uncle. With a little help from the now-experienced Prevensies and some new friends, Caspian sets out to take what is rightfully his.
The film is scheduled to hit theaters on May 16th.
‘The Chronicles of Narnia 2: Prince Caspian’ Banners
BadTaste has released three new posters from the upcoming “The Chronicles of Narnia 2: Prince Caspian“.
The second installment of “The Chronicles of Narnia” is set a year after the introduction to the four brave Prevensie siblings. They re-enter the magical land, only to learn that a long time has passed and the evil King Miraz, who is the leader of Telmarines, now rules Narnia. Prince Caspian is the rightful heir to the throne but has been forced into hiding by the cruel king, his uncle. With a little help from the now-experienced Prevensies and some new friends, Caspian sets out to take what is rightfully his.
Recently, director Andrew Adamson revealed that “Prince Caspian” will be much bigger in scale than the original, and will also be more complicated. The film is scheduled to hit theaters on May 16th.
‘The Chronicles of Narnia’ Franchise Ending After Third Film?
The Chronicles of Narnia franchise will reportedly end after the third film, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, is released.Based on a series of seven novels by C. S. Lewis, the first film adaptation, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, was released in 2005. Its follow-up, Prince Caspian, is scheduled for release this summer, with Dawn Treader expected in 2010.
First Showing reports that producer Mark Johnson told an audience at the New York Comic Con that there are “no plans” to adapt the remaining four novels following Dawn Treader.
Disney and Pixar are reportedly planning to replace the Narnia franchise with a trilogy of films based on the John Carter of Mars books by Edgar Rice Burroughs.
‘Prince Caspian’ Pictures Online
Total Film sat down to talk Prince Caspian with Howard Berger recently, and, as it turns out, he had plenty to say.He was kind enough to throw a few exclusive pictures our way, and discuss each one in turn.
If we had to pick a favourite, it’d probably be the werewolf, especially as Berger’s kid had a hand in its design.
If you want to know what on Narnia, scroll down for the pictures and Berger’s explanations.
“The fauns have to do all the battle stuff, so we’ve got these buff Czech stunt guys. One of them was a free-runner in Casino Royale. So he was bouncing all over the place and Andrew went with that concept. It’s really cool They’re like mountain goats, just leaping off these crevices and bouncing off castle walls. They’re amazing.”
“We have African-Narnian centaurs this time out. They’re black in the movie and there’s a whole family of them. There’s this really great actor named Cornell S John - Andrew found him in [Gershwin opera] Porgy And Bess in London - and he has this great face, this really long face. His character has three sons and a wife, so we had to design make-ups for a family of centaurs that are genetically tied. We even have baby centaurs!”
“The digital werewolf was being handled by Weta Digital in New Zealand, but we also had a full suit with mechanical head, pretty messed up and all scarred and everything, which was great. Really cool. But I showed my young son and he went, ‘Well, the ears are too big. It looks silly.’ I said, ‘I think you’re right!’ So I told the sculptors to try a smaller pair of ears. Andrew [Adamson, director] came in and said, ‘I really like those ears!’”
