Word on the street indicates that a choice has been made on a crucial member of the cast of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. That role is Eustace Scrubb. It is none other than High School Musical star, Zac Efron.
“They were hesitant on casting him at first,” the insider reported. “ As he is such a high profile star. But he gave the best audition.”
Other finalists on the very short list included Dylan and Cole Spraus from the Disney Channels Suite Life of Zack and Cody, Ricky Ulman from Phil of the Future, Jake Lloyd (Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace), and Haley Joel Osment.
“Our preferences were for either Efron, Ulman or one of the Spraus twins to get a role in this franchise,” said a Disney insider. “Narnia is one of our most bankable franchises, and these are some of our biggest stars. Efron, especially has a lot of street credence with our target audiences.”
“They’ve cast plenty no-names in the series, such as that guy from Schindler’s List ( JS: Liam Neeson) as the voice of Aslan,” said a member of the filming crew. “While he’s a great actor, what we need is a big star to carry the franchise. No one is bigger than Zac Efron right now. It was a perfect fit.”
Efron has already been training for his role and is meeting with his dialect coach to prefect a British accent. Reports indicate he is getting along well with the cast already. It has also been reported that Patrick Stewart ( X-Men, Star Trek: TNG), and Christopher Lee (Lord of the Rings, Star Wars Episode II&III) have also been seen on set. Could they also be filling in roles for the film, perhaps as Coriakin and Ramandu?
Check back with NarniaFans tomorrow for more news on these casting choices!
