After months of wondering when they were going to start shooting, we now have solid word from producer Perry Moore. He was speaking to someone at ComicCon who asked when filming would begin, and he was able to confirm that it starts next week in Australia.
@doorQdotCom: Voyage of the Dawn Treader starts principal, in Australia, next week, as per producer Perry Moore. #ComicCon
There were other reports that had said as early as July 15th, but I am now under the impression that the start date for the actors includes everything that they need to do to prepare for the start of shooting. This involves many things from getting measurements taken by the costume department, to camera tests of the actors in the costumes, to training and table reads of the script. It’s a lot of work to prepare for a film shoot, and an actor isn’t going to show up on a Friday, and start shooting on Monday, unless it’s a special case.
If you watch the Lord of the Rings Extended Edition behind the scenes, you’ll know that the actors were showing up very early to New Zealand. Who wouldn’t, anyway, though? But showing up that early gave them time to prepare for the film, and it gave the directors time to figure out some very big things. For one example, they figured out that they had cast Aragorn too young. Not only that, but they figured it out about a week before they were supposed to shoot scenes with him.
Not to mention that the actor just wasn’t getting Aragorn, himself. According to Sean Astin’s book, There and Back Again: An Actor’s Tale, he was miserable. So the director made the tough decision to fire him, and they called up Viggo Mortensen, who flew out the next week, and was shooting in only a matter of a few days. It turned out to be the right thing for the role, as his first shot, I believe, was in the Prancing Pony, when the Hobbits notice him smoking a pipe in the corner. But it’s not always right for every actor, and they were fortunate to have found the perfect actor for the role after it had initially been cast.
So there you have it. Principal Photography begins next week, and we couldn’t be happier to put this mystery to rest. But… when does it end?
Yay! I’m filled with anticipation! I can’t wait to go on this voyage. I’ve gone on it reading the book so many times. But to see it on the big screen will be a dream come true.