Prince Caspian: Ben Barnes & why is he so old?

TrueNarnianForever said:
I hate ppl who kinda only like Narnia becuz of the actors.............*cough*skandarwillben*cough*
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I agree with you, and no offense to those who are...



ChildOfAslan7 said:
yeah, like i said before, this is the some-what down side of adaptations. there's already a following and the creaters/"involvers" of the movie product have to satisfy that followings expectations. which is a very big job. especially when it's such a beloved and, to a lot of people, precious story.
Andrew Adamson must be struggling within himself a lot. so much expected of him. i hope the limits set up by us fans don't ruin his creativity.
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They should feel pressure, because they are essentially doing the rest of these movies because of audience reactions.. also, there is a fine line between improving/inserting a little something here and there and going too far. I never said they were going too far with Caspian. We are not actually "setting limits" for the people involved in the movie, because we actually have no control over the situation, sadly, and we only want them to stick to the story as close as possible.

And, actually, most of us who are upset over the age are not criticizing Ben's acting performance! Please remember that! ;)

:)
 
ChildOfAslan7 said:
thanks. i wonder if andrew knows about this forum. it wouldn't hurt him to peek in once in a while and observe our reactions.
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Oh, I wish he would. Then he could really get inside our crazy insane-fan minds! Of course, he should already know that fans would be a bit upset to know Caspian is 25. Oh, well. You learn something new everyday, I suppose.
 
i think they should use someone younger.the guy's twenty-five and hes not been in any big time movies.i think they shouldve used the guy who played in operation stormbreaker as prince caspian or at least someone his age
 
Ya know...(sorry to be such a realist) but he prolly doesn't really care what we think..cause he knows that enough people will show up for at least one viewing to make him millions and of course there are enough people who don't care enough about the message behind the stories to nitpick enough to actually condemn an serious digression from the storyline, etc. Those kinds of 'fans' will see the film five-hundred times over, just for the special effects, or perhaps so they can swoon over someone they'll never meet, or if they did know them, probably wouldn't want to meet, completely overlooking acting skills or enthusiasm for something such as the CON, and instead falling for what they consider 'good-looks'. This happened with SW, so prepare yourself, 'cause with each passing day, this nightmare becomes more and more a reality. Unless of course we make some noise. Maybe then they may listen. I for one will sign a petition of some sort. At least then they'll take five-seconds of the 'precious' time they're spending eliminating plot elements and 'modernizing' a story known for its emphasis on ancient chivalry and sound morals, and observe our views. Only then can we have a say in any of this, however minute.

Cyon

P.S.: I'm known to be a jerk with my 'pessimism', but I've seen A LOT of GREAT films go down the tubes because of directors not caring about the fans or sticking to the spirit of the story/saga. I sincerley hope I'm wrong, though.
 
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I believe the point of who plays Caspian is moot by now. The casting is done for the part, filming is getting underway and they aren't about to change it because of a few thousand signatures on a petition. The film industry just rarely, if ever, works that way. It's like people asking here to be voted upon to play a part. No film company is going to base who stars in what roll based upon what a few fans believe.

People may not like it but the die has been cast and it's something we all will have to deal with. I still believe that they chose Barnes, not because of the film 'Prince Caspian', but because of the 'Voyage of the Dawn Treader'. In the later film, Prince Caspian is supposed to be 3 to 4 years older and they couldn't have a real young looking actor play an older part. Barnes can pass himself off as 16 -18, and since they are making the two films virtually back-to-back, he will look the part of the older Caspian. They have to finish VOTDT before Georgie and Skandar get too old looking to effectively make their parts believable. So I think they went with the older Barnes to make the third film more accurate.

People complained about certain parts of the LOTR films as well when comparing them to the books, but most people have overlooked that aspect because of how well done those films truly were. In looking back I think that we will all say the same thing about Prince Caspian. I believe we will end up virtually overlooking the age of Barnes and end up saying what a great film it is.

Also remember that the C.S. Lewis Co., with Doug Gresham, Mr. Lewis' stepson, is involved in the production of the film as well, and they are aware of who is playing what rolls and I have to believe they had some say in the casting.

Just some thoughts from an old preacher.:D
 
Gray Wolf said:
I hope Andrew won't make this "romance" and that this old guy won't be Caspian. If Lewis would see that...
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I'm sure Lewis would be upset anyway you look at it... I don't think he would've allowed his books to be turned into huge movies like this.

It's too late now to wish there was someone else - this is who we have and no amount of screaming is going to change anyone's (anyone who has a say in the matter) mind. Andrew and Pippa HAD to have an excellent, perfect reason to choose Ben, and honestly, just because they did pick someone a bit older (actually right now, I'm pretty darn happy with his age because I know it's possible for a 25 yr old to pull off a teenager), I REALLY want to see this guy act as Caspian. He must've had something special to have been chosen out of everyone else. I can't wait to see him act.
 
Son of Adam said:
Also remember that the C.S. Lewis Co., with Doug Gresham, Mr. Lewis' stepson, is involved in the production of the film as well, and they are aware of who is playing what rolls and I have to believe they had some say in the casting.
Just some thoughts from an old preacher.:D
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HEAR HEAR!!! Harken to the voice of the wise!

And for goodness sake, remain calm! It can't be as bad as all that!
 
Cannot wait for the movie. This is what Adamson said about the movie with relation to the book:

Adamson: "It's very close [to the book] in the same way that The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was. With that film what I really tried to do was imagine this story was real and CS Lewis had written a book for children about it but I was going to tell the real story so it had a bit more depth, a bit more action, a bit more grit and reality to it. I think that's true with this one as well."
 
To everyone who is worried about how good Caspian is going to be and how good the movie will be: What are you all going to say if the movie turns out to be great, smashes some box office records, and Ben Barnes ends up getting a couple of awards? Some of that sounds a little out there, but it IS possible.
 
Well, then I'll be ecstatic. I'm just very skeptical right now w/ the whole age thing. But...if Pippa Hall knew what she was doing...well, I guess we'll just have to trust the crew.

I wonder who'll be Gwendolen?
 
tottyfruitty said:
oh lmfo i always thought that Andrew was realted to Lewis! thanks for confirming that lol
so Andrew is producer and Gresham is what?
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Actually it is Andrew Adamson who is the Director and Doug Gresham was the co-producer of the film as well as the radio announcer in the scene at the professor's home in the girl's bedroom.
 
Prince Caspian: He's Old!!! Why????

Prince Caspian is a character of innocence, joy and youth. He is a young boy. I say that no 25 year old, no matter how "youthful", can effectively play this particular 14 year old BOY. You need the real thing. If they think that he can, then he's weird. And there are enough weirdoes in the world. Why not just have gotten a real boy?

C.S. Lewis writes about finding joy (which is the title of his autobiography). His life was about finding joy in nature, in books, and in God. Caspian is a personification of that joy. He is a boy who believes in the ancient magic (the goodness) of Narnia, which has been all but destroyed by the evil, dark, Telmarines (Who run an oppresive regime, like the Nazis). Caspian is completely joyful and innocent, and he knows truth. Therefor he stands out from the other Telmarines. His face is kind and spirited and a boy's face. I do not see it in this 25 year old man. How will the meat of this story, the drama, be effectively conveyed by him? Caspian's innocent face and natural goodness is paramount to it.

So I think this was a ill conceived decision that could wreck the series. Obviously it was done for action purposes (he'll be an action hero-but little more), and to counterbalance William Moselley, who has gotten older.

Warning! Do not expect much drama, dialogue or depth from this film. It will be all action and pretty special effects and therefore could have very short legs, like Eragon. Gosh Disney, WE WANTED SOMETHING DEEP and true to the material for once.

For the sake of redeeming the film, I have included the Caspian headshot of Barnes and then what I think needs to be done for him to look somewhat like the boy Caspian:

The original:

Ben_Barnes-1.jpg



And the changes that are needed for him to try to effectively play the boy Caspian:

Ben_BarnesNeededChangesforCaspian.jpg
 
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