Prince Caspian

New Zealand is poised to reap the benefits of yet another big budget film with the companies behind the Narnia movies – Disney and Walden Media – hoping to make their next film in the country.

With all of the Prince Caspian news that has come about on this First of April… a day that is long known to be a day of umm…. foolish behavior, I thought I’d tell you everything that I have heard.

Producer Mark Johnson won an Oscar for producing 1988’s Best Picture, Rain Man, but that’s nothing compared to how his Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe kicked Kong’s butt at the box office last winter. (Okay, he didn’t say that, but he should have!)

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was nearing $664 million at the beginning of this week at the global box office. The film has rung up $288,193,914 at the U.S. box office since its Dec. 9 release, while “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,” which came out three weeks earlier, is a nose ahead at $288,733,970.

Earlier today IGN attended the Academy Awards brunch on behalf of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. At the event, Visual Effects Supervisor Dean Wright and Rhythm and Hues Effects Supervisor Bill Westenhofer spoke about the upcoming DVD of Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe, giving attendees a preview of some of the features contained within the two versions that are said to include more than ten hours of bonus footage.

In the first installment of a two part photo essay, Jeff Lange shares some shots that he recently took of Disney-MGM’s “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” walk-through attraction.

Andrew Adamson is set to return to the director’s chair, having just inked a deal to helm “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian.” Adamson also will serve as a producer and co-writer, collaborating with returning scribes Christopher Markus and Steve McFeeley. The principal cast is coming back, as is producer Mark Johnson.

Walt Disney Co and Walden Media have started pre-production on a second film based on C.S. Lewis’ “Chronicles of Narnia” children’s books, a Disney spokeswoman said on Wednesday.