Prince Caspian has a new gig.
Relative newcomer Ben Barnes, who starred in the new instalment of “The Chronicles of Narnia,” has been cast in an adaptation of “The Picture of Dorian Gray.”
The film will begin production in late July. Barnaby Thompson will produce with Oliver Parker directing; the pair recently collaborated on the adaptation of “The Importance of Being Earnest.”
“The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” grossed $55 million this weekend, beating “Iron Man.”
“The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” made $56.6 million dollars in its opening weekend—grabbing the No. 1 spot—as per studio estimates complied Sunday by Exhibitor Relations Co.
Although the movie made enough money to go down as the year’s second strongest opener, it was not enough to beat the first “Narnia” movie, “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” which opened with $65.6 million in 2005.
According to Exhibitor Relation’s Jeff Bock, “Prince Caspian” was predicated to come in with at least $80 million in his debut weekend.
“This is quite a surprise,” said Bock, who also suspected that “Prince Caspian’s” darker, warring storyline kept some families away.
“I don’t know if I’ve seen as many death blows in a Disney film,” he said. “When your comic relief is a mouse assassin that’s enough to make even Mickey blush.”
Fans waiting for the next chapter in the Narnia movie franchise will have to wait an extra six months for the new movie to open, the Hollywood Reporter says.
Originally, “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” was supposed to open on Dec. 14, 2007. However, Columbia Pictures decided to open ?The Water Horse? on Dec. 7, 2007.
The two films are both epic fantasies and it was feared that they would be too much competition for one another.
So, executives at Disney decided to move the Narnia film to the summer of 2008. A final release date has not yet been set.
In the second Narnia film, the Pevensey siblings find themselves on an island at a time when Narnia is ruled by the Wicked King Mirax. The Pevenseys ally themselves with the young Prince Caspian, and the mighty lion Aslan, in an effort to revive Narnia’s past and overthrow the evil king.
“The Water Horse” is about a 12-year old boy who stumbles upon a mysterious egg in the desolate landscape of the Scottish Highlands during World War II, and is based on the novel by Dick King Smith.
