The names of the four main actors and actresses of Andrew Adamson's The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe have been finally revealed, according to The New Zealand Herald. All four partook in a cricket game that was broadcasted on the grounds of the Monte Cecilia House to welcome the visit of Prime Minister Helen Clark.
The actors are: Georgie Henley, 9, from London, who plays the lead character Lucy; Skandar Keynes, 12, also from London, who plays Edmund; Anna Popplewell, 15, from West Yorkshire, who plays Susan; and William Moseley, 17, from Gloucestershire, who plays the eldest brother Peter.
Production manager Tim Coddington said everything is on schedule and they have another ten days of outdoor shooting to get through in Auckland before the crew moves to the South Island in mid-October. Most of the filming has been conducted on the indoor set built in the old Hobsonville air force base.
James Cosmo, who played Campbell in Braveheart and Mr Renton in Trainspotting, has been confirmed for the role of Father Christmas.
He will join the other cast members so far named: Tilda Swinton (the White Witch), Dawn French (the voice of Mrs Beaver), James McAvoy (Mr Tumnus) and Rupert Everett (the voice of The Fox).
A production spokesman confirmed that Nicole Kidman will not participate in the movie.
Popplewell, the veteran of the group, has appeared in five previous movies, including Girl with a Pearl Earring and Mansfield Park, as well as three television series.
Keynes has played a young Enzo Ferrari in an Italian biographical movie.
For Moseley and Heley despite their young age, these are not their first on-screen roles. Both of them have been a regular participant in England's Wharfedale Festival of Performing Arts.
"It is quite tiring and it was a bit overwhelming at first, but everyone is doing everything they can to help, so it's cool,” the nine-year old Henley commented.
Moseley said he was enjoying the work, but was feeling a little homesick for his village near Stroud in the Cotswolds. "You don't know what you have until it's not there anymore," he said.
The Hillsborough location will serve as the grounds of the country mansion where Lucy finds the wardrobe portal to the Kingdom of Narnia. The mansion will be generated through computer graphic technology.
Prime Minister Clark said it was always fun to visit a film set and meet the talent, "especially when it means a great deal to the New Zealand economy and our film industry. We are obviously looking at possibilities for getting some leverage out of it, as we did with Lord of the Rings. It's all good for the country."
