The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, the third in the epic series of films based on the bestselling books by C.S. Lewis, will begin principal photography on location in Queensland, Australia, today – July 27, 2009. The production, a joint venture between Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation and Walden Media, continues the franchise which commenced with the spectacular, Oscar-winning 2005 release, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and its 2008 follow-up, Prince Caspian, whose combined global boxoffice gross tops $1.2 billion.

This time around – Edmund and Lucy Pevensie, along with their pesky cousin Eustace Scrubb – find themselves swallowed into a painting and on to a fantastic Narnian ship headed for the very edges of the world. Joining forces once again with their royal friend Prince Caspian and the warrior mouse Reepicheep, they are whisked away on a mysterious mission to the Lone Islands, and beyond. On this bewitching voyage that will test their hearts and spirits, the trio will face magical Dufflepuds, sinister slave traders, roaring dragons and enchanted merfolk. Only an entirely uncharted journey to Aslan’s Country – a voyage of destiny and transformation for each of those aboard the Dawn Treader – can save Narnia, and all the astonishing creatures in it, from an unfathomable fate.

Veteran filmmaker Michael Apted (the 007 epic “The World Is Not Enough,” “Gorillas in the Mist,” “Coal Miner’s Daughter”) is at the helm of the new Narnia venture. Returning as the Pevensie children are Georgie Henley as Lucy and Skandar Keynes as Edmund. Ben Barnes (“Easy Virtue,” “Dorian Gray”) reprises the role of Caspian. Cousin Eustace will be played by UK native Will Poulter (“Son of Rambow”).

The full news article can be read here

Launched in 2008, Connect2earth, an online environmental community where you can tell the world why you care about the environment and why it should be protected is now entering a new phase.

The new service links you directly with friends and the world’s top environmental experts to discuss renewable energy, the species extinction crisis and climate change among other topics. You can debate, learn and share information by posting text, images, audio and video material and then follow the discussion live as it plays out on the web or on your mobile phone.

connect2earth community members, together with a jury of green experts, will then pick a winning contribution. The winner could win a trip to be part of an official delegation to the United Nations climate negotiations in Copenhagen later this year, or even get first-hand experience on a conservation project somewhere in the world.

Skandar is urging you to go www.connect2earth.org for your say in the future of our planet!

Skandar recently went to track down the Grey Wolf in the Jura Mountains, Switzerland as part of his work-shadowing with IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature).

Information about his trip can be found at the Wild Talk site www.iucn.org/wildtalk as well as an audio interview with wolf expert Jean-Marc Landry and Deputy Head of IUCN’s Species Programme, Jean-Christophe Vi? which can be downloaded HERE (right click > save target as).

New photos have also appeared on Skandar’s official site as well as another from his visit to William Tyndale School and can be found in the gallery.

Teenager with Darwin link stars in Narnia films

ON SCREEN he’s the bad-boy traitor who sold out his siblings to the White Witch in The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe.

In real life, Highbury schoolboy Skandar Keynes is a teenage Hollywood hearthrob and all-round over-achiever who counts Charles Darwin, economist John Maynard Keynes, politician Tony Benn and King Edward I among his ancestors.

Seventeen-year-old Skandar brought a touch of adventure to William Tyndale School in Islington on Wednesday when he presented a treasure chest to help children emulate some of his great-great-great grandfather Charles Darwin’s simpler experiments. Skandar, a former pupil of Thornhill Primary School in Barnsbury who now attends City of London School, is studying sciences at A-level. Speaking exclusively to the Tribune, he said: “I’m doing biology, chemistry, maths, further maths and history. When I was choosing I thought I enjoy sciences. They’re not something I can pick up on in the future like English literature.”
He is determined that filming – work on a third Narnia film starts in Australia in July – will not distract him from his studies. “It’s not too hard to focus on work,” he said. The visit to William Tyndale was arranged to coincide with the 200th anniversary of Darwin’s birth. He said: “My dad asked if I wanted to do this. I know a little about Darwin. I believe in everything he said. It wasn’t really stressed on me but I’ve been aware of it.”

The treasure chest, provided under a joint project between the Wellcome Trust and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, contains stickers, a plant press, a mini-seed bank and other resources to help children take part in Kew’s Great Plant Hunt. William Tyndale is the only school in Islington to receive a treasure chest.
Headteacher Tanya Watson said: “The children absolutely loved it. For them it was a terrific chance to have a well-known child actor and direct descendant of Darwin visit. “Anything that makes science a more creative experience for children has got to be good. It’s about opening children’s minds even more, keeping awareness of the world around them and not just seeing science as a Key Stage 2 Sats paper.” Angela McFarlane, from Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, said: “The project celebrates Darwin the scientist and shows children that, although he was a genius, the way he did science used simple techniques, looking carefully at what’s around him. “They can go out and do some of the things Darwin did. They can send the information they find to Kew. We’re going to be making the world’s largest collection of daisy seeds which our scientists at Kew will be experimenting on.”

Source

Thanks to NarniaWeb, we now have more details about the extra features that will be included on the Prince Caspian DVD:

Disc 1

Disc 2

Disc 3

The DVD is avaliable for preorder from Amazon.com.

Disney will be releasing Prince Caspian to DVD and Blu-ray on December 2nd, 2008 — right in time for the holidays!

It will contain a special “DisneyFile”–a digital copy of the movie that can be viewed on a variety of portable devices for the whole family to enjoy anytime, anywhere. Special audio commentary will be included by director and actors, as well as other special features which are still being finalized and will be announced soon.

The Collector’s Edition DVD will also include a behind-the-scenes interview with the cast and crew, a tour of the film’s locations and sets, inside view of the technology and production behind the movie, bloopers, and deleted scenes.

The Blu-ray Hi-Def version includes enhanced Disney’s BD-Live Network exclusives, interactive Narnia game, downloadable features and more.

Thanks to NarniaWeb for the tip.

The Lebanon Daily Star has posted a new article about Skandar’s visit to Beirut (he is currently on his annual holiday there) which talks about a charity event screening of Prince Caspian that he attended for the local Marjayoun’s Atallah Sports Club. The event was organized by his mother to raise awareness about the athletic facilities available for children in the Marjayoun area.

“The Atallah Sports Club provides a big and important service for the local area,” said Keynes, as he posed for photographs and signed autographs. “There are lots of interesting classes for local children, including Taekwondo and nunchucks.”

Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, the Atallah Sports Club is situated between Jdeidet Marjayoun and Buwaidha. The club provides athletic facilities for children in the greater Marjayoun area which it has expanded to include a gymnasium, a studio for Taekwondo lessons, aerobics and kick-boxing, a sauna and a jacuzzi as well as showers.

Keynes’ mother told The Daily Star that many local children were unaware of the sports club, something she hoped the screening would help change.

Read the full article here.