Movie Connections – Narnia, Harry Potter and Twilight 30 July 2009
Posted by Renette in Harry Potter, Twilight.2 comments
I don’t really consider myself a fan of fantasy, but there are three popular fantasy franchises that I enjoyed – The Chronicles of Narnia (my all-time favorite), the Harry Potter series and the Twilight saga. It’s interesting how the movies caused some movie connections in the sense that an actor that appeared in one franchise appeared in another as well.
I found connections between Narnia and Harry Potter, and Harry Potter and Twilight, but none yet between Narnia and Twilight. Thankfully, the rumors that Ben Barnes aka Prince Caspian himself was lobbying for the role of Aro in New Moon seems to have been unfounded. Anyway, here they are, with a brief description of the roles of the actors. Please let me know if there are others that I missed.
NARNIA and HARRY POTTER
Jim Broadbent
- played the role of Professor Digory Kirke (who owned the wardrobe through which Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy entered the world of Narnia) in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the first Narnia movie released by Disney – Walden Media
- played the role of Professor Horace Slughorn (the potions professor who inadvertently told Voldemort about horcruxes) in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Warwick Davis
- played the role of Nikabrik (the black dwarf who lived with Trufflehunter the badger and Trumpkin) in 
Prince Caspian, the second Narnia movie released by Disney – Walden Media. Incidentally, he also played the role of Glimfeather (the owl) and Reepicheep (the valiant mouse) in the BBC Narnia productions of Prince Caspian and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
- played the role of the half-goblin Professor Filius Flitwick in the Harry Potter movies whose appearance changed throughout the series. He also played some extra roles in Harry Potter, such as a goblin bank teller in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and choir conductor in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
Kenneth Branagh
- performed The Magician’s Nephew in
the HarperCollins audiobook series of The Chronicles of Narnia. His performance along with Patrick Stewart’s in The Last Battle was my favorite.
- played the role of Gilderoy Lockhart (a foppish celebrity wizard who turned out to be sham) in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Rumor has it that Hugh Grant was initially eyed for the role, but I’m glad they went with Branagh in the end. He was perfect for the role.
HARRY POTTER AND TWILIGHT
Robert Pattinson
- played the role of Cedric Diggory, the Hufflepuff prefect and Hogwarts champion for the Tri-Wizard Tournament, in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Curiously enough, many believe J K Rowling got the name of Cedric Diggory from Narnia’s Professor Digory Kirke. This is obviously the most well-known movie co
nnection in the fantasy film genre.
- played the role of Edward Cullen, the vampire who fell in love with a seventeen year old girl, in Twilight and the succeeding movies of the Twilight saga. The role of Edward Cullen is widely considered to be Robert Pattinson’s breakthrough role, which he almost didn’t get because some fans were complaining that he couldn’t be Edward since he was Cedric.
Jamie Campbell Bower
- has reputedly been cast in the role of Gellert Grindelward (the childhood friend of Albus Dumbledore) in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
- will be playing the role of Caius (the lead vampire of the Volturi) in New Moon, the second book in the Twilight saga.
