Swinton Bewitched

The rumour mill tipped us off a few days ago but it has now been confirmed that Tilda Swinton has won the role of the White Witch in Andrew Adamson's The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. For those of you playing catch-up, C.S. Lewis' classic tale sees the land of Narnia lost in the blizzards of winter, condemned to 100 years of ice and snow by the dark powers of the White Witch. As with all curses, however, there is a prophecy foretelling those who will break it and so we have our heroes, Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy. The foursome stumble into Narnia via a handy wardrobe and become embroiled in the confrontation between Swinton's forces of evil and the goodly minions of Aslan, a friendly lion and thinly veiled Christ allegory. When rumours of Nicole Kidman's attachment to the role were debunked, many despaired that a similarly perfect ice queen would never be found but, we have to say, Swinton is a truly commendable alternative. The film begins in New Zealand this summer with all other key roles still up for grabs.