The filmmakers may need to have twins playing Shasta and Corin. Perhaps red-headed identical twins? This is a matter of recessive family genes and family resemblances rather than of a particular racial group. The point about Shasta is that however varied you make the Calormenes, that Corin is sufficiently and unusually so different that in a Tashbaan crowd it would be easy to pick him out. And that Anradin could see that Shasta, Corin's identical twin, could not be any child of Arsheesh.

It isn't the race that is the problem, really. It is the culture of Calormen that is of concern. And that is where the accusations come in. C.S.Lewis seemed to be fascinated with Oriental styles of dressing, armour and even foods, to make them different from the Narnians. Tash seems to resemble Shiva, the Hindu god of destruction. Even the tale of a captured prince escaping captivity resembles a Zanj legend displayed in Fremantle's Maritime Museum. It relates how an African king escaped Arabian slavers and returned to the Zanj.

And sorry, Arabian slavers used to pillage Irish coasts, as C.S.Lewis was no doubt aware. Unfortunately, in Europe this has been forgotten.

I'm not sure about using prosthetic ears for the Archenlanders, though I can see it is a good suggestion. Wouldn't viewers see it as a LOTR rip-off? And whilst I see Graymouser's point about how to cast the Calormenes I find it difficult to recast Narnian and Archenlandish people as anything else but native British, that is to say of Celtic or Anglo-Saxon/Danish descent. If Shasta and Corin both had red hair and freckles they would stand out startlingly even in a London or Sydney crowd.

That's weird . . . I actually pictured the twins as red-heads as well. Casting real twins might severely limit the pool of actors that they can use. It would probably make more sense to use split screen, but if they can find a talented pair of twins, more power to them.

You have a point about the LOTR rip off effect. Maybe they might have some other distinguishing feature. I'm not sure what you mean by recasting Narnians and Archenlanders. Between the reign of the White Witch and invasion of the Telmarines, the only "Narnians" were completely non-human creatures and the Pevensies. I wasn't suggesting that the Pevensies should be anything else but English humans.

As for the Archenlanders, it wouldn't be a recast, in any sense of the word. If you're talking about restyling them from the way they were in previous films, they have never been depicted on film. If you are talking about restyling them from the way they are in the book, HHB refers to them as fair and friendly. I will grant that HHB doesn't explicitly mention non-human features, but, in MN, it says that the Archenlanders are actually a hybrid race of English humans and nymphs, presumably more nymph than human.

The filmmakers may need to have twins playing Shasta and Corin. Perhaps red-headed identical twins? This is a matter of recessive family genes and family resemblances rather than of a particular racial group. The point about Shasta is that however varied you make the Calormenes, that Corin is sufficiently and unusually so different that in a Tashbaan crowd it would be easy to pick him out. And that Anradin could see that Shasta, Corin's identical twin, could not be any child of Arsheesh.

I'm not sure about using prosthetic ears for the Archenlanders, though I can see it is a good suggestion. Wouldn't viewers see it as a LOTR rip-off? And whilst I see Graymouser's point about how to cast the Calormenes I find it difficult to recast Narnian and Archenlandish people as anything else but native British, that is to say of Celtic or Anglo-Saxon/Danish descent. If Shasta and Corin both had red hair and freckles they would stand out startlingly even in a London or Sydney crowd.

I've been wondering about the need for twins. On the one hand, it would allow each actor to focus on their character. On the other hand, I don't think there are that many twins who are both in the acting business. Especially if we have red haired twins. I like that idea, it would really emphasize their difference without having to focus on the skin.

While we're on the subject of hair, I have an idea about how to make the Archenlanders look part human. Bear in mind though, the Caloremenes were descended from Narnian and Archenlander bandits who escaped over the desert (at least that's what I heard), so I'm not sure it's necessary to make them look more nymph-like then the Caloremenes. If we did though, maybe through wigs, hair gel, or some other hair care product we could make the Archenlander's hair look slightly shimmery?

I'm not sure what you mean by recasting Narnians and Archenlanders. Between the reign of the White Witch and invasion of the Telmarines, the only "Narnians" were completely non-human creatures and the Pevensies. I wasn't suggesting that the Pevensies should be anything else but English humans.

I thought of reversing the characteristics of Calormenes and Shasta so that Shasta and the Archenlanders are the dark ones and the Calormenes are fair, but that doesn't work, really. However obnoxious HHB might seem, because of Rabadash and Anradin's Archenlandish and Narnian 'fair barbarians' remarks, I think that making the Archenlanders and Narnians 'dark' barbarians, that is to say, the same situation in reverse, would be no better. And since the Archenlanders seem to be descendants of King Frank and Queen Helen, they would probably be a mixed bunch anyway on the human side. Whereas the Pevensies can't be any different to what they have already been portrayed in the movies.

I like Dinode's idea of shimmery hair, which shouldn't be too hard to do. And hair can be dyed anyway for the filming at no extra cost.

I've been wondering about the need for twins. On the one hand, it would allow each actor to focus on their character. On the other hand, I don't think there are that many twins who are both in the acting business. Especially if we have red haired twins. I like that idea, it would really emphasize their difference without having to focus on the skin.

Well I was reading The Social Network trivia the other day and learned that the twins were really two different actors but the face of one.... maybe they could use the same process for HHB? Cuz twin actors seem kinda hard to find. The only redhead twins I can think of are the ones in Harry Potter.

I kind of imagined some of the Calormins themselves having red hair, a little like the ancient Egyptians.

the Caloremenes were descended from Narnian and Archenlander bandits who escaped over the desert (at least that's what I heard), so I'm not sure it's necessary to make them look more nymph-like then the Caloremenes. If we did though, maybe through wigs, hair gel, or some other hair care product we could make the Archenlander's hair look slightly shimmery?

I like the shimmery hair idea, and some of them could have subtle hints of color that aren't found in natural human hair (dark brown with hints of dark green for example). I would imagine the Archenlanders would have more nymph genes than the Calormenes. The Calormenes established their culture far away from the magic and creatures of Narnia, so they would not have continued to intermarry with Narnians. Whereas it would make perfect sense if the occasional Archenlander-creature marriage occurred up til the "present day" of HHB.

I always think of the description of King Lune. He was the fattest, jolliest, apple cheeked king. I wonder if all archenlanders are like. Or I think they would probably be mixed with human and nyad.

Very dark to light medium skin colours as opposed to the nice white Narnians? And nobody is going to notice that?

... The "nice white Narnians" are literally 4 children, from a single family, from another universe. Hardly a race.

Well, that is true in LWW. For HHB we'll be seeing more human Narnians - both in the delegation to Tashbaan and in the army at the end. (At least, if the book is followed!)

Basically, Shasta would look "different" because of his pointed ears or whatever it is that distinguishes him as part creature.

we could make the Archenlander's hair look slightly shimmery?

some of them could have subtle hints of color that aren't found in natural human hair (dark brown with hints of dark green for example). I would imagine the Archenlanders would have more nymph genes than the Calormenes.

These are really interesting ideas! I like the latter two about hair best, but only because (I must admit) the pointed ears thing does make me think LotR!elves right away.

Falling in with what wolfloversk said earlier - that maybe part of the difference is the Archenlanders being "More merry" than either Calormenes or Narnians. I think that's a good thought. The Narnians are noble and high minded, the Calormenes are proud conquerors, and the Archenlanders are interested in the simpler joys of life. (almost like - dare I say - hobbits.)

Well, that is true in LWW. For HHB we'll be seeing more human Narnians - both in the delegation to Tashbaan and in the army at the end. (At least, if the book is followed!)

Where in the book does it mention human Narnians other than the Pevensies? I know none of them are named specifically and I don't recall a general reference to human Narnians. It wouldn't make sense if there were. When the Pevensies come in LWW, there had been no humans in Narnia for a century. It is unclear whether the White Witch had killed them in a massacre or if they had fled to other parts of the Narniaverse.

Well, they did exist in other parts - the Lone Islands for example. That might actually be the story behind the populating of the Lone Islands and Galma and Terebinthia- that the White Witch was the cause for them to flee from Narnia.

King Frank delivered the Lone Islands from a dragon and so the Lone Islanders became tributaries of the Narnian crown forever afterwards. It sounds like there were other humans around almost from the beginning. Something like the ancestors of the Telmarines, they may have just dropped into the Narniaverse somehow along the timeline. C.S.Lewis was rather sketchy about details. So we don't know what the Lone Islands did during the White Witch's reign. Maybe just laid low, returning to Narnia once the White Witch had gone.

So there were always people around for the Narnians and Archenlanders to marry as well as nymphs etc. I know that Peridan was supposed to be a Narnian, rather than one of King Lune's Archenlanders, and expect that it was he who took over after the Pevensies went back to their own world.

Later on, the Duke of Galma's daughter had freckles and a squint, whilst Caspian's Aunt Prunaprismia had red hair. Perhaps the real reason Caspian wasn't attracted to the Duke of Galma's daughter was because she reminded him of his aunt, though Caspian wouldn't say this openly. Calormen's Anradin, for reasons best known to himself, had dyed his beard crimson, and so looked rather startlingly different. Does he see red hair as particularly beautiful?

So red hair, with or without freckles, or even very fair hair, would not be an out of place characteristic of Archenlandish royalty. I do agree with anhun though, that a glimmer of other weird colours, especially a slight greenish or purplish tinge would still be the best option, hinting at dryad ancestry as well.

I think that C.S.Lewis thought it was the style of dress the Narnians and Archenlanders used that made them so beautiful to the Calormenes. The idea is that the Narnians/Archenlanders habitually wore simple and comfortable clothes, whilst the Calormenes wear clothes for show, unless they were peasants.

I had another idea for the look of the Archenlanders. We could make their eyes come in shades that don't normally appear in humans. It might be interesting to see Shasta's eyes just on the border of normal, then see other eyes even more unusual.

Where in the book does it mention human Narnians other than the Pevensies? I know none of them are named specifically and I don't recall a general reference to human Narnians.

Well, in the the chapter Shasta Falls in With the Narnians, we read:

It was quite unlike any other party they had seen that day. The crier who went before it .... was the only Calormene in it. .... There were about half a dozen men and Shasta had never seen anyone like them before .... they were all as fair-skinned as himself, and most of them had fair hair.

And in the talking after they grab Shasta we learn one man is named Peridan. It isn't until Shasta is taken back to their lodgings that he sees Mr. Tumnus, Sallowpad the raven, and various other unique Narnian creatures.

Then in the chapter Shasta in Narnia we read about the army of Narnians who come to save Anvard:

After that came the main body of the army: men on ordinary horses, men on Talking Horses ....

Of course, there were plenty of giants, talking animals, centaurs, etc in the list as well.

So there are already quite a lot of humans in Narnia by the mid/late Golden Age. Prehaps they are mostly immigrants from the islands, as suggested by C.S. Sibelius.

I think I'm a little lost; why are Archenlanders supposed to look inhuman? Aren't they descended from Frank and and Helen? Archenlanders may have intermarried with wood people hundreds of years before HHB because there weren't very many humans, but they don't have to look different. I always thought humans fled to Archenland and the Western Wilds during the White Witch's reign, and thus added a more human look to the people of Archenland.