Googoogaga Hong Kong 兒童發展及教育資訊網站

The Huntsman: Winter’s War Opens on April 7, 2016

Discover the story that came before Snow White in The Huntsman: Winter’s War. CHRIS HEMSWORTH (Thor and Avengers series) and Oscar® winner CHARLIZE THERON (Mad Max: Fury Road, Prometheus) return to their roles from Snow White and the Huntsman, joined by EMILY BLUNT (Sicario, Into the Woods) and JESSICA CHASTAIN (The Martian, Zero Dark Thirty).

Before Snow White

In 2012, Snow White and the Huntsman breathed new life into the fairy-tale genre with a dark, epic take on the classic story. The film, which starred Kristen Stewart, Chris Hemsworth and Charlize Theron, earned nearly $400 million at the worldwide box office and delighted audiences across the globe.

When it came time to consider a return to the dark fantasy world the creators had imagined, the producers decided to explore a story touched upon in the original, which alluded to Eric’s past love and her tragic death. In Hemsworth’s capable hands, the Huntsman proved to be such a popular character, and the notion of two parallel stories in this newly created universe appealed to all involved.

Taking that sideways look at the franchise also offered the filmmakers a chance to reflect on the success of the first movie, and identify areas of improvement. “We didn’t want this one to be as dark as the first picture,” advises producer Joe Roth, who has reimagined fairy tales such as Maleficent and Oz the Great and Powerful—and whose expertise and storytelling in this genre is unparalleled. “We also really wanted to deliver on the romance.”

Expanding the Enchanted World

Bringing together an A-list group of performers on the first film was a challenge, but the cast assembled for The Huntsman: Winter’s War is even more stellar. Chris Hemsworth, Charlize Theron and Nick Frost return to the universe they helped build, and they are joined for this outing by Jessica Chastain, Emily Blunt, Rob Brydon, Sheridan Smith and Alexandra Roach, to name a few.

Hemsworth admits that he was always drawn to the idea of exploring Eric’s backstory. In the time since the first film was released, Hemsworth’s star has ascended even higher, thanks in no small part to films in the Thor and Avengers series, as well as the period epic Rush and upcoming reimagining of Ghostbusters. Reuniting with Hemsworth was no chore for Theron. As Theron made such a terrifying impression on the world with her rendition of Queen Ravenna in the first chapter, it was just as challenging to find an actress capable of playing her sister, Freya, who is quickly revealed to be Eric’s lifetime antagonist. Producers alighted on Blunt, who responded immediately to the material.

The casting of these three core female roles demonstrates the emphasis the filmmakers placed on writing strong, complex characters across the board, especially for women. It’s always nice when you can come across material where women are being written in a manner that feels truthful. The cinema had lost touch with those films where women could carry great stories, and be as complex and conflicted as the guys. What’s fantastic is that in the last decade that’s slowly coming back around and people are being emotionally affected by it.

Agrees Nicolas-Troyan: “This is a female-driven film, even more than the first one. The great thing about Jessica’s character is she doesn’t need saving by the Huntsman. They can be there for one another and kick ass together, but they’re as strong as each other…and stronger together.”

Comic Relief: Meet the Dwarves

Among the most popular characters re-introduced from Snow White and the Huntsman were the seven dwarves, played by accomplished actors including Ray Winstone, Ian McShane and the late Bob Hoskins. They proved to be extremely popular, and it was a conscious decision to bring them deeper into this story…and learn more about what makes a dwarf tick.

The dwarves’ appearance in the next chapter was all but guaranteed, and producers brought back Nick Frost, who had played the beloved Nion in the original movie. Outgoing and comedic, and Beith’s right-hand man in the first film, Nion is a fervent dwarf supremacist who has long distrusted Eric and his motives. Still, with the promise of treasures at hand, he sets out alongside Eric to deliver the Magic Mirror to the Forbidden Forest. A new dwarf is introduced in the form of Rob Brydon, who plays Gryff. While Nion has softened up over the past few years, the same can’t be said of his traveling companion, Gryff. Grouchy, crude, duplicitous and greedy, Gryff is trying his best to give dwarves a bad name.

Both storied comic actors in Britain, Brydon and Frost form an easy double-act and help add to the film’s increased lightness of tone.

Building the Winter World

The Huntsman: Winter’s War is much lighter in its tone than the first film and takes us out of the dark woods of the last film and into a world bursting with color, magic, romance, action adventure.

Filled with stunning set pieces, intense fight sequences inspired by ancient martial arts, a forbidden love for the ages and an epic battle of good versus evil, the film gives audiences more of the adventure and sweeping romance they long for.

As Eric and Sara journey into this world that is filled with devious goblins, whimsical fairies and fantastical creatures never before captured on film—and evil Ravenna and good Freya face off—we are shown just how thrillingly magical this universe can be.

The Huntsman: Winter’s War was shot at both the U.K.’s Shepperton and Pinewood Studios over the course of 16 weeks, as well as at landmark historical venues Wells Cathedral and Bishop’s Palace, in Somerset. Additionally, some of U.K.’s most beautiful green spaces including Windsor Great Park (Bears Rails, South Forest, Manor Hill, Johnson’s Pond), Frensham Common, and the magical woodlands of Stockwood and Puzzlewood were used for settings.

These proved to be unique and enchanting places, where the unit explored paths spread over bewildering woodland in and amongst rock formations. This was the perfect place to set the Goblin Forest, where Eric’s journey to retrieve the Magic Mirror comes to its exciting apex.

Synopsis

The fantastical world of Snow White and the Huntsman expands to reveal how the fates of The Huntsman Eric and Queen Ravenna are deeply and dangerously intertwined. Chris Hemsworth and Oscar® winner Charlize Theron return to their roles in The Huntsman: Winter’s War, an epic action-adventure in which they are joined by Emily Blunt and Jessica Chastain, as well as director Cedric Nicolas-Troyan. Producer Joe Roth (Maleficent, Alice in Wonderland) once again leads the team in a breathtaking new tale nested in the legendary saga.

Long before the evil Queen Ravenna (Theron) was thought vanquished by Snow White’s blade, she watched silently as her sister, Freya (Blunt), suffered a heartbreaking betrayal and fled their kingdom. With Freya’s ability to freeze any enemy, the young ice queen has spent decades in a remote wintry palace raising a legion of deadly huntsmen—including Eric (Hemsworth) and warrior Sara (Chastain)—only to find that her prized two defied her one demand: Forever harden your hearts to love.

When Freya learns of her sister’s demise, she summons her remaining soldiers to bring the Magic Mirror home to the only sorceress left who can harness its power. But once she discovers Ravenna can be resurrected from its golden depths, the wicked sisters threaten this enchanted land with twice the darkest force it’s ever seen. Now, their amassing army shall prove undefeatable…unless the banished huntsmen who broke their queen’s cardinal rule can fight their way back to one another.