TO ELABORATE ON MY PREVIOUS POST...

I want movies to be made based on the books in the Chronicles of Prydain. But unlike the abomination of an animated flick that came out in 1985, I would also like to see them as faithful to the source material as possible. To achieve the level of authenticity that does the series justice, I think there are three factors. One, as mentioned, is to stick to story that's already there.

The other two factors I'll break up into two posts. But first, a little backstory. The author of the Prydain series, Lloyd Alexander, was inspired by two things when creating this universe. One was the legend of King Arthur, specifically some of the minor characters who he borrowed and then created new identities for. Secondly, and maybe more importantly, was the time that he spent in Wales during World War II. By all accounts, he fell in love with the mythology of the place, the language, and especially the beauty. While Prydain wasn't simply Wales with different names ascribed, there's no doubt that the country was his inspiration.

That said, the movie should be filmed entirely on location in Wales. The rich descriptions that Alexander provided for his readers, be it the underworld of the Fair Folk, the majestic river Avren, the foreboding Marshes of Morva, and the dazzling stronghold of Caer Dathyl, all have their basis of his beloved Wales. However, nowhere have I been able to find where Alexander makes direct correlations between actual locations on the Isle vs. places in the books.

But I do have my own visions in my head of what Prydain looks like, along with the inclination to research Wales and wade through hundreds of photographs and descriptions. Some of the notable places that jump out of me as good shooting locations to fit into the story include:

Swallow Falls, ideal for the spot where Ellidyr steals the Black Cauldron from the companions as it it lodged in rough waters late in the second book.

Castell Coch, perfect for Spiral Castle, a pivotal stronghold in The Book of Three.

Beaumaris Castle, a potential stand-in for Caer Dathyl, the home of Prydain's High King.

Fairy Glen, brings to mind the spot of crucial death and turn in the series.

The mountains at Snowden, which could double as any of a number of notable locations, but for some reason I see it fitting best in the final story.

Gwrych Castle, maybe Annuvin (with some serious CGI to strip the folliage off the mountain behind it) or perhaps Smoit's Cantrev Cadiffor.

These are just a few of the places that I have in mind if/when this dream comes to fruition. Tomorrow, which actors to put in these locations to make it all come to life.