Andrew Adamson made a bold move in changing a greatly loved book for the big screen. In an attempt to update it for a modern female audience Adamson decided to depart from the books a little by presenting the Pevensie girls, Susan and Lucy, as stronger female role models.

"I had a big problem with the first book … because this is one area where my ideologies really did differ from CS Lewis’s. I had a big problem with Father Christmas giving Susan the bow and arrow and saying ‘I don’t intend you to use them’. I was kind of like, all she does in the first book is make sandwiches, and in that case give her a plate and a knife. You know, it’s totally disempowering for women” said Adamson.

In Prince Caspian, the Pevensie siblings are magically transported back from England to the world of Narnia one year after the events of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. More than 1,300 years have passed and Narnia has been occupied by the Telmarines and is now under the rule of the evil King Miraz. The four children join Narnia’s rightful heir to the throne, Prince Caspian and set out to find Aslan, rescue Narnia from Miraz’s tyrannical control, and return magic and glory to the land.

Adamson directed the first two Shrek movies and felt that the character of Fiona was extremely important "particularly after creating Fiona in Shrek, who is a strong female character, there’s no way I was going to set a role model for my girls that was like, ‘you go and do the dishes honey’," he said.

CS Lewis wrote the Narnia book many years ago when women were not portrayed a strongly as they are today, Adamson was keen to point out that CS Lewis seemed to write stronger female characters after meeting his wife Joy.

Prince Caspian is out in cinemas now.