The team at Shaheen Baig Casting discovered six young newcomers to take on the roles of the Walker and Blackett children in the Lake District set adventure.
Dane Hughes plays John Walker, Orla Hill plays Susan Walker, Bobby McColloch as Roger Walker, and with Lily and Alfie Allen's half-sister 8 year old Teddie-Rose Malleson-Allen, the daughter of actors Keith Allen and Tamzin Malleson playing the the youngest, Tatty Walker.
The film stars Rafe Spall as Captain Flint, Game of Thrones' Gwendoline Christie and Boardwalk Empire's Kelly Macdonald as Mrs Blackett and Mrs Walker respectively, with Jessica Hynes and Harry Enfield as local farmers Mr and Mrs Jackson. Andrew Scott will star as a secret agent — by the name of Lazlow — in pursuit of the reclusive and enigmatic Jim Turner (Rafe Spall).
The tweaks to the film were inspired by the real life of author Arthur Ransome, who is now known to have been an MI6 spy. At one point, papers in the National Archive reveal, he was under suspicion of being a double agent for Russia.
The film plot will use his story as the inspiration for the character of Jim Turner, always thought to have been partially based on the writer himself.
Nick Barton, the film’s producer, said: “We’re aware that we needed to be truthful to the characters of the children, the period, the story itself, but at the same time present a film that could compete with big, modern day action adventure films.
“We felt adding this spy story gave us the perfect opportunity to enhance the action and adventure in Ransome’s stories, whilst remaining true to the text.”
Swallows and Amazons will be in cinemas from August 19th 2016.