"There were many people who thought it was a bad idea", says actor Wil Rees, who refused to renew his contract when 'Part IV' was announced. "I thought the series had gone far enough and I wanted to get involved with other projects". When it was confirmed that the series would continue without Wil Rees, the internet was alive with talk of who would fill Ice Phoenix's shoes. "That would have been a cop out", explains Reg Noyes, "Ice had been great for three films but with Wil gone, we seized on the opportunity of getting someone new. The trick was, we didn't get just one person. We got five."
Part IV's dramatic change in style and content worked. Pitching Harri Grace against established actors such as Ben Milne, Joe Rowson and Alice Holden, as well as new comers Joost d'Orange and Rhos Davies, brought new life to an old formula. "It was a radical idea" adds Ben Milne speaking to 'Sight and Sound' (Aug. 04). "Action movies generally have just one bad guy 'Part 4' had five. Apart from 'Superman', 'James Bond', 'Die Hard', and 'Indiana Jones', you name ONE movie that has more than one bad guy. See? You can't."
'Part IV' was a huge hit yet it also gave Reg Noyes a chance to quash his critics. "A lot of women have complained that my movies are sexist", reflects the director, "It's a ridiculous accusation- just because my films are made up mostly of men does not mean I am inherently sexist. I do what's best for the film. I've always said that when a role would benefit from being played by a woman then I would cast a woman. This is the very reason that, when the script for 'Part 4' called for a character emerging from the sea in their underwear, I cast Alice Holden."
