Intriguing Detail Revealed about the Dawn Treader Storyline

In a recent interview with Examiner’s Carla Hay, Ben Barnes dropped a very intriguing tidbit about the overall The Voyage of the Dawn Treader storyline.

Let’s talk about the “Dawn Treader” movie. I know you can’t reveal any spoilers, but what’s in the movie that’s different from the book?

Barnes: They’ve stolen a couple of ideas from some of the later [“Chronicles of Narnia”] books. [It’s] a very difficult book to adapt, because it’s very episodic. It’s chapter by chapter. They go on the voyage, they go to one island, a bit more voyage, another island, a bit more voyage, another island. It’s very satisfying to read; every chapter by chapter, it’s very exciting. But it has no real through line. And so they have to kind of steal other elements to sew it all together. I think they’ve done it in a really clever, unobtrusive way.

Could this perhaps have something to do with the “unfathomable fate” we’ve heard about in the production’s written movie synopsis? It certainly seems like a strong possibility, but until we get more information, let the speculation begin!

Thanks to JadistarkilleR for the heads-up!

473 Responses

  1. Lillyput90 says:

    I totally 100% agree!!!! That was the complete and total problem with PC (Overlooking the fact that when Trumpkin meets the Pevensies in the film there is no way he can know anything about Caspian at all unless the Telmarines told him [UNLIKELY] as he ran off and attacked the Temarines and was carried into Miraz's castle then taken to be executed in the rowboat) this really bothers me. In the book Aslan frees Narnia from the oppression of the Telmarines with delicacy (Saving Caspian's old nurse, the nice young school teacher, Gwendolyn etc.). In the film he just sits there and waits for Lucy to come in the last hour of desperate need, sends a few trees etc. THAT IS NOT THE ASLAN I KNOW!!! I'm done now:)

  2. Aunt Letty says:

    Fire Fairy; what did you think of Edmund's character journey of redemption as portrayed in PC? To me, it was the most satisfying part of the film, especially in that moment when he rejects the White Witch's proposal out of hand, no consideration offered. He's come round 180 from his attitude in LWW; that of excusing evil if it will get him what he wants. He's had a change of heart, a rebirth, and isn't going there ever again. I found that a refreshing change from the usual Hollywood attitude. And soooo cool!

    On the other hand, it was disheartening to watch Peter be reduced to a selfish, doubting young man, even though I understood why the writers needed his character to go that way for purposes of conflict. I just wish they'd looked a bit deeper. Not all conflict has to be of the obvious, surface sort.

    Decarus; I have to agree with you that the Aslan scenes are dissapointing. I felt slightly embarrassed by them. On the other hand, I'm curious about your assertion that Aslan isn't portrayed as God. While he isn't overtly named as such, I had the impression (and maybe that was simply wishful thinking on my part) that the filmmakers deliberately implied it in as subtle a manner as they could. There is that scene in the beaver's house where Mr. Beaver calls Aslan the "head geezer" and "king of the whole wood". And Aslan does command the elements of nature. And he can show up in people's dreams. And he tests their faith. Aslan is not overtly named as God in the books, either, as I recall. Now I think of it, the Aslan scenes in the movies felt embarrassing to me because they came off as portraying God by someone who wasn't really sure what God ought to act like. It almost felt like the director was a bit uncomfortable with those scenes. Of course, that's probably projecting a lot onto them. Feel free to disagree!

    As for VDT and all the discussion of whether or not the book has a continous story thread running through it: I wonder if that thread isn't actually found in the underlying theme of the story rather than in the surface theme of finding the lost Lords. Although, even with the search for the Lords there is a stated objective on Caspian's part that plays into the underlying story of redemption. Caspian says he must look for them as a point of honor and to expunge the evil done by his uncle, Miraz, and the other Telmarine oppressors. There's plenty to work with there, but I think to find the real story you have to look to Eustace, of course. He and Reepicheep are the main characters of VDT.

    Reepicheep's character journey takes place mostly before this book begins, offscreen, so to speak, and that makes him a perfect candidate for writer's license. By the time we see him on the deck of the Dawn Treader, he's changed from a shallow, self-serving ideal of honor and glory knighthood to the more expansive ideal of self-sacrifice and nobility through service. There's a whole story begging to be told, there.

    Eustace goes through a similar journey of change as Edmund did in the first book, and that's probably where the real narrative lies. The scene where he is changed from dragon back to boy is one of the most simple, profound discourses on the process of repentance ever written. I strongly doubt whether it's going to get more than a nod from the filmmakers, but it seems likely that Eustace is where they'll focus they're attention in looking for a strong narrative thread to follow.

    Anyway, (and I apologize for taking so many words to say it) the point is, I believe there is a strong storyline in VDT, but you have to dig beneath the obvious elements of the physical journey to get to the real one, and I'm curious to see how close the filmmakers will come to it.

  3. Starlily says:

    I'm a little worried too, especially about the "stealing elements" of the other Narnia books. That could end out bad, or it could turn out all right. But it makes me a little nervous. I just hope Ben meant what he said when he said "clever and unobtrusive." *crosses fingers once again*

  4. Starlily says:

    "something's afoot" Yeah, and it kind of scares me. What will the end product be of all these deviations from the book? It could be acceptable, or it could be appalling.
    But I've still got my happy face on. 😀
    Maybe adding "stolen ideas" from other Narnia books won't be so bad. I hope.

  5. MLGIsABoy says:

    Looking forward to seeing the MLG more than anyone else.

  6. decarus says:

    I think in general in the films they make it seem as if Aslan is sort of the one in charge, but he is not god, but like a good King who comes now and then to help out.

    In LWW the film, they imply that the children coming into Narnia is what causes the seasons to change and not Aslan's coming which is why the seasons change in the book. In LWW they did a much better job though in general with making Aslan seem like god because it is the most comparable to real events with Aslan dying on the stone table for Edmund and they still had Aslan kill the White Witch.

    PC is an entirely different matter. Almost all of the dialogue and action about Aslan is ridiculous. The worse line is when Peter and Lucy are at the foot of the stone table and Lucy says 'maybe we need to prove ourselves to him'. That is utter nonsense. God does not expect us to prove ourselves to him. Faith is a gift from God and not of ourselves. The reason it is so much nonsense is that we cannot prove ourselves to him.

    There is also the change of the line that in the book is 'Aslan, you're bigger' 'I am not. But every year you grow, you will find me bigger.' to in the film 'Every year you grow so shall i.' suggesting that Aslan is sort of a magical creature that changes based on the person instead of him being the same and as the person grows they see God as bigger.

    Also the line was changed from in the book where it said 'To know what would have happened, child? No. Nobody is ever told that.' to in the film being 'We can never know what would have happened.' suggesting that Aslan does not know what would have happened whereas in the book he knows, but does not say. This line is actually also in VotDT where Aslan knows, but does not say.

    Also a line the repeat in every book is that 'after all he isn't a tame Lion' and for them to send Lucy to go find Aslan in the woods, just didn't work for me. I am not exactly sure how they could fix this, but having Peter say 'Aslan [is] somewhere close. We don't know when he will act. In his time, no doubt, not ours. In the meantime he would like us to do what we can on our own.' as he does in the book. Maybe if they had sent Lucy to safety instead of to find Aslan. I am not sure, but the dialogue surrounding that and the scene in general did not work for me. It was as if Aslan was just waiting out there for them to come find him instead of waiting to do things in his own time which is just nonsense.

    Okay, that is all for now.

  7. Eden says:

    Uh oh….. This sounds a bit worrisome. I hope they don't do anything drastic, like steal characters from later books! AHH! Just the thought makes me cringe. They had better keep the changes simple, and they had better be necessary.

  8. daughter of the King says:

    Fire Fairy, I have adapted books into screen plays, and yes, a few changes are necessary to adapt to film. However, we are not talking about a few changes. The night raid in PC was not a little change, neither was the romance for that matter. And it sounds like this film is taking the same stance. I am sorry if anyone misunderstood me. I am not against "making a few changes" I am against changing the story. If the changes we are hearing about enhance the story and tell it even better, then I am all for it. If they are merely to adjust the story so a modern audience will go see it, then I think the movie should not be made. The power of the story could very easily be lost in too many action scenes and tiresome romances. I hope this is not the case.

  9. daughter of the King says:

    Book line: "To know what would have happened? No, no one is ever told that." Movie line: "We can never know what would have happened." They have killed Aslan more subtly and more horrifically then the White Witch ever could have.

  10. Roguewolf says:

    Aye! Sometimes they are so preoccupied by putting their own spin on things that they lose sight of the actual story.

  11. Luthian says:

    I just don't see why the directors have the one idea of how a movie HAS to be… that it HAS to have a clear outline or a dramatic action sequence. Who can say that if you make the movie like the book it will be a flop.

  12. Princess Arya says:

    Hmm…I'm sure I heard it somewhere (in descriptions of SC maybe). *shrug* Green Witch, Lady of the Green Kirtle, basically all the same.

  13. Princess Arya says:

    Lillyput90, Lucy asks Aslan why he didn't come roaring in like last time to save them. "Things never happen the same way twice, dear one," he replies. (As far as I recall, that is book accurate.)
    I agree however on the part of Trumpkin. How would he know anything of Caspian?
    Daughter of the King – I can't believe I never caught that. Ugh. Aslan really does know everything, he just doesn't tell people what would have happened.

  14. Princess Arya says:

    Aunt Letty, on the subject of Peter, I agree with you wholeheartedly. It seems in their attempt to add more depth into him they have totally switched his personality. Susan's and Lucy's as well were swapped.

    I agree with all of you, I think. This all seems so deep I'm getting confused, ha. I'm not certain if the filmmakers take out Christian symbolism on purpose, though. They may not expect people to read into it as deeply as "we can never know what would have happened." It could possibly be simply a matter of wording.

  15. Princess Arya says:

    I'm just saying that the filmmakers may not have done it on purpose because I'm trying to be neutral. I read very deeply into things and so that is why I'm surprised I never caught the changes between the sentences "No one is ever told what would have happened" and "We can never know."

  16. Roguewolf says:

    I agree about Ella Enchanted. Yes, I understand the complexity of tranferring a book into a movie and that there are nessesary changes/addition. However, they must remember that it's still the original author's story, not theirs. Again, I'm an aspiring author and I admitt that movies and books are on two different playing fields. Nevertheless, if the movie-people (no disrespect intended) do not wish to go by the book, they should create their own brand-new movie with it's own title. Otherwise you get movies like 'gulp' Eragon, inwhich they took the very basic idea and names and changed the rest completely. Am I making myself clear?

  17. raz says:

    That green witch is going to show up…I just know it. There's going to be a personal grudge between her and caspian and THAT will be the reason she takes Rilian and kills his wife.

  18. Princess Arya says:

    I’m not certain it’s totally because of the writing process that makes the movies different. I think it’s what the filmmakers have an idea of in their heads.

    1. They wanted Prince Caspian to still revolve principally around the Pevensies. They said that half the book is the Pevensies sitting around a campfire listening to Trumpkin’s story. I have no objection to the order of events in which they placed the movie; it makes it more straightforward. But if they had made the movie to revolve more around Caspian than around Peter and Susan, I think it still could have worked fine. What I’m getting at is that they wanted the Pevensies to be in it from the beginning of the war, not just come in at the end; hence the castle raid. The filmmakers could have kept the movie the same sequence they do have in it, just included the battles to not have the Pevensies. If the castle raid had occurred before the Pevensies came, as something Caspian himself did, I would have had no objections.

    2. They know that many crowds want a thriller-movie; not one that is technically an adventure but rather one that has action sequences. Many of the effects in Narnia seem to be copies of Lord of the Rings, which was a big “thrill.” As a matter of fact, many think that Prince Caspian should be a PG-13 movie (LotR’s rating); it has a high amount of violence for the rating of PG.

    I know that books need to be dramatized in order to make it an interesting movie, thus my reasons why I said elsewhere that there should be changes: such as instead of Caspian overthrowing Governor Gumpas with dialogue, perhaps this should be changed into an action sequence. If it is left as dialogue, the audience may have a difficult time understanding it. Although on the other hand I’ll bring to your attention that The Fellowship of the Ring had quite a bit of dialogue in the beginning, giving the history of the Ring and everything. (By the way, I think LotR was quite well-written.)

  19. Princess Arya says:

    That makes so much sense that's creepy!

  20. Silver the Wanderer says:

    Agreed, Fire Fairy. Although I wish they'd keep changes to a minimum, I can understand why some might be necessary in order to make a good movie. However, if they take these changes to an extreme, I probably won't be as willing to just "go with the flow". Let's just have a little more faith in the production and hope that whatever changes they make will ultimately add to the theme and make a better movie.

  21. Molly says:

    Oh yes that would be BAD!

  22. Molly says:

    I agree – if they are borrowing from other books, at least they are staying within the bounds of the world Lewis created; at least these things DID happen in Narnia at some point! If well handled, any changes will not seem out of place but will feel consistent with the world of Narnia as conceived and perceived in the books. This to me is better than throwing in some random monkeywrench of a storyline to satisfy our modern cultural sensibilities… (*ahem Peter the troubled aggressive teenager) 😉

  23. Long Live King Skandar says:

    Well, Eddie Izzard has a lot of fans. Will Moseley and Ben Barnes included, they have said so themselves. So I think that they're's a pretty good chance that they'll make Reep as funny and "chivalrous" 🙂 as possible, as well as expand his character. Plus, we know from pics from the set that they're taking the part of Reepicheep seriously, so lets not lose faith 🙂
    Btw, did you take your name from Great Expectations?

  24. Princess Arya says:

    The Emerald Witch description might be on the back of old copies of The Silver Chair. I'm talking the older publishing of the books, NOT the ones that came out in the changed order in the 1990s. I would double-check to be sure, but I don't know where my copy of SC is at the moment. (It could be in one of a dozen places, lol.)

  25. Uh-oh. This could be an okay thing or a really bad thing, depending on which books they're stealing from and just how "clever and unobtrusive" it is. I just don't understand why this is a hard book to adapt. I could understand why Prince Caspian was tough, because half of it is told in flashback, and so forth, but Voyage just begs to be a movie! What was wrong with the original "find the seven lords" plotline?? I will never understand movie-makers.

  26. I totally agree! Although the previous movies had many mistakes in them (not the least being the ridiculous Susan-Caspian relationship), the number one problem with the whole series so far is that Aslan is tame. He is not the powerful, majestic Christ-figure that C.S. Lewis created. If they fix that in the Voyage of the Dawn Treader, then I can probably overlook any other mistakes they might make. If they get it wrong again, it won't matter how many other things they get right.

  27. Princess Arya says:

    You think he's tame? I'm not saying I disagree, I'm curious. How so? He seemed just like Aslan to me.

  28. Princess Arya says:

    I was thinking about what Ben said about stealing ideas from other books, and trying to tie a bunch of episodes together. May Gael be based on Gwendolyn? That's the only other little girl I can think of.

  29. Steerforth says:

    Close. He's a character from 'David Copperfield'. I'm sure Reepicheep will have a fair amount of screen time, but it'll probably be more along the lines of comedy relief. I can't see the writers "getting" the significance of his story. Especially since the more spiritual aspects of the books have already been marginalized in the previous films. It's a shame, really, because Reepicheep's journey elevates the book so far above the status of a standard "quest" tale. That element, plus Aslan's revelation at the end, are SO much more important than anything else in the book, I just have a terrible feeling that the only two things I REALLY want to see in the film will almost certainly be cut or diminished somehow. I hope I'm wrong, but…

  30. Mangolite says:

    LW&W was a fantastic adventure in both book and film while PC is definitely great in book form, I thought the film was good albeit the castle raid and turning Susan into a killer, but however, VTD is an exciting adventure that can easily translates to film. I hope with FOX and Michael Apt, they should bring the NARNIA franchise back to it's root. Stick with the original source and improvise where it is necessary needed to adhere for a more cohesive plot, but don't go on making drastic changes like PC. So far from leaked images of the DAWN TREADER, the LAMP POST on the deck irks me a bit. If they were thinking that the lamp will guide the Narnians out of the Island That Dreams Come True and leaving out the great albatross, I will be greatly disappointed.

  31. Long Live King Skandar says:

    oh, right…how could I forget…*smacks self on forehead* james…davy…etc.
    and yeah i know what you mean now… Reepicheep represents an absolute faith in Aslan and the better world awaiting everyone who's willing to believe in them. I thought LWW portrayed a similar faith well, although PC did drift from that focus. I hope, as you do, that the people working on VDT don't feel like they have to tone down the truly important message just because they don't want to "insult" anybody or anything. Which would be a lie; look at how successful LWW was. All this just boils down to one thing: the truth is what's important and you just shouldn't miss out on the big picture. Hopefully they've learned a lesson from PC. I know that this is what everyone's been saying but I think you had a good point that other people had overlooked.

  32. Q. Susan the Gentle says:

    That's interesting….

    I'm SOOOO excited for VDT to come out!!! Aaaaaahhhh!!!!! 😀

  33. decarus says:

    The thing is that it does not need to be 'Christian symbolism'. They just need to treat Aslan as if he is 'GOD' in Narnia. Most gods, regardless of religion, are all-knowing, all-powerful, all-present, etc. The thing is in the books Aslan is very much god in Narnia and in the films he is not. They don't have to make it Christian. If you don't want to see it that is fine, but Aslan should still be the god in Narnia.

    The implications of how this could change in VotDT with the possibility of them messing with Eustace's undragoning. It may be easier in VotDT because it is visual where Aslan says that he has to undragon Eustace and that he can't do it on his own. It am fairly forgiving of changes because i know that they will happen and there are a lot of changes in the film, but i am not forgiving of them not having Aslan be 'GOD' in Narnia.

  34. Mark Sommer says:

    I came across a comment and response attached to a blog entry on the Walden Media site that may or may not relieve peoples' fears. Perhaps this has been posted before, but it seems appropriate to post it here.

    wisewoman

    Dear Walden:

    We are fans of the Chronicles of Narnia, and have done a lot to help promote the first two films in the franchise. We are looking forward to doing even more for The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, and were very interested to see the recent press release. As dedicated fans, we have some concerns about the direction of the story.
    The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is a story about discovery. It is a wonderful, episodic sea-voyage with plenty of humor and serious moments as well. Our concern is that the movie may take a more “epic” and dark direction, with the introduction of plot points like the children having to save Narnia once more, etc.
    There are several reasons that this creative approach — while great for other movies — will not work well for this story.
    • First, changing the motivation for the voyage will make the story much darker. This isn’t what Lewis intended, and will cloud the important themes of the book (discovery and exploration) by substituting something that is, quite frankly, somewhat clichéd. “Big” and “epic” has already been done countless times in fantasy films, and will not capture the heart of Narnia.
    • Second, the reaction to the leaked script is a good indication of how the fanbase feels about major plot changes. It is the book’s plot that is classic, that people have loved for over fifty years. Some changes are inevitable when translating a book to the big screen, but they should be avoided wherever possible, out of respect for the integrity of the story.
    • Third, such major changes to the original story could jeopardize the film’s financial success. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was a much more faithful adaptation than Prince Caspian, and its greater success is partly related to that fact. The book’s many fans would be disappointed to see a different story on-screen, and that disappointment will result in bad word-of-mouth reviews and lower box office earnings.
    Once again we want to thank you for bringing the beloved Chronicles to life. Please know that we really want the Narnia film franchise to succeed, and believe that The Voyage of the Dawn Treader has the potential to be absolutely fantastic on the big screen. We are really looking forward to it, and want you to know that we support your efforts. Thank you for considering our suggestions.
    Sincerely,
    The Fans at NarniaWeb.com

    08/03/2009 @ 1:12 PM
    walden's avatar
    walden

    We are thankful for your interest and support in the Narnia franchise. We feel positive that you will be happy with the screen version of the VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER as we have worked very hard to stay true to the themes of the book.

    Link: http://www.walden.com/blogpost/narnia_voyage_of_the_dawn_treader_begins_filming/

  35. Princess Arya says:

    Oh, I will certainly see the movie. I plan to watch all of them, bad adaptations or not.

    Eustace's undragoning is Christian symbolism. The Narnia books are allegories. (C.S. Lewis called them suppositions, but what I mean by allegories is that they have deep Christian meanings.) You may still like the books without knowing that it's there, but they really are.

    I am fairly certain that Aslan is God in Narnia in the films as well. I never thought any different. I know by the discussion here that many disagree with me, but it seems like the children treat him just as they do in the book. The first thing Lucy does when she sees him in PC either in the book or movie is she runs to him and buries her face in his mane. It's not like they treat him as if he is a god in the book and then have disrespect for him in the movie. And it seems to me like they did quite well in making him God, although I will watch those scenes again just so I can get another take on them.

  36. yeswelovenarnia says:

    Totally agree!!!!!!!! What do they need to borrow stuff from the other books for!! Why don't they just use Voyage!!! I for one think that VDT is one of the best books in the series!! It dosen't have a lot of battle scenes but its the islands and the adventure that is sooo much fun!!!!!!!!!!

  37. decarus says:

    I am not saying that Narnia is not Christian symbolism. I definitely see it, but i know that the people who make the films may not want them to be overtly Christian. I don't think the books are overtly Christian, so i do not think they need to dumb down Aslan's divinity to make the films less Christian.

    That is the only reason i can think of as to why they are changing Aslan's character. They are trying to treat Aslan as if he is not the god of Narnia and i do not understand that. The children may treat him the same, but his character is not the same in the film as it is in the book. He is more in the book and the films are less for the change.

  38. decarus says:

    I think the reason why Aslan seems tame to me is because it seems like in the films that he is part of the kid's plans instead of the kids being part of his plans. In the book, Aslan is definitely the causer and he doesn't quite seem like that in the film.

  39. Steerforth says:

    Yes, I have to agree. The changes to his character/nature are quite intentionally subtle, but they're critical. I was shocked by how LITTLE I was moved by the Stone Table scene when I saw 'Wardrobe'. I was certain that it would be the emotional centre of the film. It is always the most heart-breaking aspect of the book when I read it, so I thought it would translate easily to the screen. But, it didn't! It was so mundane, so matter-of-fact. And, I realized, it was because, on-screen, they had killed a talking animal, not Christ.

  40. Lutra's Pearl says:

    So does this mean that they wont be making all othe other movies? I really hope not. Keep the story of Aslan alive (the one true story)!!!!!

  41. Princess Arya says:

    Hmm. Good point. It moves me every time I see it, but I can see what you're saying.

  42. Matthias of Redwall says:

    I definitly agree, good way to put it.

  43. Matthias of Redwall says:

    ok,everyone, I read all of the comments above, some I agree with, but I do think we should all talk about the movies and books from a positive standpoint,seeing how that is what this comment area is for. thanks

  44. PrincessMia241 says:

    boring and to the book?? Please no lol I'd rather change some things up and have the final result amazing then go word for word play by play and be blah.

  45. PrincessMia241 says:

    Hear hear!

  46. PrincessMia241 says:

    "There is nothing germane to the central story of Dawn Treader that is at all "difficult to adapt", cinematically."
    Whoa, take a breather.
    How do you know that, first off? And remember, they have to make a movie that stays true enough to the book so books fans will like it, a movie that is interesting and understandable to people who have never read CoN, and make enough money for a profit.
    They can't make the movie geared straight towards book lovers.

  47. Linny says:

    The books already exist, I just want it to be a good film.

  48. Princess Arya says:

    Fascinating. When I see evidence of the additions such as Gael I can still worry, but I think Walden should have caught the point from what happened with PC. I imagine Gael is probably something to add in another female heroine and to tie it all together, perhaps, as I said, having to do with the whole plot on Gwendolyn in the book PC.

    I think that if they've stolen ideas from any of the books, chances are it will most likely be Silver Chair. But I don't think it would be that bad if there was dramatization in that, such as what someone mentioned above: that there may be some sort of grudge between Caspian and the Green Witch (or whatever you want to call her), out of which comes the plot for SC. I think it really would make it more exciting. In the book it is fine, but the Witch's plans are out of the blue, and she apparently singles out Narnia to take over for whatever reason, when she could have just as easily chosen Calormen or Archenland.

    I hope they know what they're doing!

  49. se parese bien sisisisi quiero que ya lo termine eso jajajaja bye

  50. Talking Rat says:

    Wow. I can see that. Not sure how I feel about it though…

  51. Talking Rat says:

    But what could they steal? The only later books are SC and LB (I guess he could have meant books that have yet to be made movies, which would also include MN and HB).

    I like raz' idea about the LotGK. That's the only thing that makes any sense that I can think of.

    Any other speculations?

  52. Steerforth says:

    First of all, I'm not out of breath, nor do I need to be "woahed". Second, I "know" because: a) I can read; and b) It's a one hundred and seventeen page CHILDREN'S BOOK. This is NOT a vast, sprawling, epic Russian novel, OK? The concepts are SIMPLE and already "accessible", the plot is well mapped out, and digital technology can translate the more fantastic aspects of Lewis' vision. Again, there are INFINITELY more complex properties than 'Dawn Treader' that have been adapted almost verbatim to the screen. There's no need to augment it, and certainly no need to "steal" from the other books. The ONLY part of the book that really requires some creative problem solving is Eustace's transformation into the dragon, and the most effective way to convey his thoughts. glumPuddle has an excellent thread about this in the forum. But, that's a PRESENTATION issue, not a PLOT issue. And, I'm quite familiar with the filmmaking process, thanks, and all of its related marketing aspects. Honestly, if you're happy to accept whatever the writers give you, then God Bless You. I'm a bit more concerned that they get this right. There are no more second chances for this franchise, and I'd REALLY like to see all of the books adapted.

  53. Steerforth says:

    I guess I'm in the "may not" category at this point. I mean, what are they supposed to say? "The writers think they can vastly improve on this already beloved book, and we're betting you won't care enough about the many changes to not spend your money to see the film."? Staying true to the "themes" of a property is not hand-in-hand with faithfully adapting it. 'A.I.' was "faithful" to the themes of 'Pinocchio'. It's not 'Pinocchio'. We'll see…

  54. Princess Arya says:

    ÂżSabes InglĂŠs?

  55. decarus says:

    I never really thought about Aslan's death in the film in that way, but i think i agree. I know that when i watch LWW i usually fastforward through that part of the film. It may have been because in the book Aslan's death and return is very much the climax and there is a lot more build up with Aslan talking to the girls on the way to the stone table, and then staying with them as they were at the stone table after his death, and then the celebration game after.

    Aslan is just very different in the films then in the books for me.

  56. JadistarilleR says:

    as long as they steal from Narnia and not another book like Twilight or HP *cough*Suspian*cough*

  57. narniafan4ever says:

    Don't give them any more ideas…. 😀

  58. narniafan4ever says:

    Wow! I never caught that before! I really hope that they end up redeeming that and making Aslan into what he is supposed to be…..God and Savior of the world. 😀

  59. narniafan4ever says:

    Wow…that would be kind of cool…Then again, the reason I thought that she took Rilian was because she wanted to take over Narnia again like she once did in LWW. so, maybe if they put her in like that, it would be changing the story too much. hmm…

  60. My hope is that just because they are "stealing elements" from some other books doesn't mean they'll have an excuse to not make those books into their own films…
    It is really hard to tell anything specific from what Ben said. We'll just have to wait and see. My main concern is that they keep the ending the same (Aslan's "I have another name" conversation).
    And I do hope that the "stolen elements" are just that – small elements – not major plots or storylines from the other books. Then it'd be just like combining two books, and VDT has plenty of material as it is!