‘Silver Chair’ Still a Possibility?
Inside Out has posted a a 32-minute podcast interview with Micheal Flahery (Walden Media president). The first five minutes are the most interesting for Narnia fans. Flaherty talks about why he thinks VDT’s box office started slow, the darkness in Prince Caspian, and finally gives an update on the status of the next film.
Last we heard, it sounded pretty certain that if they made another Narnia film, it would be The Magician’s Nephew. But here, Flaherty seems to indicate nothing has been finalized:
“We’re still in our conversations right now with 20th Century Fox, and the C.S. Lewis Estate who own the rights to all the books. We’re all trying to come to an agreement about which film to do next and how to film it. So, we’re waiting to see where that goes.”
Flaherty talked about book sales in his last update. Here, he gives another reason they are considering The Magician’s Nephew:
“But there are some elements in [the books] that are a little tough, and Caspian is the darkest, and Silver Chair is pretty dark too… physically and tonally. A lot of it takes place underground. That’s why, for the next one, we’re really hoping to go in the direction of The Magician’s Nephew.”
UPDATE 2: The clip is on our YouTube Channel. Listen below…
Transcript:
(1:50 – 5:14)
IO: [Dawn Treader] started out very slowly in the United States.
MF: “Yeah, very slow. Made for an agonizing opening weekend.”
IO: What do you think went on? Why do you think it was so slow?
MF: “People are just so busy at Christmas time. And we in Hollywood are so ego-centric. We feel like everyone can just drop everything they have, all their family commitments, all their Christmas commitments and dedicate themselves to seeing a movie on opening day. And we’re real impatient. But, eventually the movie stayed in the theaters and ended up doing really well. We were pleased with it.”
IO: It did much better overseas, didn’t it?
MF: “Three times what it did here. It’s quite a puzzle, and it’s fun because there’s so little research that’s done in Hollywood. You’re free to just forward as many theories as you want. And, I don’t really know why the disparity is. What’s interesting in the United States is, ticket sales almost exactly mirror the book sales. So the number of people who saw Prince Caspian was half the number of people who saw The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. And the book sales are half. The people who saw Dawn Treader was about a third less than the people who saw Prince Caspian. And the book sales are about a third less.”
IO: Prince Caspian was a bit darker and grim and violent.
MF: “Yeah, and this is the paradox when you want to do faithful adaptations. That book is a dark war kind of novel. And we actually pulled back a little. In one scene, Peter beheads a couple of people [laughs]. At the end they run into some Greek gods who give everybody wine and they get drunk. So it’s amazing because I think a lot of us, in our minds, have this perfect image of these Narnia books because we grew up with them. But there are some elements in there that are a little tough, and Caspian is the darkest, and Silver Chair is pretty dark too… physically and tonally. A lot of it takes place underground. That’s why, for the next one, we’re really hoping to go in the direction of The Magician’s Nephew.”
IO: You talk about mirroring the book sales. The Magician’s Nephew was the second-highest seller of the series, wasn’t it?
MF: “Yes. And pretty close, sort of nipping at the heels of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. It’s amazing and it’s a great origin story. And I like the way that Lewis did it and that’s what we’re trying to do with our film, which is: You actually start in the middle of the story, so then when you tell the origin it’s much more interesting. You can say to yourself ‘that’s where the lamp-post came from!’”
IO: Oh yeah, you can connect the dots on that which is always a lot of fun. What about production schedule and all of that? Do you have a script for this yet?
MF: “No, we don’t. We’re still in our conversations right now with 20th Century Fox, and the C.S. Lewis Estate who own the rights to all the books. So, we’re all trying to come to an agreement about which film to do next and how to film it. So, we’re waiting to see where that goes.”
Back in October, NarniaWeb posted a poll on the homepage asking which film should be made next. 86% voted for The Silver Chair (1,841 total votes).
UPDATE 1: We just added a new poll. Go back to the homepage and scroll down to the poll on the bottom-right.
Ah! When will they make a decion?
this is the sllllllllllowest production team I've ever seen in my life!
🙂 LOL!!
The Magician's Nephew !!
That was my first reaction… but now that I think of it, Silver Chair could be better next. There's 4 more books to be made, so Silver Chair wouldn't be so bad. But they were to make only SC, MN, and LB next, I think MN should go next. (and Andrew Adamson direct them all!! 🙂 )
Making Sliver Chair first would be better. That way, they'll be telling Eustace's story, back it up since we know he'll be coming back from the film. They also did a good job hinting the presence of Jill at the end of the Dawn Treader. Then they can show The Magician's Nephew and end it with The Last Battle like the promotion idea of the Chronicle.. => "You've seen how Narnia began now see how it ends."
And there's Horse and His Boy too 🙂
WILL THEY JUST DECIDE!!! I think this is just getting a
little rediculous. It makes way more sense to do SC first,
and they need to decide now. I think SC would make a way better movie than Magicans Nephew. And you know what, if PC was to dark, then SC is like a horror movie by their terms. If they wanted to lighten up the series a little bit, sure, go ahead and do MN, but there are just too many disadvantages with doing MN first. I think from the beginning, they just need to do the movies in order of the books, and then maybe a couple years later do HHB and MN too revive the series. If they decide to do SC, I cant wait
to seee what they make puddleglum look like.
Did anybody read those books on how they made the movies by Perry Moore? If so, remember that little rumor on how Andrew Adamson might play Puddleglum?
I would personally prefer the Silver Chair next, just because it would be chronological and Will Poulter could be in it. I'm also impatient to see Puddleglum (providing his character is done right). But whichever movie they make next, my main concern is that they do a good job with the script, casting, special effects, and overall feel of the movie. I think they missed the mark with VoDT, and I really hope they don't cut corners or embellish too much with the future movies.
I guess that's a lot to ask for. 😛 But I think it would pay off in the end. The books are great, and their movies need to be great too.
i absolutely agree. one hundred percent amen
Ditto Starlily!! SC should come next!
they hould do it lion, witch, and wardorbe then prince casipen dawn treader silver chair horse and his boy magichens nephew the last battle to finsh it of i think it be cool to bring back pevinse kids when not suppose to come back
I totally agree!!
I think that's the order the movies should be in too. Though maybe Magician's Nephew should come before Horse and His Boy (though that's my favorite book) just because Tilda would be younger for MN then, and the kids would be older for HHB. It's probably the order the film makers would want too…if they ever get around to HHB. :'( I want to see that one so bad!
me too make so much sense
i agree, what i really like about the books is how it makes me feel(kinda like lewis said"a kid on christmas morning")and the movies should make me feel that way too!!
Exactly! 😀 The movies should be magical–not because of spells and enchantments, but because of the way they make you feel, and the way they get their messages across. And by the way, do you have any idea where that quote from Lewis is found?
I think thats what makes a good fantasy series, creating that aptmosphere, capturing their world, and as far as I am concerned, Lewis nailed it. He didnt just make a good story, he made a world. He and Tolkein are the two greates fantasy writers of all time.
This interview frustrated me for several reasons:
MN is published as the first in the series. Of course it sells a lot of books!
"the number of people who saw Prince Caspian was half the number of people who saw The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. And the book sales are half. The people who saw Dawn Treader was about a third less than the people who saw Prince Caspian. And the book sales are about a third less."
That's not what he told us when they were making VDT. It was supposed to be the "popular" and "best-selling" book that would make for a high-grossing film.
When he talks about "darkness", I have to ask: is there something wrong with a film being "dark"? Being dark isn't the same as being evil.
And before you think "family film", I have to say: Harry Potter anyone? That's marketed (or was marketed) as a family series. The first film in that series was darker than any Narnia book.
Oh, and The Last Battle/Silver Chair are both DARKER than PC, so I'm not sure what Flaherty's thinking here.
Lastly, when he talks about the Greek gods getting everyone "drunk", I have to wonder when he last read the book. Nowhere does the book say anyone got "drunk"!
That said, I pray that they choose to do The Silver Chair next!
"Nowhere does the book say anyone got drunk"
Research Bacchus and Silenus a little and you’ll see what Flaherty is talking about. 😉
"Being dark isn’t the same as being evil."
Flaherty is looking at this from a box office perspective. A lot of moviegoers complained about PC’s darkness. That’s what’s "wrong" with it from that per$pective.
I know about Bacchus and Silenus, but I also know about the fauns, which are nothing like Narnian fauns (if they were Narnia would not be a children's series)!
I've never really got that part of PC. Can someone explain it to me?
There's a reason at the end of the scene, Lucy and Susan say they would not have felt safe if Aslan was not there.
NOTW… Here's how I see it in a nutshell: PC is about a return to the glory and values of the old days. Bacchus and Silenus (referenced by Tumnus in LWW) represent those old days. Their appearance (along with the trees coming back to life) signals Narnia's reawakening.
Ohhh . . . Thanks GlumPuddle!
dt doasn't feel as magical as lww and pc it like theres no magical things in it( watch all 3 in order and u will probly argere with me)
PC (the book and film) do have quite a bit of magic. Just not spread thoughout the story (the book). HB has the least amount of magic and it's one of the best! Why do people keep saying the PC movie had less magic?!?
"That book is a dark war kind of novel."
I agree to an extent. I think the important thing is for PC to be dark relative to LWW. I wasn't bothered by the darkness in the PC movie.
Flaherty seems to say their solution to the "tough" parts is to avoid them altogether, and that's why they want to do MN next. You can certainly see this philosophy in the adaptation of PC, with key bits like Bacchus and Silenus getting cut. Very sad. Many of the "tough" bits are what make the books unique. Remove that, and you remove what makes them special. Now I'm worried they'll cut Aslan's line about swallowing up men and women, cities and realms out of SC.
I wonder if he was being sarcastic about families being busy during Christmastime and that was why VDT did poorly. Because apparently they were not too busy to go see LWW which grossed $745m worldwide. It's no secret that Christmas time is a coveted slot for a movie.
If they take swallowing up boys and girls and kings and queens and cities and realms out, then thatw ould be one of the biggest mistakes the could ever make. Like they say, hes not a tame lion. I think there just trying to make an overly perfect image of Aslan. In the PC movie they just had Aslan roar instead of pick Trumpkin up and shake him in his mouth. In VDT they had Aslan scratch the dirt instead of scratch Eustace. HES NOT A TAME LION.
Can we make up our minds and get the ball rolling here?? At this point, I'm ok with either one. There are good and bad points to both, but I just wish they would make a decision! Ah well, I guess I'm being too impatient…
I'm probably going to have a lot of people disagree with me here, but I feel that had they done a proper adaptation of VDT, it would have been light, fun, and adventurous and they wouldn't need to worry about the darkness of SC. The VDT movie ended up waaaay darker than SC imho.
At any rate, I'm reading this as 'Walden wants to do MN next but nobody else does.' LOL I suspect that's at least part of the reason we don't have a green light yet.
I guess it's really hard for me to think of the VDT film as dark because it all seems so silly to me. I can't take it seriously enough to think of it as dark.
Silly yes, but it was by far the darkest film yet. (PC was darker overall, but man, was VDT dark in places!)
I agree with you, Fantasia_Kitty. Walden wants to do MN next and I'm starting to think that the C.S. Lewis Estate doesn't.
My money's on Fox as the pro-SC crowd. For some reason I feel like I've heard that Gresham really wants to do MN, but I'm not willing to swear to it.
Doug Gresham has said in interviews that he wants to do SC next.
http://www.narniaweb.com/2009/12/big-interview-with-douglas-gresham/
I also agree with you Fantasia Kitty. I do think Fox is pro-Silver Chair too, because they have such a great actor playing Eustace and the continuity makes more sense to go with SC. I don't agree with Flaherty's theory of book sales correlating to ticket sales….PC and VDT didn't sell as many tickets because of the changes they made to the stories. LWW was a blockbuster book. Silly theory.
I found the sea serpent section to be very dark. I agree with you fantasy-kity, A true adaption would have been lighter.
Yeah, I totally agree that VDT movie is darker than SC book, but if they totally revamped SC like they did VDT, then SC would be extremely dark
Silver Chair is definitely darker than Prince Caspian… and that's what made it the best in the series.
I personally would like to see MN next cause it talks about how Narnia was created. It would be sooo cool to see that!!!
Yes SC is dark.But it can be great if they make it,I think.
Oh ho ho…don't give me all that about Prince Caspian. The movie wasn't a faithful adaption, they don't get drunk, and they did nothing to lessen the battles…in fact they did quite the opposite.
As for Silver Chair, I think they should go ahead and do it.
Oh please oh please! Let's do SC next, shall we? So we can see Will Poulter some more. He's brilliant. 😀
But honestly, if they end up doing MN, I'll just be grateful they're making more movies. 😉
You almost want to knock them over the head with a frying pan. Right? It's like huge, "DDDDUUUUUHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
I think LB (which I am re-reading now) is by far the darkest in the series. Lewis did things in the first half of LB I really didn't think could happen in Narnia. The plot of LB is also much more intense. The story takes some really tense turns.
I agree completely. End Times material is always dark, and even in Narnia it's no different.
Last battle rules because it is the last one and it has the end. Very little black clouds with very broad silver linings rule. Last battle may be dark, but Lewis still lightened it up with humour (who can't laugh because some of the antics of Shift and Puzzle), with pure goodness (or wellmeantness) hidden far behind naìvity and low self esteem (in Puzzle) and with honourable deeds in harsh and dark times (the revolt of the horses and the graciousness of the small animals who gave food to the imprisoned king). I especially like the fact Puzzle becomes a sort of Narnian antichrist without really (in his heart) wanting to be an antichrist.
I am a Puzzled Puzzle-fan!!! Cheers: whatever movie you do first, make Last Battle, Magicians Nephew and Horse and his boy (in which Aslan is the embodyment of magic and in which the wizzard of the pool and the transformation of Rabadash are magical moments). Narnia has never been without magic. It is the embodyment of magic.
little black clouds schould be small dark clouds *or something*
Puzzle was more of a deceived fellow. Shift was the "antichrist". Or is it antiaslan?
No, Shift was the false prophet, and Puzzle was, well, the antiaslan
yup… Puzzle was the antiaslan thingy, because he was pretending to be Aslan and so the sort-of-narnian-god Lion.
But you could call Shift the masterbrain. And the interesting thingy is that the antiaslan thingy is being used and that the antiaslanthingy becomes a friend-of-aslanthingy. It is an interesting perspective. But perhaps I translate the story too much to our world?
The snow was awful last christmas, you don't have to blame the slow opening weekend on the season's inherent business.People could hardly get out of their house's! As far as my opinion go's on what movie to make next, I am sure you all know SC is my first choice.
I like the Silver Chair least in Lewis's series. But Will Poulter is such a good actor. I wonder if Eustace didn't jump from heavenly real Narnia in our world and simply pretends to be Will Poulter.
Eustace somewhere on the world says "Ohw. rustlebukkins, My cover was blown. Luckily no-one will believe this 'Peter'."
Will Poulter stop pretending. You ARE in fact Eustace.
I was just thinking that today! Will IS Eustace or a AMAZING actor, who the likes of has not been seen since…I don't even know when!
I wrote up a summary of the interview last Wednesday if anyone is interested: http://live.hollywoodjesus.com/?p=7819
What type of website is HolleywoodJesus? (I like the name 🙂 )
@Not Of This World: Hollywood Jesus does reviews of movies and other media seeking to show the spiritual side of pop culture.
Cool!
i vote for the magicians nephew. i like that book better than the silver chair.
I'd prefer to see MN next, but I really don't care which Narnia film is next as long as they green light more films.
Hm… I have no idea what to say about this. I still feel so rocky about VDT, that's it's hard to think about SC or MN. But I agree, LB is the darkest book in the series, although PC and SC are darker too. Walden seems to be having a hard time understanding Narnia or the box office. SC is dark, but I doubt it would be that hard to make it dark but still watchable for all families. And really, why miss a much more action packed story for a more tricky one? No wonder Walden's having a hard time greenlighting any film; they just don't have enough overly great reasons to do MN instead of SC.
Uhm… don't kill the messenger but:
a. Walden was one of the responsibles for all post 2000 Narnian movies (and if you mock their lack of judgement, you mock this choise too.
b. However much I like the Chronicles of Narnia AS THEY ARE, I simply can't believe PC and Voyage of the Dawn Treader did worse just because the books weren't followed. There must be people that like a heart warming (slightly nostalgic) fairy tale too. Something Lion the witch and the wardrobe has and VTDT and PC had in a lesser sence.
c. I don't get it: is it at all possible that the theaters being more expensive because of 3d, made less people come to theaters (because they can't pay or choose to spent the money on travelling to Israel). And that therefore less tickets were sold? Or am I to simple minded?
I disagree with 3 because most people could chose to see the film in 2D instead of 3D… which would be cheaper
Not true. When I went to see it, 3D was the only option available locally. So, some of us had a a choice between 3D and not seeing at all.
bring on the silver chair!
cannot wait till then! XD
If they make another film, it should undoubtedly be The Silver Chair. Making MN next will feel like a last ditch effort before the series dies. SC will feel like a genuine attempt continue the series and maybe make all 7.
I'll be darned. Usually I never agree with your comments, but I agree with that one. I want Silver Chair next, too. Finally we agree on something!
I dont understand the reasoning behind MN being made as a 'last ditch' effort while making SC is a 'genuine effort' to revive the franchise. Simply because SC was originally published after VDT? Lets remember that PC was not profitable at the box office so it technically should not have received a sequel (VDT) at all. In comes Fox and rescues the franchise. MN is a more marketable film and could potentially be profitable enough to make a $$$ cushion should Silver Chair not be profitable enough at the box office. IMO, making MN is the genuine effort the continue the franchise. The only plus side in making SC first is that there is less room for error (since the story is very linear).
I think gP says this for the very reason you mentioned. MN is seen by Walden as a potential money maker, so that's why they want to make that one, but that's playing it safe. There's always the possibility of it backfiring and the audience growing uninterested because they feel as though the production is just trying to suck money out of their pockets. On the other hand doing SC would be a risk, but if it is done well enough to get people talking could bring in the largest reward.
Unfortunately I think it's come to the point where Walden had better risk something big or the franchise is going to die.
They should do Silver Chair first, and then The Magicians Nephew. Both are the 3rd and 4th best books in th series behind LWW and VOTDD, so just pick one already. How about the one in the chronicological order? Do the prequel afterwards, just do it already!
As a response to MF saying people are busy at Christmas time and prevented them from seeing VDT: LWW was released at Christmas and it did very well indeed. What makes him say that it was people being busy at the holidays? Maybe it was your partner, 20th Century Fox's, fault. What type of marketing did anybody see in the states other than TV spots and posters?
Whichever film is next, I have preferences for who directs what. If MN, Andrew Adamson. He was the one who made LWW, and MN is the prequel to that. If SC, Michael Apted. He was the one who wanted to connect the books VDT and SC together in the first place. Maybe some things will make sense in Dawn Treader once Silver Chair is done.
As to "this book is dark" or "this book was violent", I only think some of The Last Battle could really scare young children. C.S. Lewis meant to write these books for children(though adults may enjoy them too). Children have to learn life isn't all butterflies and rainbows at some point. I mean, when I was younger, I watched the Redwall TV series. It had no blood, but it was still full of fighting and battles and death,and I dealt with it just fine As long as there is little to no blood, I think children of all ages can enjoy the films.
I agree, except Micheal Apted should be kept away from Narnia. Adamson would be better in my opinion.
Lewis said that if he enjoyed a story as a child but not as an adult, it was not worth reading in the first place.
That's what I think the VDT movie is. Something to distract kids with…that's all.
I don't know what one they're making next, and I don't know anymore which one should be next… but I know one thing. If they don't make up their minds soon, we might have to kiss the entire series goodbye. The actors are getting older here… and at this rate they're aiming for JP4 😐
Not necessarily…if they make MN next. They can take their sweet time with MN. They only need Tilda and Liam to return.
I actually wonder if, from a marketing perspective, it might be a good move to wait a decade and then make MN…not as a reboot exactly…but almost.
The series has lost all momentum right now, so waiting a long time might cause more good than harm.
Tilda's not getting any younger. And remember, she's supposed to appear the same age in MN as she does in LWW. While I'd agree that you don't have to worry about that nearly as much for a woman like Tilda, as you would for a girl like Georgie, there is still a risk that she'll be too old if they wait a very long time. A decade is certainly too much.
Yeah but if they do that forget Will P in SC, and possibly Georgie, Skandar, and Anna in HHB as well.
i agree with doing sliver chair
"And remember, she’s supposed to appear the same age in MN as she does in LWW."
I disagree. At the end, Jadis becomes immortal. I think it would be really cool if eating the apple made her look younger. So Tilda looking older for most of the movie would probably be a big positive. 🙂
Basically, I think Tilda is now old enough to play her character younger. 😉
Now that's a neat idea.
I like that Idea. But they would need to be carefull it doesn't come out looking lame. I think they could figure out a way to do it, but they would need to handle it with care. If they are carefull, I think it'll be briliant.
and if it takes 10+ years… would Tilda still be the WW… or even Liam as Aslan?
that was suppossed to be @ gP not me…
Silver Chair is my favorite book, I hope they make it, but I love MN too. Either way is fine, I just want more Narnia!
I was liking the idea of MN next bcause it never got adapted to screen ever before.. But I wouldn't mind which way they went. Just pick something soon and greenlight it pleaaase!!!
I'd perfer SC next, but I'll not be horrified if they made MN. For me, in a short term sence, I'd rather see SC. In a long term sense, I don't care as long as they are all made and all made to do the books justice.
♫I'm so excited
and I just can't hide it!♫
Not as good as an SC green light, but it gives me hope. 😀
i want more narnia flims : )
After finally watching VDT (borrowed it from the library, not spending my hard earned money on it) I hope they choose MN next. SC is my very favorite book in the series and the thought of them doing to SC what they did to my second favrite, VDT, makes me nauseated.
You have to do MN next!!!!Perry Moore left all that money only for them to do MN next!
But what if they were to do MN and SC at the same time? Riddle me this.
Finally A ray of sunlight! (Marshwiggle's need the sun!)
SC is my altime fav, and I really really want to see it, I cant wait! and if they dont go with that one, Will will be way older by the time they get to it, and thats just lame.
WALDEN: this is your conscience speaking, Go with the Silver Chair!
I actually appreciated PC's (the film's) darkness and it added a lot to the first film and to the whole series, although I did feel as though I was watching LotR in some spots. This was not where it failed, the marketing of both this and VotDT's marketing were misfired epically. PC was marketed too much so people knew exactly what they'd see before they saw it and VotDT was marketed too little. The one thing that will really revitalise the franchise would be if SC was faithful like LWW was. Walden doesn't need to go parental on its fans, what matters is that the film is good as an adaptation and a film. In fact, over six years the general movie-going public has become much more cynical. They shouldn't hold back and they should tell the story with as much content as it needs, and they should also sell the film enough to get people to see it without getting in your face. If they do this everybody wins.
SC should be made!
if they think SC is 'dark', then what will they do when they come to making LB?
thx Narnia Web for the new, news!! lol
Any of them would be ok! Just got 4 books left, any Narnia story, I just want Narnia!!
Just do it!!
Personally I would prefer magicians nephew but I think they should do silver chair because it's like ending the story with Caspian if you know what I mean.
i agree
I don't really mind which they do next. SC would fit with how it's being done so far but I think MN would also be good. But I want another film sometime soon. 🙂
Interesting… Walden always seems to come up with more and more excuses why their movie didn't do well. Again, they refuse to acknowledge their own original mistakes of making a mediocre film. If it were a good film, word of mouth would have spread about how good it is.
I hope the next film is the Silver Chair for obvious reasons.
They should really consider SC, because after that, they will have much more time to make MN, HHB and LB whenever they want.
I realize they're supposed to still be young in LB, but you can make actors look young enough.
In LB Jill and Eustace are supposed to be 7 years older.
Really??? Never knew that. Well, that will be hard to pull off unless they get a new cast. They've already tried to pass Ben Barnes off as a teen in Prince Caspian. Can't really imagine a 7 year old in a movie with such a dark story as The Last Battle. In a book, it's ok. On screen, that's harder to show to family audiences.
No, dude. 7 years oldER.
. . than they were in Silver Chair. So, 16.
urghhh!!!they need to make a decision!!!i think that whatever book they make into a movie they should try to make it as much like the book as possible because thats what really irritated me about "the voyage of the dawn treader" they cut out some really good scenes in the book,and it was way too magical which made feel less real to me,i think andrew adamson had the perfect idea when he made the "lion the witch and the wardrobe".i think it was a mistake to let him go.
And i personally like what he did with prince caspian because thats pretty much hoe the book was.so what if he made a mistake and put susan and caspian together,but it wasnt as bad as what they did with my favorite book vdt
I believe in what is most appropriate, and that is Silver Chair. Prince Caspian, Voyage of the Dawn Treader, and Silver Chair as a trilogy-within-a-seven-story-series tell the tale of one man and his relationship to Alsan, and to his family and friends, and to his job. Caspian has one very important task which he completes, with Aslan's aid. The Magician's Nephew, which I can see being told by Jim Broadbent's Diggory to Lucy, can be put aside for later – and the older Lucy gets the better, perhaps. However, in Silver Chair, I also find it essential to have a young Eustace. Eustace meets Jill in school, not college – and there's a big difference between the relationship between students and their leaders in school and students and their leaders in college!
I think the main thing they need to realize is the embellishments/substitutions they are coming up with are INFERIOR to CS Lewis genius -level material. And the more they substitute with their own original material, the farther the box office drops. Film the books accurately, and let the results stand on its own merits. I will guarentee the box office will RISE. their material is so dumbed down as to be insulting.
Bingo.
Completely Disagree. The poor reception of the films was not due to the mere fact that they changed them, but due to the underlying reason why they changed them. The story and characters of LWW had tremendous cinematic potential. It is the only book in the series that has been translated to film 4 times. There was no need for major changes.
The book PC didn't have a fraction of that potential. I think a completely faithful adaptation would have been a dull film and a box office disaster in every sense of the word, rather than just being a disaster compared to the cost. Do I agree with all of the changes that they made? No, but I do feel that change was necessary.
As for VDT, I think it has enormous potential as a mini-series, and no, the soulless, badly acted, super-literal BBC version didn't realize that potential. But to give each adventure in the saga the emotional impact it deserves would take a lot longer than 2 hours.
I would loooooove to see the chronicles done as a miniseries, but a faithful adaptation.
I hope they do the Silver Chair next.
I hope they do Silver Chair next and also "dark" did not hurt the Lord Of The Rings or Harry Potter series but then again those studios made sure to also build up plenty of hype for those films, I mean Harry Potter comes out in July yet their already advertising in May unlike Fox that waited a week before the films release to kick in the advertising.
SC is not "too dark" , nor was PC book. it's all in how you film it. Did anyone here have nightmares from the violence in the BBC versions? it was a concious decision to make the new PC as harsh as it was, and it was their own fault it was poorly received. they didn't let the family audience know they were going to a teen boy battle flick. they could have kept caspian a teen ager and filmed it true to the book and they wouldn't have lost thier core audience,
Agree completely. I think the "too dark" complaint is really about the dramatic shift in tone and target audience from one film to the next. If they've learned something from the struggles of the past two films, I hope it's that a Narnia film should be a true family film: something that can enchant the kids and still be stimulating enough for their parents.
ThE SiLvEr ChaIr!1!
I think both would be great personally. But I personally am leaning more towards Silver Chair and then Magician's Nephew.
glumPuddle, thank you heaps for covering this so well! The video clip, written transcript of that important bit of the interview, even the title. lol I didn't have time to cover this interview in detail for Aslan's Country. So thank you again! Paul at NarniaFans also did a great job. 😀
http://www.aslanscountry.com/2011/05/micheal-flaherty-on-the-current-state-of-narnia-4/
I think they should film both SC and MN at the same time as a compromise for this difficult decision.
SC is the more logical movie to do next!!!!!!!!!!
Prince Caspian IS NOT THAT DARK! The book, I mean. Yes, Peter cuts people's heads off. Yes, Bacchus shows up. But that doesn't mean everyone gets drunk/it HAS to be bloody. If they left in more of the scenes with Aslan and left out the random battle stuff that wasn't needed (*cough* Night Raid *cough*) it would have been a LOT less dark.
This is my oar. For all it's worth.
I agree with you. The movie was dark because they left out all the parts that showed Narnia full of life. Both when Narnia was still in hiding and you could only get glimpses and also when Aslan reawakens Narnia and they are free to be themselves again.
I argree!!! they got rid of the battle in the woods and just whent with their own thing! my fav is the LTWW because they suck to the plot of the book, I don't mide them twisting little things but not big things because when they do that they just….. well lose it 🙁
I completely agree. The book Prince Caspian wasn't dark. But the movie was. The reason why Caspian didn't do well is not because it was dark. It was because it was BORING! The book has Susan and Lucy riding on Aslan's back, and then Aslan turns a man into a tree, and turns little boys into little pigs!! How fun is that! But in the movie they just showed Susan and Lucy riding on a horse and having men shoot arrows at them! How boring is that? As if we've never seen a movie with girls riding horses?? BORING! Show us something we've never seen before! Show us what's in the books! Show us the little boys turning into pigs! Show us the man beating a child with a stick, and then his hand turns into a stick and he turns into a tree! Show us the book!!!
I didn't cut any heads. I wouldn't hurt a fly. *hides the fly-swatter behind his back*.
I totally agree the book Prince Caspian wasn't dark. Though the cover of my copy was dark blue with an artistic immage of Caspian on it, the writings within the book were black. But the black writings were on WHITE. So: not dark.
So getting drunk, Bacchus and Silenus are tokens of darkness. It is more a token of happiness. Of the oppression of Miraz finally ending. I think the real reason for taking this out was: it was to boring (in the opinions of the director). And they didn't get drunk. Even if Bacchus was a old (50 years kind) dirty batty person that had anal, drunk-getting parties in Greek mythology…
Lewis made a Narnian version (maybe thinking Bacchus was misunderstood) that was a young boy (or was that silenus?) and that made grapes grow, destroyed the bridge of beruna (so the rivergod was freed), and yes made some of the most delicious wine. Which together with Aslans presence brought a drunken-like happiness. But they obviously didn't really get drunk (in my imagination).
Drunk and drunken in my simple Dutch mind mean: having consumed buckets and buckets of alcohol and thus having drunken to much or something. But maybe the real English word is something else.
I definitely hope The Silver Chair will be next. And that this time around it will be a more faithful adaption of the book, like LWW. The books are the reason I came to love Narnia. How can the original stories not be good enough for the big screen!! 🙂
Perfect evidence that Flaherty doesn't care about what Narnia fans want. 86% want to see The Silver Chair. And yet Flaherty wants to make the Magicans' Nephew next? Hello Michael, wake up!
The reason why Caspian didn't do well is NOT because it was dark. It was because they didn't stay true to the book.
The Silver Chair will do well as long as they stay true to the book and do a good job of storytelling. However bright or dark it is doesn't matter. That's completely irrelevant.
The Silver Chair takes place 1 year after the Dawn Treader. Will Poulter who plays Eustuce already looks older. They simply have to do the Silver Chair next. (Oh, and by the way, I like the Silver Chair better than the Magician's Nephew. The only reason why The Magician's Nephew has sold more books is because the publishers put it first in the series. So of course it has more sales. Duh! People want to start with the first book in the series, but like most people they don't finish what they started.)
I really think that if they don't make The Silver Chair next they never will. I think if they make Magicians Nephew next they will promote it as "Now see how Narnia began" and if it's successful they will go right into The Last Battle possibly merging it with parts of The Silver Chair and then they'll promote it as "You've seen how Narnia began now see how it ends." I just don't think they would go back and do The Silver Chair after Magicians Nephew, I hope I'm wrong.
silver chair all the way! will poulter should stay and thats it, for that, as long a shes in it then im happy and im sure im not the only one.
as for the movies not being like the books, i actually think the movies are good as they are. and the books are good as they are. if the movies were made exactly like the books it'll be boring. but the books are fine as they are and i wudnt want them to be changed.
and well u've got to admit that the extra scenes like the castle raid did make the movie more exciting. u cant say u hate that scene cause imagine it wivout it. the stuff wiv caspian and peter fighting, its got a good teaching cause it shows peters stuggling being a kid again, realises it and tried to redeem himself. the same goes for VofDT, the story they created, it all fits well, and again has a good teahcing. and i just love the fact that the witch is in all 3 of them, cause she sybolises the devil and who tempts everyone into doing wrong.
and so i cant wait to see whats installed for the next narnia movie, whatever it is 😀 (hopefully SC)
SILVER CHAIR! SILVER CHAIR! SILVER CHAIR! SILVER CHAIR! SILVER CHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIR!!!!!!!!! Whow CARES if it's "a little too dark!!!???" If you ask me Narnia isn't even CLOSE to being dark! (Though it would be nice if it was. Just to make a little less kiddish. 😉 I VOTE SILVER CHAIR!!!!! WHO'S WITH ME???
I'm with you!
😀 GOOD!
BIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEnnnnnnnnnnnn!!!!!!!!!!!!1111111111
mi mejor amiga saldra
no tegais duda
Why don't they just make a choice and get on with it. I was 8 when the first movie came out and now I'm almost 16 and they only have three movies out. I think it's taken them WAY too long. I get that the process takes a long time, but this production team is a little ridiculous…
They really need to get over this "too dark" garbage. Personally, I prefer Narnia darker and more serious. Even the novels were written in a very serious manner. Honestly, I don't think anyone would really care if they made the films more dark, perhaps it would even improve box office totals. Thats what movie goers like these days anyway and I don't think making it more dark goes against what the books are about. They are meant to be taken seriously.
I also feel that the main message of VotDT was clouded because of the impetous silliness that was brought to it because they just couldn't stay true to the book and had to add the 'green mist' in it.
I totally agree Patrick. I loved PC because it was a darker film. I think that the 'darkness' of PC and SC isnt the problem. The issue is that PC underperformed at the box office, and fans were looking for a 'scapegoat' as to why PC underperformed. But I don't think that fans necessarily hated the darkness of the PC sequel, just some of the elements that were unfaithfully bought to film. But the book itself is uncinematic. Walden did an excellent job of making a quality movie out of average source material.
The thing is, Walden actually did some marketing research into it, and the overwhelming response of former-fans was that the film was too dark and not magical enough. I think what it really boils down to is that film took itself too seriously. At times, it felt a lot like a period drama, rather than a family fantasy film. Wasn't a problem for me, but there wasn't much to engage the upper-elementary crowd, who were the target audience of the books and the first movie.
So it's not yet finalized. I think this are the reasons why they should first film:
The Silver Chair: First of all The Silver Chair is next in the chronology and published books right after the story of "Dawn Treader". Next of it, Will Poulter (who plays Eustace Scrubb) will be getting too old if the The Silver Chair will be made later. Then, The Silver Chair is what we fans are longing to see next and other NARNIA films viewers won't be confused in the story if SC is next. And finally, as we all remember that in the ending scene of "Dawn Treader" movie, Jill Pole's name was mentioned that she will visit in the Srubb's residence.
The Magician's Nephew: In book sales, The Magician's Nephew is one of the best-selling in the series. The story narrates the creation of the world (This will be the very first movie that narrates the creation). Narnia production team believes that The Magician's Nephew will save the movie franchise from it's weak box-office (except for Lion,Witch,and Wardrobe for it's one of the box-office films of 2005).
Ok. They must finalize the next movie and start filming, casting and the scripts as well. They must release the movie not later than december 2012 (so that there will be no age gap for the film's series)
If we are talking about The Silver Chair being a dark novel, most probably in the film, it's just ok. Look, Narnia chronicles helps us to see light over darkness. In LWW, Aslan died, but he was risen from the dead. In PC, Caspian was threathened in the witch's return and tempted to bring her back to life, but Peter and Edmund stops this threat. In VDT, they sailed to the Dark Island, though all hope was lost, Aslan shows himself in the form of an albatross and shows the light right after the sea serpent was killed. So it's nothing if the film is dark for in the end, it will show you the Light!
Great comment, Farsight messenger. It's not about the dark, it's about His light.
Very well put. They need to give SC the green light and hire a new director and trust the director that he will do a good job, because when studios control movies they always become duds (Spider-Man 3, Iron Man 2 anyone?)
Will Poulter is to great not to carry on in this franchise!
I wanna see more of Eustace and a lovely Jill to match!
Give us the Silver and let us all have a Chair!
Yeah, I think that's the key. Cast a really phenomenal, charismatic actress as Jill. The marketing should focus on the kids, a couple of grade school misfits who become unlikely heroes in a Sleeping-Beauty style quest (except that Sleeping Beauty is a guy). That's something that could bring in casual fans. Let them know that there's a real story here, not a tired reworking of the LWW plot structure (like PC) or a contrived, puzzling plot structure (like VDT). And let them know that there are dynamic, relatable characters. Special effects alone won't sell a movie.
Bingo! Actually just to make this one little point… out of the BBC series most people find SC as the favorite. If they focus the advertising (and the movie for that matter) on the story they could have a second blockbuster on their hands 😉
Give The Silver Chair the green light!
Give The Magician´s Nephew the green mist!
😉
Give us the silver-light!