Walden Media Hasn’t Dropped Out of Narnia, Still Negotiating
We have been contacted by someone close to the production who claims that Walden Media has pulled out of making any further Narnia movies.
We are trying to confirm this news as quickly as possible. And should this indeed be the case, we have no idea what will become of the series from this point on.
UPDATE: There are a number of conflicting stories about what’s going on. We’re hearing different things from different people, so until things start to settle down we really don’t know anything for sure. What we can say for sure is that the future of the franchise at present is rather murky. Negotiations may or may not be ongoing, or may have ground to a halt for a while. We’re going to just have to wait and see what shakes out. -Tirian
UPDATE 2: I did have a chance to speak with officials from Walden Media today. Walden stated emphatically that they are still pursing another Narnia film and that they are continuing discussions with the C.S. Lewis Estate to make that a reality. At the present time nothing has been confirmed. But there has not yet been a final yes, or a final no. If Walden does another Narnia film, it will almost certainly be The Magician’s Nephew.
I think it is clear that some negotiations are still taking place, though perhaps as I suggested earlier, they are stalled. It is likely that Walden’s option on the film will last for several more years so it could be quite some time before we know for sure one way or the other.
I'm not going to believe this until I know for sure it's true…but in all honesty…even if it is…
Look at all the obstacles this franchise has had to overcome to get to the point where it is now. Disney dropped out. VDT almost didn't get made. VDT barely pulled through. If you look at things through a purely logical/practical standpoint, THE SERIES NEVER SHOULD HAVE CONTINUED. And yet…IT DID. The only thing I can conclude is pure divine intervention. Yes, it sounds cheesy to us modern folks who are so used to having little faith in anything, but I truly believe that God's hand has been in all of this and that he's trying to prove something to us about the true importance of this series. That it has already overcome so many roadblocks IMO is an indication that the Narnia franchise is so much more than just that. There is something in it that goes far deeper than even a story, something that has made it go strong despite all the petty studio problems. It's as persevering as its author and I think that these complications are only a way for God's glory to further shine through. I don't believe the films are done yet and I don't believe that they will stop until LB has made its run. I prayed so hard for VDT to make it and it did. I don't think we're supposed to give up. I think we're supposed to take this as a testament to the true heart and soul of the series, and as a sign that maybe we need to really FIGHT for this story that needs to be told onscreen to the very end.
As Gandalf said, "There is always hope." And that is precisely one of the principles Narnia is founded upon – and we need to pay more attention to it.
btw someone should petition Kenneth Branagh to get involved b/c he would do the books total justice, especially HHB
Please tell me that this is an april fools joke that got lost in the interwebs and just posted a few months late!
The great thing about Walden is their commitment to accuracy and the integrity of the books they film. If it weren't for Walden, I wouldn't be waiting for my new book "Around the World in Eighty Days" to arrive.
I am really looking forward to reading this book. I love Jackie Chan and Kung Fu.
Can't comment on the accuracy of their "Ecoterrorism for kids" Hoot adaptation.
I thought for sure there would be an official announcement by the time I got back from school. I guess I was wrong. If Walden Media is planning on making more Narnia films, wouldn't they have jumped on this story and said it wasn't true?
On the other hand, I can't say that I'll mind if Walden never makes another Narnia movie. I was dissatisfied to some degree with every single movie the first time I watched them in the theater.
This is TRAGIC!!!! I am sooo sad. 🙁 What will happen if they do pull out??? *totally shocked* Will someone else make them? Or is the series done?? I guess the good news is, they can't mess up on them anymore! lol 😉 Maybe I should write that screenplay…….
Seriously, as someone who counted the days to "Dawn Treader", I have to say that this news hits me with total apathy. I just couldn't have imagined a year ago being this apathetic to the news that Narnia movies are done.
In fact, I'm seriously thinking it's for the best. "Dawn Treader" was such a disaster that there's no way to recover from it. It was the laziest piece of major-movie making I've ever seen. They even managed to sabotage the whole character arc of Silver Chair with one stupid line at the end. Not to mention having to hunt for a prince who was never born because he never had a mother.
There's an irony there, I think. Lewis didn't name Rilian's mother and yet made her an interesting character. The movies gave her a name and turned her into Exposition Lass.
It's about time. Hopefully WB will take it over and we can get some legit Narnian-ness out of it. Paramount would do a good job too I think, from my personal movie experience. I really would like to see the rest of the books into films.
this is not cool
Given God's track record with miraculously keeping this series going, I would say yes. Just because it gets one more cross to bear doesn't mean it just dies. Everyone thought the world was ending when Disney pulled out but that didn't stop it. Now it's just WM – they're not even a major distributing company so if Fox still wants to do it they can do it. And I say good riddance to WM – Flaherty was starting to screw things up anyway with the MN nonsense (I bet that's why they pulled out – bc of the squabble over which movie was going to be made next. good on Fox if they actually wanted to do SC first). Now…if only someone could coax Kenneth Branagh to somehow get involved that would make my day. The movies would be phenomenal with him at the helm, imo. Oh, and David Tennant should be Pudddleglum. The end.
No!!! First Disney and now them… 🙁
I heard that Disney dropped out because of "creative differences"- I wonder what made Walden drop out.
Dude, no way. That actually made my jaw drop a little. lol
I never really thought Walden would drop Narnia. Then again, they're looking to make money just as much as Disney or Fox.
To be honest, after seeing the last two movies, I'd rather they had made just LWW and that's it. LWW was really good, IMO. Horse and His Boy would make a great film, though.
I'm more happy than displeased about this after seeing the last two films.
Who knows, maybe they could make Narnia into a TV mini series instead? Some of the stories are more suited for that format, like VDT. Or maybe they could have a web series, similar to Mortal Kombat: Legacy, made by film makers who are actually big fans of the books.
I hope this is just a rumour!!!!!!!!!!!
Now we can have some fun imagining the train wreck that "Magician's Nephew" would have been!
Glum, I love your videos (next, please!) but in dwelling on the point about MN being the financial decision, you never seem to get around to the real point – that it is a boneheaded financial decision:
(A) The only reason that MN is a big seller is because it was relabeled number one. If anything, it is comparatively non-compelling as a narrative (it works as a "so that's what happened" story) and probably puts people off reading "subsequent" volumes. How does MN being the first in the book series translate into the financial success of its movie adaption?
(1) Relabel this prequel story #1 (2) ??? (3) Profit on new Narnia movie
If someone can figure out the mechanism here, perhaps they could persuade Gresham simply to relabel as number one every volume that's about to made into the next Narnia movie. Something tells me that he'd be easy to persuade.
(B) Let's stipulate that MN is a super duper story and people will flock to see a movie adaption of it, whereas they wouldn't for "Silver Chair." Presumably the people who made "Dawn Treader" would be in charge of it, as they continue to seem quite pleased with their "dumbing down" approach for the latest movie. We all know a movie needs a strong villain and a quest building to a huge action climax. I know, I know, you're thinking, "That's Magician's Nephew all over." How do you parley what you believe to be the more financially adaptable story into mega-success by rewriting it to make it the exact opposite of everything which the narrative is?
Those numbsculls in charge said that "Dawn Treader" was about temptation. It was of course an insult to Lewis. "Dawn Treader" was the finest expression of Lewis' primary literary idea – the Sehnsucht that haunted him his whole life. MN is actually about temptation. Would that mean covering the same ground? What would it even be about? More green mist?
One struggles to imagine how this would work. An epic Charn sequence. How do you move that to the end of the movie? I really don't see it, even as flashback. Would the movie makers even do anything so obvious as Digory tempted in the garden to eat an apple? I'm not seeing it. I'm seeing the Witch tempting all the ugly Narnia creatures into evil instead and rallying them for a big battle in primeval Narnia. I'm seeing something completely unlike the story of MN, given the precedents.
Not trying to be sarcastic. I really can't envision how the Green Mist Mob would have structured this movie.
It does of course take a special kind of genius to say, "This book is the most popular. Let's use the name and make something totally different." Lewis would make a sophisticated point about losing your ends in means, how evil is what happens when you start with a good idea and try to do it your way instead of God's.
We call it "Going bad" in Narnia.
I'm very sad right now… I had been desperate to hear some more Narnia news but not this! Even though neither movie was perfect, I was happy with all of them and wished the franchise to continue. There is yet still hope that there will be a happy ending, but this is truly sad.
LOL Avatar 2 will never come out by 2014. Cameron takes far too long with his projects even though they never get any better.
Fox won't have full reign over the creative process, so hopefully that will leave room for it to get past imitating Eragon. Eragon's problem was that the director was completely inexperienced and I don't think he knew how to handle such a big franchise. As long as there's a really good director/writer, I think they'll be okay. Heck, why don't they just get Gresham to do it? Besides, he deserves to see HHB done right on film b/c the book is dedicated to him and his brother. After all he's done, the least they owe him is that
OMG you just gave me a thought…if Steven Moffat worked on Narnia it'd be AMAZING
WHAT?!
time to pray 😉
No! I wanted The Silver Chair so badly! 🙁
This is sad news- I personally think Voyage was actually the best of the three films as they didn't try to make it a Lord of the Rings wannabe- yes, it was different, but it has the 'feel' of the book.
I'm to upset to say anything
Sad because the Chronicles are still the best children's fantasy books around and they deserved great movie adaptations to all 7 books.
But then again, after they seeing what Apted did to Voyage of The Dawn Treader, it might be too painful to see what his vision of Magician's Nephew or Silver Chair might be like. It felt like watching somebody slaughter your favorite child.
Narnians everywhere, one of you has the mission of growing up to be the director who will reboot this franchise the right way. I wish I could do it myself, but since it seems like all the odds are against me, I'd be more than happy if one of you actually got that chance.
I had a gut feeling when I came online today there'd be something big like this. :\
what ??
LOL. You forgot to mention how beautifully they captured the romantic themes from the book Prince Caspian, and the big brawl in the slave market was my favorite part of the book VDT. Glad they didn't cut that out. 😛
Not a surprise really. Great efforts, Walden Media! But I agree it is just not meant to be right now.
David Tennant as Puddleglum?! I approve! Keep it in the proverbial family! First Tom Baker plays Puddleglum in the BBC adaption, then David Tennant. If you think about it, you'd be having the same person play Puddleglum twice!
Sorry, got carried away with Doctor Who.
Back to the topic at hand, I honestly could care less who makes the rest of the movies (I'm sure I'll regret saying that) just as long as they make them right and bring back Will Poulter to play Eustace. Next to Reepicheep, Eustace was my favorite character in Voyage.
Honestly, I think now is the PERFECT time to continue the movies.
Think about it. After this year, there are no more Harry Potter movies. Scratch one competition.
The Hobbit movies (yep, there's 2 of 'em) will be released in December of 2012 and 2013, so there's no well known fantasy franchise to take the summers!
Exactly. Sad.
Oh we will find something to speculate about I'm sure. Too bad I don't have the money, equipment, or experience… I'd start over from the top and get the rights myself 😛
omg!! I cant believe this, I fell really sad at this momment!! this was the last new that I thought that I will encounter on this beautiful day,if is this true!!! I will hate walden media as much as I hate disney!!! really dessapointed. =(
omg!! I cant believe this, I fell really sad at this momment!! this was the last new that I thought that I will encounter on this beautiful day,if is this true!!! I will hate walden media as much as I hate disney!!! really disappointing. =(
It seems that AslansCountry has an update on this story:
"According to to a reliable source at Walden Media, Walden has not pulled out of the franchise. Walden and Fox and the Lewis Estate are continuing in their discussions about the next Narnia film."
Not surprising, sadly. The success of the movies has dropped significantly since LWW, and Walden probably feels like it's not worth it to continue making them. You can't blame them; they're a business.
No, please don't start over from the top. We already have 4 film versions of LWW, and not a single film version of HHB. In fact, if you just did HHB, I would be happy. I'll help you write the script. 🙂
If that's true, I hope they've read the reactions to this story, and realize they have to bring there A-game for the next one. Otherwise, I'm afraid the fans will stop supporting the franchise.
I wholeheartedly agree. Perhaps there is something better in Narnia's future beyond Walden Media.
Wow… I hope this isn't true. The last two movies may have been duds (to a degree), but I don't know of any other company who is as dedicated to making movies true to the books… Unless… Wait a sec. Wouldn't it be incredible if New Line Cinema took up the torch? Besides the obvious LOTR, they also did Inkheart and that was very true to the book, in theme, feel and story.
So actually, now I'm not so sure what to think. 😛
*will decline further comment until an update has been made*
I really hope this isn't true. Walden Media are amazing and they are incredibly dedicated in their support of the movies. I'd be really sad if this is true……:(
Narnia's better off in the winter. VDT would not have done nearly as well without the holiday bump. Yes competition is a factor in how well a movie performs, but you also have to consider which demographics of movie-goers are most interested and available to go to the movies at a given time of year.
O.O
Wow. That's really a shock. I guess I don't have anything more to say until this is confirmed…
Waiting for further information..
Holy cow! This is terrible!
Hm, I think I'll wait for more proof on this before I react to this news. After all, at this point, it's hard to know what they're doing.
Why?Why?Why?!!!!!!!!!!Who else is going to reject another narnia film huh?! They did not see VDT it was so good!!!!!! They don't know what they're missing!
But if this is true, I may have mixed feelings, but more likely I will be relieved. At this moment, it's hard to know if there's any hope for a great adaption and great film after the VDT disaster.
At one point, we didn't know if we'd get VDT, and most of us were freaked out. But if the same case happened now, it'd be more half-and-half. Things have changed from that year, especially once we saw VDT's final results. Was it worth getting VDT when it was a horrible adaption and not-so-great film? I no longer know, but it's too late to regret it now.
If this is because Walden doesn't want to deal with Narnia's "risks," I am very bothered and annoyed. But if they do make SC or MN and don't take any risks on it, I'll feel even more upset. There's no way of telling what good comes out of either choice. Whatever happens, though, I'll keep clutching on to something better than the movies: the books by C. S. Lewis. No matter what happens, I'm thankful for the books, and I'll love them more than I could ever love the movies. 😉
aslans country just recieved an update saying that waldens still in the franchise
If I was a betting man, I would say that the negociations are budget related.. I have no inside knowledge but I'm thinking it might have to do with how much each of the two companies is willing to foot $$ wise
wow I hope that Walden stays in Narnia!
In the Aslan's Country article, the source specifically mentioned "our discussions with the Estate." This suggests that Douglas Gresham is the one who won't agree to Magician's Nephew. Gresham has already stated that he prefers Silver Chair. At the same time, I don't think he would jeopardize the future of the series if it was just a matter of order, something that Lewis himself said "does not matter very much." So here's my purely speculative theory:
Walden came up with a treatment for MN, a treatment that involved a number of cinematic changes. They presented this to Fox, and Fox agreed to stay on board for it, leading to the earlier announcement that MN would be next. They then presented it to Gresham who found that the changes altered the themes and substance of the book in a way that he couldn't tolerate, so he's insisting that they either make a more faithful adaptation of MN, or go with SC.
Again, I'm just theorizing.
that's a very intriguing and yet very scary theory! If it's true it won't be a good movie, as they will meet somewhere in the middle, instead of listening to what Gresham has got to say, and simply DO that.
It's not necessarily Mr. Gresham. He's just an employee of the Estate, whom, I believe we can all agree by this point, has little real say as to the creative decisions regarding the films. The Estate is overseen by a Swiss lawyer and an accountant in Ireland, and I rather think "discussions with" would more likely involve them. I certainly can't see Gresham having any say, whatsoever, in the order in which the films are made.
Amen! I wholeheartedly agree!
They each made over 400 million. Why would they stop for?
NOOOO!!!!! So far this series has just fallen apart, I am afraid to say it, but, I think this next movie they do is the last Narnia move ever made ( i hope not!!!)
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
THEY CAN'T!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Don't break my heart Walden Media!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I was thinking along the same lines Anhun and if that's the case I might just side with the Estate :-s
Thanks for the info. I suppose it's anyone's guess what objections a lawyer or an accountant might have to making Magician's Nephew.
As for Gresham, my impression was that he did have some limited control in the film-process, but his role is more about policing rather than putting forth an artistic vision (not sure who was meant to be staffing THAT post in VDT). I think I recall someone from Walden actually describing it that way. Not sure how that works. I know he was the one who insisted that they keep the "I have another name" line in VDT. Perhaps he has the right to review the script and veto if he feels necessary. While this wouldn't give him the power to come in and dictate what film they make next, it does mean that if he completely disagrees with Walden's overall adaptation approach to MN, they can't move forward with the film until they find something that he can agree with. But I'm pretty sure he has some control, just not much.