Douglas Gresham on Future Narnia Films
C.S. Lewis’ stepson (and co-producer of the films) Douglas Gresham appeared on Middle-earth Radio today and said a few words about the possibility of future Narnia films. He confirmed that “Walden’s contract with the company has expired,” but he hopes to be able to start production on another film in “three or four years time.” When asked which of the remaining books he is most excited about seeing on screen, he simply answered “all of them.” Listen to a couple short clips below:
Paul Martin from NarniaFans.com also appeared on the program!
UPDATE: The full discussion is on iTunes. (Select the first option)
Podcast: Play in new window | Embed
I am absolutely fed up with Walden Media and their stupid excuses. I mean really, he blames it on a CHRISTMAS REALEASE DATE of all things! Look at LOTR, ALL of those movies, including were released just days before christmas, and those movies set box office records. I really cant think of a good explanation for VDT doing so bad, Im am seriously dissapointed as to how the movie turned out, but for the box office to fail too, what?
Hi Non-negotiable
I don't think Caspian reached it's full potential for audience is why & i explained my POV to that.
I dis-agree that LW&W business cannot be reached again for Narnia films too. With a top adaption, even if not perfect, a Narnia film can be huge in reaching people outside the usual blockbuster demographics that are the bread and butter of movie blockbuster seasons in getting people who don't normally go to the annual blockbuster films on the seats as well as those who do. I think all the Narnia stories are capable of that if they get all the elements in sync in presentation with each unique installment.
Part of LW&W's success was for an audience who thought that was ok but maybe too kiddie for me & wouldn't see another one. There was an element of that in the adaption but part of it was also that particular story out of the chronicles – the return of innocence to Narnia being it's main theme. When the different stories are seen in this light, then they can appeal to all kinds of people who normally wouldn't invest in such & such a 'type' of movie.
nic, you've stated your position clearly and respectfully. We will not see eye-to-eye here. I know I am not going to change your mind, but I hope you rethink things at some point. All of the ranting and criticism I have spewed out here over the last year, all of the frustration I have expressed… it is almost EXCLUSIVELY due to PRECISELY the viewpoint you hold. This way of thinking has led to utter disaster for these films. "Narnia" is a NICHE, fringe franchise. "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe", assessed individually, is a classic, iconic chapter in the history of modern western literature. Its adaptation was a celebrated cultural event. That book, ALONE, has the widespread appeal outside of the fanbase to achieve the numbers it did. The others DO NOT. That's not opinion, it's fact. These films can make money WITHOUT having those ridiculous numbers. More precisely, these films MUST be budgeted appropriately BECAUSE none of them WILL see those numbers again. Honestly, if there's ONE thing I hope people listen to me in regard to, it's this. We can agree to disagree about how much we like the individual films, or which remaining ones should be adapted, or any of those other more subjective, relatively meaningless arguments. But, THIS attitude MUST be corrected amongst both the fanbase, and the producers of these films, or this franchise is dead, forever.
Another former story here also said that Walden DID NOT pull out, and that they are still negotiating.
Yes, I agree, LWW was so successful because of the mass apeal of the book, and therefore it is the most popular in the series. But that does not mean that another Narnia movie can't be succesfull, it just means it won't ever amount to the fame and success of LWW. The only other book I can see that would possibly have a slight chance of reaching that limit might be The Last Battle or The Magicians Nephew, but to have the outlook on the series that every single movie can be just as successfull as LWW was is a little bit much.
I liked the Ang Lee 'Hulk' better, but I'm probably in the minority. As for the Spidey reboot, I'm not convinced it's going to do the same range of numbers as Raimi's films, but it's possible. I think it's a somewhat RISKY prospect, just not INSANE, as it would be for Narnia.
Domestic Gross / Cost of the three Spider-Man films:
$1.11 Billion / $597 million
Domestic Gross / Cost of the three Narnia films:
$538 million / $560 million
Narnia is NOT Spider-Man. Reboot = Disaster
N-nC, I think you're basically spot-on with your analysis. There is a mindset in Hollywood that if you have a successful blockbuster, you can generate a sequel that will make even more money by basically regurgitating the same themes, same characters, similar storyline, etc. Caspian is not, nor could be if you're sticking close to the story, anything like a traditional sequel, and it was clearly a mistake for Disney and Walden to think Caspian would perform like, say, Pirates of the Caribbean.
One point that's been alluded to in this chain but not specifically addressed is that Prince Caspian is fairly consistently at the bottom of the series in terms of popularity. To pull off the adaptation they did and to generate as much box office as they did was truly remarkable. I will say, in hindsight, it's easy to say they should have stayed with the same budget as LWW or even reduced it for Caspian, but considering the overwhelming success of LWW, it was not unreasonable to think that Caspian could pull in at least 3/4 the domestic box office of Wardrobe, if not more. And frankly, I never expected it to do as well as LWW, but it should have done better.
As you mentioned, Disney and Walden made the mistake of thinking that the LWW film created a built-in Narnia audience that would just come out in droves for Caspian. Of course, the die-hard Narnia fans came, but Disney and Walden let average filmgoers think they were seeing LWW2 instead of the unique story that Caspian is. It was never going to have the appeal of LWW, but if they had treated it as its own entity, tied to LWW yet unique, yes, it would have created more of a challenge for the marketers, but that's what they're paid for.
There is also strong evidence to suggest that a big portion of LWW's success was the involvement of Paul Lauer and Motive Entertainment's work in marketing this film to Christians as a PG "Passion." And on the flip side, the faith-based marketing for Caspian was non-existent. So many Christians I talked to were unaware of Caspian's release. Fox and Walden did some faith outreach with VDT but nothing to the extent of LWW. I know that the Narnia films have enormous appeal to religious and non-religious alike, but considering the author and the series' religious themes, virtually ignoring the Christian audience in the Caspian marketing scheme was a BIG mistake.
Well, I'm sad that it will probably be a while before we see anymore Narnia films, but I'm glad that Mr. Gresham isn't giving up. At least the Pevensie "trilogy" was finished up.
Hopefully some very dedicated filmmakers will show interest and jump on the chance to reboot.
WHAT? Who would be dissapointed to see Apted leave?
I know, Spidey costs tons less then Narnia. The only reason I didnt like the Ang lee hulk was the weird transitioning between scenes…. yah that was weird. And also Bruce Banners dad was creepy, and the whole movie overall was just strange, weird, aukward, and very dark. I thought the scene with the jacked up dogs was cool though.
Emilyn Writer,
The "there is a verse somewhere in the Bible" statement is a poor argument in favor of any point. It's important to clearly cite scripture as it can be easily misinterpreted to mean just about anything. What is important to God is our salvation, not any movie, no matter how powerful. (Don't get me wrong, I've read the series about six or seven times and have loved all things Narnia since a young age). The fact is, there are so many more important things going on in the world and the universe than the production of a movie series. The thing about movies bringing people to Christ is that it will based on emotions from the visual and audible stimuli, rather than from clear, calm conviction. The better option would be for us to be Narnians ourselves and bring others to Christ.
I understand everyone's disappointment regarding the recent development with the Narnia series. But I would like to challenge you, don't let a movie series distract you from living out your lives. I hear many people commenting as if the movies they were life itself. Don't let your desire for the beauty and truth found in Narnia, turn into obsession. God (Aslan) cares more about your eternal salvation. Remember that when the children got too old they had to return to this world. Maybe it's time for some of you to return to this world. That doesn't stop you from being a Narnia, in fact, it probably will determine if the things you learned in Narnia were just based on excitement and fascination, or on principles and choice. The whole reason for Narnia is that by knowing Him there for a little, we may know Him better here. So I challenge you, take out your Bibles and read them. Read the Gospels, the Psalms, the Prophecies. If only people were as in love with the Bible, as they are with Narnia. This is no time to be discussing movies. The last battle isn't far away, and when it comes, it will take many, many by surprise. There was only a small group with Tirian, and a large group was confused, so they followed what appeared to be Aslan. I challenge you to get to know Him so you can"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it." Matthew 7:13.
It is sad to hear some of you wanting the Narnia films to be completed before Christ's second coming. How ironic. It's reminds me of the dwarves who were so engulfed in their own world that they couldn't tell reality from falsehood. Don't let the world's distractions blind you. Remember the enemy can use anything, good or bad, as a snare. Edmund's taste for Turkish Delight, wasn't evil in itself. But the White Witch used it. Rillian's admiration of a "lady's" beauty appeared innocent, but it brought him to years of captivity. Please, I implore you, as if I were your dearest friend, do not make the mistake Susan made of letting self and the world come in the way between you and God. Unlike Susan, we won't have a 'second chance'. And he said to me, “Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand. 11 He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous[e] still; he who is holy, let him be holy still.” Revelation 22:10,11 Our second chance is now.
We are living in our 'narnia' right now. So let's make a difference and "live like a Narnian, even if there isn't any Narnia!". Forget the entertainment. Go out and fight a battle, rescue a captive soul, embark on a journey of discovery and service, prepare yourself for the coming storm.
“And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.”
Blessed are those who do His commandments,that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.
“I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.”
And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.
[A Warning]
For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.”
Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
*Note* I'll probably not post anything here again. There is much to be done. But feel free to repost, or to use or share any of my words, after all they aren't based on my strength or wisdom, they're not really mine, anyway. I hope no one took anything here as an attack. Just take anything that might be useful to you, apply it to your own situation and live it. I'm speaking to you as a friend and as a fellow Narnian.
~ Tirian,
truthknight
Aslan Is On The Move
The Light is Dawning, the Lie Broken
Sorry, I didn't mean to create an argument.
"Nonny"?
Yeah. Peter was my favorite character. (Hence the name)
🙂
No, its not your fault for creating the argument, we did that for you.
Hey Guys!
I love Narnia as much as the next guy and probably even more, but I highly doubt we'll mind if Christ does come back before the films are done…We'll be with CHRIST then…I don't think we will care at all about Narnia.
Another thing, Dylan, you said you didn't think we needed to focus on Christ's return or worry about it, but the Bible says in 2 Peter 3:10-14, "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless." Looking to Christ's return should cause us to live holy lives, and we should really be looking for His coming.
You know, there are a LOT of people out there who love the Walden/Disney/FOX Narnia movie adaptions and would LOVE to see even more movies in the future!
I agree with Fireflower all the way! "There's a Place for Us" is a great song. People who post negative comments are always the sort that become a hideous burden to fans of Narnia (and anything that has to do with it) like me, so, please keep the posts positive!
LOL, Albert A. Scrubb! (PS: I like your name!!)
Thanks for the support, Fireflower! It's always good to know someone agrees.
Thank you for the wise words. I agree with Mr. Gresham, too!
You say God doesn't care about Narnia. Wrong!
1. God doesn't divide sacred and secular. Read my blog post "Louie Giglio: Finding Your Purpose." I mentioned Narnia and Sherwood Pictures. http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/9051209/louie_giglio_finding_your_purpose.html?cat=8
"The church today puts high value on church planters to unreached people groups. Others may like the fine arts. Where do they fit in God's kingdom? Some think nowhere. It's as though people believe there will be lines in heaven based on their vocations. Church planters will be at the front, Christian musicians next … and those who like Nascar racing at the back.
We have to blow this up! In Colossians 3:17, God says do whatever you love and be the best at it. Steve Jobs was wired in a unique way to do his job, even if he missed heaven in the process. The point is who's in your heart as you're doing your job, not the job you do. It's about motives."
2. God cares about every aspect of our lives. He's in the movie theater and dentist office just like he's in the church – all the time! God cares about every detail of Queen Elizabeth II's life, just like he cares about the lives of her chauffeurs. If you think God doesn't care about Narnia or movies in general, your God is too small – and I don't want to know him.
3. Sherwood Pictures (Courageous, Fireproof, Facing the Giants) prays before producing and premiering each film. They're having so much success that Hollywood has noticed and decided their financial success is due to "all that praying." Gresham, a Christian and the executive producer of the Narnia films, said in the Middle Earth Network that Narnia is in God's hands. So don't tell Sherwood or Gresham that God doesn't care about movies!
Fireflower and Scrubb, you might want to read more than one of my posts, before you assume that I don't want any more films, or that I haven't had any good things to say about what Walden did with the films. Or not. Whatever. I am a fan, not a cheerleader, and if you're expecting everyone to share your apparently unconditional and universal love for these films, you are doomed to a series of frowny faces. This is a place to express opinions. Even ones you don't like. It's a bummer, but that's life. Embrace diversity, it's a good thing.
I think that the only casting problem will be Eustace, but he wont be too old to play the character. Look at the Harry Potter series, those actors are all in their twenties, and were in their twenties when they finished the series, but played 17 year olds. The pevensies could do the same in The last battle, and even then The pevensies have aged. Will poulter could also still play Eustace, its really not a problem, as long as we know there is more to come
You know what? Hiring Apted is one mistake I cannot blame Walden for. It made so much sense at the time. I was absolutely delighted when I heard they had landed him. I love a TONNE of his films. It's only when you do your due diligence that you see the bigger picture. He is, often, a FANTASTIC director when handling intimate, character-driven stories that personally appeal to him. When he takes a job for the sake of a job (can't blame him—we all have to eat), there is a considerable drop-off in quality and personal investment. His Bond film, for example, is really by-the-numbers, one-take, bland fare.
That was, really, the most disappointing aspect of 'Dawn Treader' to me. There was such a feeling of… neglect. Of complete indifference as to what the characters were doing or saying at any given time. 'Dawn Treader' felt like a really dull, fast-paced, dream. Insubstantial, inconsequential, and you'd forget it as soon as you woke up. It felt like Apted was trying to SURVIVE the experience, instead of enjoying it, and creating something beautiful.
Anyway, as much as I criticize Walden, I would have done the exact same thing. It was a really good gamble that didn't pay off. Live and learn. Hopefully, they'll do both.
There's a huge difference between having young adults playing late teens (like the Potter kids, or Georgie Henley, if she were in the Last Battle), and having a young adult play a pre- or very early teen, which would be the situation if Will Poulter were to play SC Eustace.
Re: 1) While I don't like the idea of a total reboot 3-5 years from now, nor do I think it's a smart idea commercially, I would absolutely love a reboot starting with VDT. The recent film wasn't very well attended. The box office gross dropped a lot less from PC than the attendance, owing to inflation and 3D prices. With a few years wait their won't be many people saying "Didn't we just see this?"
Re: 2) The way I would do it if I was disgustingly wealthy and had any sort of film-making know how is create a half-season TV series based on VDT. Maybe Fox might be willing to air it? The story would start out told from Eustace's perspective. We would look through his eyes to see how silly Lucy and Edmund seem with their fairy tale nonsense. Then, when the moment comes when he realizes that Narnia is real, it's a shock and a thrill. Eustace in Narnia could be like Mary Lennox (from Secret Garden) in England, a somewhat dislikable protagonist who grows on us as his character develops, and ultimately becomes endearing.
That's my little fantasy. I don't know how TV economics work, or if a decent-looking VDT is even possible on a TV budget. It's definitely more visually complicated than Dr.Who. Haven't seen Merlin.
Well maybe the Narnia series needs a clean slate, since PC and VDT didn't do so well at the box office, because a lot less people cared about them, because they weren't nearly as good as LWW. It just sucks that we have wait so long for the production of the next Narnia movie, or maybe even a reboot, which I had hoped would never happen, but now it seems more likely than ever.
If the series gets rebooted, which unfortunately I see as inevitable, there is one actor I'd like to see return; Liam Neeson to voice Aslan. His voice was perfect for the character as it had a natural rumble to it which didn't sound forced. As far as the children; it is obvious they will all have to be recast, since he is already 18.
Ok, to say that Narnia and Fireproof etc are on the same level of concern is probably a little bit much. I understand God does have concern for every little aspect of our lives is true, but I just don't see Him caring THAT much for a Narnia movie. Now please don't tell me my God is too small and on and on and on, because thats not the way I see Him. He has done so much in providing for me and my family, so please don't tell me my God is to small.
Embrace it and deal with it. Opinion is opinion and everyone has their own. If you loved the movies, good for you! If you just positivly hate the movies, I am very sorry!
TOOOOOOOOOOO LOOOOOONNNNNNGGGGGG………i personally thought the next movie wud be out by 2012 :((((((((((((
Non-negotiable Comment, I am sorry if I came off as saying that ALL of your posts were negative! Don't get me wrong, but I was just expressing my opinion like you said. I know that I will run into diversity wherever I go. It is a good life lesson to hear other people's opinions! No matter what they come up with or what other people say, I will always love the Narnia movies that exist! I do not believe that I am doomed to a frowny face, but a happy one.
My apologies, Non-negotiable Comment. I understand my comment has most likely offended some people and I am sorry. I am not trying to be critical, if that's how I came across as being. I am just expressing my opinion, as you said. Diversity is something I can never run away from, and I have accepted that.
There's no need to apologize, but I appreciate the sentiment. I wasn't offended, just a little frustrated that I find myself constantly having to explain that I'm really not a negative person, merely because I offer fairly strong criticisms of many aspects of the films. Nor do I seek to diminish anyone else's enjoyment of the movies. I admire your positive energy, and, so long as we remember that we're all here, ultimately, because we love Narnia, we should never have any problems getting along. I do appreciate what Walden have done for us. Even though I found 'Dawn Treader' to be heartbreakingly terrible, I will be eternally grateful for the utter joy I felt watching 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' come alive on the big screen. If this is all we'll ever get, I'll take the good with the (very) bad, and count my blessings. They made some terrible mistakes, but they, unquestionably, came through wonderfully in many ways, as well. My criticism is frustration, not resentment, in any way. I'm frustrated, as a fan, I'm frustrated FOR for Walden, as a company, but, mostly, I'm frustrated because I just don't think that these books will ever be represented with the care and respect that they deserve. And THAT is a crime.
"Considering the overwhelming success of LWW, it was not unreasonable . . ." Precisely. Sequels to beloved mega-hits generally perform in the same ball park as their predecessors, even when there's no basis in literature whatsoever. It's nonsense to say that the PC novel's obscurity is the only factor, or even the main factor, in the dramatic box office drop-off. Now, it's true that, if PC had been an extremely popular book in it's own right, the filmmakers wouldn't have to worry so much about how it was made or marketed, as long as it was entertaining and people knew when to show up.
"Filmmakers let average film-goers think that they were seeing LWW2." I disagree. PC had a very different feel to it, and that came through in the marketing. While LWW was a delightful fantasy that a whole family could enjoy together, PC felt more like a teen-centric period piece. Some reviewers even warned people not to take children under 12. It was a dramatic shift in tone, and they advertised the shift, as though it was a selling point (Mark Johnson admitted that this was an attempt to bring teens and young adults into the Narnia fold). They did little to remind people why they had fallen in love with Narnia in the first place, which is what you need to do if you have a sequel based on obscure or non-existent source material. I don't see that it was a direct result of the differences between the two books. In book PC, Caspian, though older, feels much of the same child-like wonder and excitement about meeting the Old Narnians that Lucy feels when she first enters Narnia. It would be as though you or I had run away from home and found ourselves in Snow White's cottage. They completely down-played this in the movie. Now I still liked the movie, myself, but I can see how it failed to attract a lot of LWW's fans.
Who's 18? I'm lost.
Quote:
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"One point that’s been alluded to in this chain but not specifically addressed is that Prince Caspian is fairly consistently at the bottom of the series in terms of popularity. To pull off the adaptation they did and to generate as much box office as they did was truly remarkable."
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utterReep, I don't say this often here:
You GET it.
I must have typed that paragraph, in various forms, several dozen times in the course of my days here. It's practically my Narniaweb doctoral thesis. I (obviously) agree with almost everything you've said here. You've, pretty much, covered the basis of my arguments concerning everything bad that's happened to this franchise post-2005. Obviously, it's just a theory, but, I like to think it's based on a certain amount of logic, and distanced observation. It's nice to, occasionally, hear from others who share similar concerns. I guess we really differ only in a couple of areas. I'm not convinced that 'Caspian' could have done any better than it did, no matter what they might have done differently, marketing-wise. Of course, we'll never know now, and hindsight is 20-20, but, my point has always been that marketing is speculative, but cost-control is concrete and tangible. When you're dealing with something as "iffy" as 'Caspian' was, you have to remove as much risk as possible. Basically, control everything that's in your power, to avoid exposure to possibly dire consequences. Long before it was released, when it was confirmed how much money they had thrown into 'Caspian', I literally felt sick. I didn't think things would end this badly, or this quickly, but I knew that it was an horrific path that they had chosen. I was a LITTLE shocked how quickly Disney parachuted out, but, in retrospect… that's what The Mouse does. Disney doesn't need to sweat very hard to make gazillions of dollars, and, once they realized what a risk 'Narnia' really is, that they DIDN'T have seven 'Wardrobes' at their disposal, the decision was infinitely simple.
I know many people love 'Prince Caspian', the book, and I do, too, of course. For what it is. I certainly don't want to rag on it. But, to me, its primary raison d'être is to function as a narrative bridge from one era (The Golden Age) to another (Caspian's reign). Obviously, it has important spiritual themes, and there's the underlying message about compassionate rule vs. despotism, but I really think that the book is intended to simply show the reader that things are now DIFFERENT. Narnia has changed. The universe is constantly transforming itself, and we have to grow with it. Physically, spiritually, emotionally. But, growth can lead to beautiful things. It's intended to take you from Point "A" to Point "B" in your understanding of what, exactly, Narnia is. That it will extend far, far beyond The Golden Age, but that that age will never be forgotten. That its beauty and magic are gifts that must be nurtured by those who rule the land, or it will, indeed, turn to a darker, harsher realm. But, best of all, it lets us know that the Narnia universe is large enough for many new adventures ahead. The book is one long prelude to the REST of the Chronicles. It functions well AS THAT. To me, for the film to have succeeded, it had to serve the same purpose, narratively, to move the film franchise along. AND, it had to be a more engaging, independent, story, cinematically, than the book was as a work of literature. In my opinion, it functioned adequately in the former capacity, and significantly beyond my expectations in the latter. It worked, as a film. Far better than I thought it would. It should have been the stepping stone for the more adaptable, fanciful stories. There should have been ALLOWANCE for a diminished audience, because it was INEVITABLE, given its relative unknown factor, and its intrinsic function as a device to move the larger story along. The film had the potential to be a marginal fincancial success, if handled correctly. Even if it had lost a LITTLE money, there's no shame in that, if they had looked at it as an investment in the future of the franchise. A loss-leader for bigger, better things. But, they wanted seven homeruns from their seven options, and that shortsightedness doomed them.
I'm also not sure what reaching out more to the faith-based communities would have done. I'd be curious to know how many of the Christians you spoke to even KNEW there were other books in the series. Regardless, it's so easy to see the parallels of Lewis' hypothetical in 'Wardrobe'. Christians can IDENTIFY with the film on so many levels. With 'Caspian', you have to look a lot deeper to see, and understand, the spiritual elements. They are certainly there, but the lessons are more subtle, and much more introspective than the overt nature of 'Wardrobe''s Resurrection story. I have spoken to many Christians who didn't like the film enough to even SEE what value it had as a teaching tool. I think this is more a function of them remembering the book more fondly from their childhood than it deserves to be remembered, but, oddly enough, I rarely have heard any of them go on about how they regret not being included more in the process, to "get the word out", so to speak. Again, this is only my experience, and we'll never know. I just think the film was as good of a product as we could expect, in most ways, and I can't possibly see how it could have been expected to perform better than it did. Now, I can't say, with any authority, that it NEVER would have performed better. I don't see it, but, maybe. Somehow. My point has always been, and will remain, that it didn't HAVE to.
Will Poulter is 18, and in 3-4 years he will be way too old to play Eustace.
Well said truthknight.
We all are prone to become too attached to things of this world, even those that were originally meant for good.
18, or even 22, would be fine for playing LB Eustace, but he's already too old to play SC Eustace.
Please God let them come out sooner…
This might be one of those times where one of the inherant weaknesses (at least from a movie point of view) in the C.O.N. might actually be a strength. I think one of the problems with the Narnia movies and why they didn't translate as well to film as the LOTR (in my humble opinion) is that there was no set cast of characters. It kept changing. You would fall in love with one of the characters and before you knew it they couldn't return to Narnia anymore. That and the way the story jumped around. There were decades, sometimes centuries between (some of) the various chapters and while this worked fine in the books, it didn't translate as well to film which (for good or ill) requires a more cohesive narative than the Narnia movies could provide. The fact that the movies are going by the old chronology doesn't help things either. The one advantage that has is that the characters are more disposable or at the very least allows more for the switching of actors. I hope that the whole saga is made into movies. We'll see!
True true. Obsession can happen so quiclky.
I like your name : truthknight. We should all be those! 🙂
Who messed this up? Gresham or Walden? I can't get any straight response to this question. We do know, though, it wasn't 20th Century Fox.
Good grief.
"Nonny" lol? That sounds like a nickname for a grandma or something lol.
I'll give you a straight answer! I don't know!!! Dude, really, how can you expect us to know? Gee man, it's probably nobodies fault, if you read the articles, they said that Walden and the C.S. Lewis Estate are in a moratorium which basically means that the contract is up, and that they need to wait 3-4 yrs before making another movie because right now they dont have the right s to the film.
Ugh…man….two to three years??? That is really too long…I hope it will be sooner than that! But, who knows, time might fly by REAL fast! It already is for me. I'm glad that he wants to see ALL the books come to screen. I do too. It just wouldn't feel "complete" if they did just the popular Narnia books. If they can do all HP and LOTR books to film, then they can do Narnia!
Well, LOTR is a trilogy, plus the Hobbit, so its not as hard to pay for as Narnia. HP, well, that is a totally different story. They released the movies one movie after another after another. These to series were planned, Narnia was not, they just decided to wing it, and that has some consequences.
yeah, nice of Apted to destroy the 2nd most important book in the series. good going, dude, if he was hardly interested (which was obvious by the film) he should have passed on the project.
CS Lewis said he felt narnia was divinely inspired, and it is responsble for many conversions. the films led me, and many others, to find out about cs lewis,and his christian apologist work. God is totally at work through cs lewis in bringing people to Him.
i wish the BBC had kept making more movies, even though they were primitive, at least they stuck to the books.
it would be cool to have a narnia tv show, and each year is a different book. at least it wouldn't be rushed.
you are thinking of small production christian projects. that's different than mainline productions like the narnia series or the passion of the christ. 2 differnnt balls of wax.
I think it's bizarre they decided to switch gears and change the tone of the series right after they made this huge hit in LwW. I mean, who does that? they went from wizard of oz to transformers! what? PC was of no interest to a kid under 10 with all it's whispering and talkiness between the telmarines, plus endless battling. the 2 films weren't even remotely related. that's crazy within a series, meanwhile, look how the BBC created a PC which was consistant in tone with LWW. same with their Silver Chair. that's dark, but they didn't produce it to look like The Silence of the Lambs. it looked like another narnia movie. and it WAS nuts to INCREASE the budget on a sequel, how stupid is that?
since narnia is Godly, i wouldn't worry too much about people getting obsessed with it. Certain other massively huge book/movie series with a darker slant need this talking to more than narniawebbers.
since when does this movie series stick to the books anyway? (sarcasm)