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)

297 Responses

  1. High Queene Shelly Belly says:

    that's why nobody makes the whole series.

  2. Dylan says:

    Noooo way am I up for option 2. Sorry, but I like the other movies and I would like if the series stayed with the same acotrs and all that.

  3. Dylan says:

    Thats what made me a little dissapointed about the way they made the movies a little bit more secular. The books are very clearly Christian and to take away that element in the movies is like killing the purpose of the books. In the PC movie it almost seemed like Aslan was never present and every Christian aspect of the film was very watered down.

  4. Dylan says:

    I agree, PC had a much more serious tone about it, which I loved, but it wasn't consistent to the appeal of younger kids. VDT was way to much for younger kids, and like with PC VDT had an entirely different tone then the other movies. If you look at the series as a whole, LWW and PC actually feel like they are a part of the same series, VDT did not.

  5. Dylan says:

    In VDT he was 15-16, and to be honest he looked a little bit younger then he really was. But for SC and LB, 22 is way too old. I really would not mind if he was in the SC at that age because I want to see all the movies done with the same actors, and Poulter is perfect for the part of Eustace.

  6. Dylan says:

    I know! I would have at least wanted to see a Last Battle movie. But hey, at least it would be close to the book.

  7. Anhun says:

    I disagree that the Narnia books are blatantly Christian. The LWW cartoon was one of my favorite movies as a little kid. The Narnia part was very faithful to the book, but I didn't pick up on the Christian metaphor at all. Basically, if you want to analyze and appreciate the Chronicles on that level, you can, but there are only a few parts that really hit you over the head with it.

  8. Anhun says:

    I thought that BBC's LWW was a shoddy job, and not just on the special effects. What they did to VDT was a crime.

  9. Hiking Peter says:

    Hey, Dylan, it's Non-N's first EVER two word Comment!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  10. eclipse14 says:

    How terrible! I can't imagine waiting this long, never mind threat of reboot hanging over my shoulder! A reboot may or may not be a wise business plan but I know (and am) the kind of person who won't want to watch Narnia with a different cast. It may be stupid but I really can't help it. It irks me when a new actor takes the place of the old. I really hope that a reboot will not be happening!
    But still, the books are here, and of course the first three films will always be around. Just hope we will get to see the others finished someday (soon). 🙂

  11. Anhun says:

    There are exceptions to the rule, of course, but indie films in general don't make a lot of money, no matter what ideology informs them.

  12. Anhun says:

    I thought Poulter looked a lot younger than 15 in VDT. I would say he passed for 12, which is older than Eustace in the book, but not an extreme leap. The thing is, he hadn't had his growth spurt yet. Now that he has, he looks a lot older.

  13. Anhun says:

    Interesting . . . why is VDT the second most important and which one is the first? In other discussions, I've ranked the books according to personal preference, quality of writing, and tone, but it never occurred to me to rank them according to importance. I'm not even sure what that means.

  14. Dylan says:

    Maybe you ment the second most POPULAR book, but improtance is another story. If you meant that it was important for them to make the movie good, maybe that makes sense, but I didnt write the comment so I wouldnt know.

  15. Dylan says:

    Right, but if you are not a Christian, and you have at least heard who Jesus was and what He did, then its hard to not draw comparisons. There are way to many Christian elements in the books for say, an athiest, to really appreciate. Especially LWW. But I see your point and it makes sense what your getting at.

  16. Dylan says:

    Excuse me, I meant for an athiest to enjoy the books.

  17. Dylan says:

    Yes, but for the time that was alright. Not as good as they could have done it, but for late 70s early 80s television that was what they had. SC was actually pretty good for what they had at the time.

  18. Dylan says:

    He passed for 13 in my books. He looked the right size for 12, but his voice did seem a little bit older then a twelve-year olds voice would sound.

  19. Dylan says:

    AMAZING! Now how do you negotiate that? You summed all my feelings and thoughts on this whole situation and ordeal with two words "Good grief"! Amazing!

  20. Dylan says:

    It would be weird, but I would go to watch the movie. I did like the original cast though.

  21. charlie says:

    I just want another narnia movie, but with the same actors! I don't like those kind of movies with different actors than the original ones.

  22. Anhun says:

    I wouldn't even go see a reboot of LWW or PC. I would be all over VDT though, as I mentioned above.

  23. always narnian says:

    O wow! No, the Narnia books have LOTS of allegory all over the place. It's so easy to see the Christian aspects to me…They pretty much all "hit me over the head" and I usually notice something different each time.
    C.S. Lewis put them there on purpose. But like Dylan said, only if you are a Saved Christian can you probably see some aspects of it.

  24. Non-negotiable Comment says:

    The books are not allegorical. The Chronicles are one long hypothetical.

  25. bapzik says:

    I don't understand why it has to be 3-4 years wait? Why can't he work out a new contract with Walden to allow them to make the rest of the movies, maybe even 3 of them back to back like LOTR to get the series moving faster.

  26. Anhun says:

    First of all, BBC's Narnia came out in the late '80s. Second of all, there is no excuse for turning such a powerful book into such a pointless, soulless film.

  27. Puddleglum says:

    I understand your opinion of the darker series as you put it. But it must always be remembered that our enemy, the devil, can, and has taken many a good thing, and twisted it to draw believers astray.

  28. always narnian says:

    Well, technically, C.S. Lewis called them "supposals".

  29. always narnian says:

    Agreed, Puddleglum!

  30. Samuel says:

    True the VDT to SC transition is the only "problem," the pevensies can play older selves in LB and HHB. The statement I find weird, coracle, is the one you say about caspian having the same look at the end of SC? he's an elderly Caspian at that time… I'd even suggest that make-up wouldn't do a good job to age that much and have a different actor do that part anyway…

    but I am in the reboot camp, I love LWW and PC, but I'd really like them to redo VODT, and rebooting only one of the movies and continuing the rest would be just weird

  31. Dylan says:

    The Cronicles themselves, like the seperate books, only had little allegorial aspects, but to say that LWW was not blatantly Christian is a little much.

  32. Dylan says:

    Yes! I would defintately go see a VDT reboot. LWW and PC would be hard to watch, knowing how much I loved the other versions of them. But the things I woukld be looking for in a VDT reboot would 1- A mix of light and dark tones. The transition between the Island of Nightmares and the beutiful ocean, but make it realistic. Not so much of the cheesy music and cheesiness of it all 2- No green mist and 3- True too the book. I would like Adamson to direct it.

  33. Dylan says:

    Actually, now that I think about it, a Narnia reboot would actually be quite interesting. I just want them to re do VDT, thats all I want.And yes, for the VDT SC transition, its probably safe to go with a different actor.

  34. Dylan says:

    That would be nice, but I seriously doubt they would do that.

  35. Non-negotiable Comment says:

    Well, "technically", a supposal IS a type of hypothesis. The point being that neither of those terms mean the same thing as allegory. To think of the stories in an allegorical fashion does them a disservice, and misses the point.

  36. CitizenCairParavel says:

    Some of you sound as if you work for Walden or the Lewis Estate because you don't want to know what lies at the bottom of this fiasco. Somebody messed up; and if this is not corrected, we may be right back into this situation in another few years.

  37. Non-negotiable Comment says:

    We have, politely, offered a Russian novel's length of contributions towards your original question, and all you can do is insult us? Your ridiculously simplistic question has been answered in far greater detail than you (and it) obviously deserve. You either haven't bothered to read anything, or you can't comprehend the significance of the points made. Either way, it's on you, not us. I mean, do you really need US to provide you with a specific name to blame? Will that achieve closure for you? What are you planning? A Halloween toilet-papering of their house? Some Bart Simpsonesque prank calls? What are you hoping to accomplish with this EPIC question of yours? I am intrigued, to say the least!

    The answer, once again, to your question, for anyone willing to listen, is that this is a complex situation that has been arrived at due to the negligence and unrealistic expectations of MANY parties. Asked and answered.

    But, if that doesn't make you happy, I'll say "Centaur Number 4" from the coronation scene at the end of 'Wardrobe'. Oooooh, I HATED that guy! Definitely his fault.

  38. Anhun says:

    @Samuel: First of all, at the end of SC, Caspian is revived in Aslan's Country as a young man, so he could be played by Ben Barnes in that particular scene. Though, I agree that they should get someone new to play old Caspian in the rest of the movie.

    Second of all, I don't think a partial reboot would be weird at all. Each of the Narnia books, except for PC, is a complete, self-contained story. There is no central plot that carries through, like the Harry vs. Voldemort plot in the Potter series. If you consider that VDT is the first book in the Eustace trilogy, and set Eustace up as the focal character, starting with VDT makes a lot of sense. Yes, I know this would be a bit different from the book, which has Lucy and Eustace as the two focal characters, or the Walden movie, which focused more on Lucy, but I still think it could work.

  39. Dylan says:

    I know! I couldnt stand that evil look in his eyes! He disgusts me! LOL. But really, I dont think there is any other reason other then what we just said. Did you REALLY read the article?

  40. Patrick says:

    3 or 4 years is to long, that said they only need Tilda Swinton and Jim Broadbent for The Magician's Nephew and it would only be Will Poulter they would need to replace for The Silver Chair all the rest would be new characters. Dont reboot it either wait and carry in on or better still sort it out and make the films quicker.

  41. Dylan says:

    If you read the articles that are on this topic, it very clearly stated that there would be a morotorium, in which Walden has to wait till the moratorium is up until they can sign a new contract. The waiting period is, as stated in the article, 3-4 yrs. So I think it is very clear it is nobodies fault. So why then, do you keep asking us as if we know whos fault it is, and that "Oh, nobody can give me a straight answer" business is exactly what we have been telling you, a straight answer. Now, if yu think its somebodies fault, how would we know? Whos fault would it be? I really cant see anyone to blame. Who do you think is to blame? Cause I can not come up with any ideas at all.

  42. Dylan says:

    C S Lewis himself said that The Chronicles were not an allegory. So, as you already said, to read them that way is wrong. But, as far as the name for that style of writing goe, does it really matter???

  43. Anhun says:

    Here's the problem with your comment:

    "Who messed this up?" Who messed what up precisely? Dylan assumes your talking about the legal "mess" that directly resulted in the current moratorium. Non seems to assume that you're talking about the "messing up" of the Narnia film franchise as a whole. The appropriate response to this question depends on what "this" is.

    "I can't get any straight response to this question." Who have you asked? What research have you done? With out some clarification on this point, it sounds as though you're yelling at the Narniaweb community.

    I'm not trying to berate you, I just think that clearer communication would make this a better conversation.

  44. Dylan says:

    From what Ive read in his comments, the "this" is either Walden or the C.S. Lewis Estate. Because he already stated "We do know though, it wasn't 20 Century Fox", so it seems to me that he is singling out someone specific, such as Walden or the C.S. Lewis Estate. What Im trying to tell him that its no ones fault, but the laws.

  45. Dylan says:

    Hmm, I think they could still use Poulter, even if he is at least 20-25, any older and it is not possible.

  46. always narnian says:

    Okay, would you mind sorta summing up what the difference is then? I mean between allegory and supposals? And hypothesis is what in that sense?

  47. always narnian says:

    Whhoooops! *Feels really dumb* I mean hypothetical? Sorry!

  48. always narnian says:

    I think that's still pushing it. Eustace was maybe what— 14 or 13 in SC?

  49. Dylan says:

    I think 13, but still, look at how old Edmund was in PC, he was only supposed to be what, 8 or 9? So age isnt a huge issue unless the actor is too old.

  50. Dylan says:

    I see what you meen.

  51. Dylan says:

    Actually, CitizenCairParavel, after reading your other comments, you say this-"Who is messing this up? Gresham or Walden?", actually I have a straight answer for you-NEITHER. I dont really see why Gresham would want to stop these movies from being made and messing it up, because as he has said he does want all the books to be made into movies, so there is really no reason for him to mess it up. And just to save my breath, read my above comments, they should help clear it up again.

  52. Dylan says:

    Actually excuse me, I read your comment wrong Anhun. i get it now.

  53. Dylan says:

    Yes, but the problem is that some of the actors are too old.

  54. Dylan says:

    There are only three. There are actually more Narnia movies then Transformers movies, and the Transformers movies have probably (probably I say, mostly because I dont care to look it up myself) made more money. So it really makes no sense to compare to radically different series with completely different fan bases and generes. I see what your getting at, but it was written in an odd way.

  55. Dylan says:

    Quite literally, it means something that is supposed;conjecture or notion.An allegory is a story or poem etc that can be interpretted to have a hidden meaning, usually moral or political. The chronicles of Narnia is not allegorial, it is probably leaning towards supposal. I would say Narnia is more symbolism then allegory, and Lewis himself said that the books are as if Jesus himself existed in a diffrent world. Aslan would therefore be representing Jesus you might say, but the way Lewis intentded it is as if Aslan actually existed ion an alterante dimension by the name of Narnia.

  56. charlie says:

    I know 🙁

  57. Anhun says:

    Dylan, although "fault," "blame," and "messed up" are stronger terms than I would use in this context, to say that no one is responsible for the expiration of Walden's contract with the Lewis Estate may not be accurate.

    You think that it was a legal inevitability. That may be true, for all I know, but, in most such cases, a contract can be extended. It is possible that Walden made a deliberate choice not to extend their option. On the other hand, the Estate may have refused to allow the extension. I myself would be curious to know which of the three it is, because that would give us some insight into where the franchise will be 3-4 years from now.

  58. nic says:

    Andrew Adamson as a full equal producer, sharing the role with a more typical logistics/accounting movie producer is what Narnia Chronicles needs – and has needed.
    If not Walden, then another movie studio should snap up the rights with the above as the deal maker.

    George Lucas understood Star Wars on the creative side, & him being producer gave the extra room required in the challenges of making the first Star Wars trilogy a huge success. I don't think it is necessary even as good as the prequel trilogy but it definitely avoided some flaws that the prequel trilogy has due to this approach also, which do get seized upon when making stuff out of the box – as Narnia Chronicles need to be for artistic & financial success.

    I dis-agree that the script was totally off base for VOTD, & part of film making is the possibility/mystery of how what is on the page is going to turn out like/translate cinematically – to me the essence of a great Narnia VODT film is in the script of the film & at times cinematically in the film also, both just needed to be put into shape more.

    Andrew Adamson gets & understands the Narnia Chronicles – most people would accept that i think.

    For Prince Caspian, AA needed a AA type as an equal Producer also. This is not against the other man who i think has done a great job but different roles require different traits & when things get challenging ( & each Narnia film needs to be abit of an uncharted adventure in their making) that is when balance really becomes worth it with most things really.

    If he wanted to, i think a formula for success would be signing AA as equal co-producer for all remaining films & the choice to direct one also.

  59. nic says:

    Any thoughts?

  60. narniafan says:

    as i have said beofre, its all because of the USA this has happened. If Dawn treader had done better in the USA box office, the next film would have been in production already. The international theatre responses was very good and they came to the party to watch dawn treader, but the USA audance from the previous films just did not match up. And now Fox is sitting back and thinking do we do another one or not. Walden had the great hype that dawn treader would be an amazing film to make, this amazing adventure with a dragon, amazing ship, great cast and strong story telling. Now after it did not perform that well in the USA. question marks are everywhere:( thanks usa