Recently, Douglas Gresham was interviewed for a podcast called “Your Story.” The specific episode title is “Episode 46: Doug. C.S. Lewis, Narnia, Film Making and Christianity.” This particular interview is causing quite a stir in people, as their nerves are already running high that the film is going to be “vastly different” to the book, and this interview appears to confirm that there are “big changes” to the story. I’ve gotta tell you though: regardless of what your worst fears are about the translation of book to screen, we’re still getting The Voyage of the Dawn Treader on the big screen. Period. It’s going to be epic and fun, it’s going to be magical and delightful. Sure, it’s going to have changes, but what adaptation doesn’t?
Here we are with this week’s mailbag! It’s been pretty exciting to see the response that we’ve gotten so far, and I’ve had a great time writing them. Hopefully the e-mails keep coming in each week so that I can continue.
Sci-Fi Pulse has finally posted their red carpet interview video for Prince Caspian. In that, Douglas Gresham mentions a bit about what they’re doing with the production order for the Narnia films. From what he says, it looks like the production will continue as the books were published.
This is the smartest way to do it. Narnia purists will tell you that the only way to read the books for the first time is the original publication order. That’s what I tell anyone to do, that has not read them yet to do.
Anyway, on the red carpet in New York, Douglas Gresham says:
We still have five books to do. I’m working right now on pre-production on The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, and I’m already starting discussions on The Silver Chair; and we’re just toying with the idea of doing The Horse and His Boy after that. So we are thinking ahead.
This doesn’t confirm it solidly, but it does show a bit more of what they’re planning. That’ll just leave The Magician’s Nephew and The Last Battle to close out the series.
Watch the video on Sci-Fi Pulse. There’s a great part where Georgie Henley meets Liam Neeson. Priceless!
Alright, Narnia fans. If you’ve seen Prince Caspian, please go and see it again. Now that you have seen it once, you know what’s been changed from the book to the screen, so there’s no surprise there anymore. You can now sit back and enjoy it as a film, and a great one.
I have seen it four times, and trust me on this, it never lost it’s luster. In fact, it maintained the excitement and I liked it more with each viewing. This is something that is very difficult to achieve, but when there is so much depth to the story, you notice more with each screening.
In all honesty, I am a pretty big movie fan. I have seen close to 700 movies that I know of, and my DVD collection is big enough that my friends constantly ask me if I have this movie or that for movie nights, and I usually do. I’ve seen Iron Man. I’ve also seen Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull twice. I’ve even seen Speed Racer.
Now, you can’t really compare Iron Man to Prince Caspian any more than you can Indiana Jones. I enjoyed Iron Man well enough. Thought it was good, but I wasn’t all that impressed with the effects. When comparing it to Transformers, Iron Man could have been more realistic looking. Giant transforming robots from another world were more realistic on screen, matching the world much better than some of the shots of Iron Man. Specifically the Mach One suit that Tony Stark built. There were times it looked awesome, and times it looked CG, pulling me out of the story.
Indiana Jones, I wasn’t planning on seeing a second time, but I wasn’t opposed when a few more friends wanted to see it. It was ridiculous fun. Ridiculous and fun, and that’s about all I asked from it, because all of the Indiana Jones movies are like that. I really enjoyed the cheesiness of it. It was part of it’s charm.
That being said, Prince Caspian has many moments that I love. It’s a fun movie to watch with a darkness to the story that aids in the building momentum. Arguably the weakest of the seven Narnia stories, it has become one incredible adventure.
For those that haven’t yet seen the film, you may want to stop reading now.
The castle raid, I thought, was a brilliant addition, and the end of it, when the remaining Narnians are caught by the gate, it heightens the emotional core of the film to a level that would not have been achieved otherwise. King Peter has a failure there, as does Caspian. Sure, it adds some tension between the two that isn’t in the books, but that tension also builds up their relationship with regard for one another. They later realize that they failed together before, and it makes it more important when they start to work together.
Another of those moments happens during the battle at Aslan’s How. The Narnian army is retreating, trying to get back into the How, when one of the trebuchets hits the doorway, blocking them off. Caspian and Peter turn around, watching the battle happening all over. It’s sinking in that it’s do or die time. There’s nothing left to do, now, but fight, because they cannot retreat. The others join them: Susan, Trumpkin and Edmund. And together they regroup and attack with their final push against the Telmarine armies.
Those scenes, I think, are two of my favorite scenes that aren’t necessarily in the book, but are a credit to the filmmakers for developing them, adding to the emotional core of the film.
If you’ve seen the movie and enjoyed it, if you loved it, see it again. If you haven’t seen it because you don’t want to see something different from the book: it’s not terribly different from the book anyway. It does, indeed, capture the spirit and the essence of the book, and even enhances some of the messages of the book that don’t really stand out when you read it.
If you hated the movie because you love the book and are unforgiving of it because it is different: realize that movies can never really be exactly like books. Take The Lord of the Rings. As a film, if they did it as the book was written, it would have been nearly 30 hours long. Perhaps longer. As it stands, it is a 12 hour epic that had to change things and make it their own. And it excels at it. Not only that, but if you want to read the Lord of the Rings, you still can. It’s almost like you’re reading the deleted scenes as well, which are fun to learn about.
Harry Potter is another book series that fans have had outcries about. I’ve never read any of the Harry Potter books, and the only movies that I’ve liked in that series are Prisoner of Azkaban and Order of the Phoenix. (I did listen to the seventh book on CD, skipping book six entirely, ha!)
There are also books that make better movies. Big Fish, for example. I saw the movie and then I read the book. The movie is better. The Shawshank Redemption, I feel is better than the novella that it is based on, as well.
Now that you know that Prince Caspian is different from the book, understand that it is what it is. If you want the book to film version identical: watch the BBC version. There’s still that. Plus, you still have the book! Now that there is the movie, perhaps more will read the book, and I suggest that you do. Just understand that the movie is different with good reasons. No decision was made without much thought and consideration on part of the writers. I know this, as I have personally spoken to them about this. Check out my NYC series of articles for the interview with the writers, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. They’re awesome guys that really know their Narnia.
Plus, we want them to continue making Narnia films, do we not? We know they’re making Voyage of the Dawn Treader, and they’re looking for a director for The Silver Chair. But that’s as far as the BBC took their Narnia series. Let’s help this series go all the way to The Last Battle!
When a cherished book becomes a movie, the book fans usually cringe. Yet, three years ago, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe burst onto the screen, satisfying even the most ardent fan of C.S. Lewis’ literary classic.
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, comes to the screen this month. Thus, the question in the minds of Lewis fans is, “Can they give us a film that’s faithful to the book again?”
Movieguide® recently chatted with Douglas Gresham. In his eloquent and affable manner, he gave us insight into the upcoming movie.
Considering himself to have a “moral, sacred duty to protect the essential messages of the books,” Gresham has worked hand in hand with director Andrew Adamson to make sure that the spirit of the book will make its way onto the screen. Gresham says that during production of the first movie, he had a steep learning curve due to his ignorance of the filmmaking process. Gresham credits Adamson with being the “world’s best teacher.” This time around, the learning curve has not been as steep for Gresham, but he said they found Prince Caspian presented unique challenges not found in the previous book and movie.
For one thing, the book’s plot is darker, taking place when an evil tyrant rules the land at a time of civil war. The movie then needs to reflect that more somber era in the history of Narnia. The other challenge is the simplicity of the book’s plot.
In Gresham’s words, “The four kids arrive 1,300 years later. Things are different. They rescue a dwarf named Trumpkin, and then, while sitting around the fire, Trumpkin tells them about Prince Caspian. Now, that doesn’t make for a great movie.”
To fully tell the story, more action sequences have been added to make the movie more epic in nature. Gresham believes that this makes Prince Caspian more exciting than the first movie.
Even with these scene changes and additions, he asserts, “The underlying message is what Jack (C.S. Lewis) put in there. Faith, truth, justice, courtesy, chivalry, honor, personal commitment.”
Gresham believes that Lewis most likely would not have worried about minor or even major changes as long as the movie stayed true to the message and spirit of the book.
Gresham’s journey with Hollywood has actually been a very long road. Some of the biggest names in filmmaking have been interested in and even developed scripts for The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe. However, in the “wisdom” of Hollywood, changes were made which gutted the spirit of the book, and Gresham kept those scripts from going forward.
Not until Walden Media and Andrew Adamson become involved did Gresham have the confidence that the books would make a faithful transition to the screen. Gresham also sees in hindsight a side benefit of waiting. For only now with sophisticated computer animation can the regal lion Aslan really come to life.
So, if Lewis himself were able to sit next to Gresham at the premiere of Prince Caspian, would Lewis like it?
Gresham is confident that he would.
He further says that Lewis saw the potential of the new, emerging technology of cinema and worried about the potential immoral use of the medium.
Gresham says that both Lewis and he believe that “the enemy of mankind has taken over the cinema. Jack (Lewis) would be overjoyed about taking it back.”
And what of the future? After Prince Caspian, what’s next?
Gresham reports that pre-production has begun on the next book, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, which also features the character of Prince Caspian. For the book which follows that, The Silver Chair, Gresham is in “initial talks” about it coming to the screen. He sees the day when all the movies will finally make their way to film.
Books such as “The Horse and His Boy” which feature grown-up Pevensie kids will have to wait for the actors to become the right age. The book that technically predates the events of “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” (in Narnia time anyway) is “The Magician’s Nephew.” Aficionados have often wondered if that book will become a movie. Giving hope to diehard Narnia fans, Gresham considers that book to be his “arch ambition.”
Gresham encourages Movieguide® readers to see the movie. “Take your friends, take your family and even take your enemies!” he prompted.
He is relying on the Movieguide® community to get out the message of the movie, he said. He further added a word for all Movieguide® readers, viewers and listeners, “You’re my kind of people.”
Thank you for those kind words, Mr. Gresham.
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As a complement to the movie, Dr. Ted Baehr has written “Narnia Beckons” available at www.movieguide.org or by calling 1-800-577-6684. It is a fascinating glimpse of the life and ideas of the man behind the beloved children’s book series. While many books have been written to coincide with the movie’s release, “Narnia Beckons” has been featured by a number of reviewers who recognize the book as the cream of the Narnia-commentary crop. Jean Peerenboom of the Green Bay Press-Gazette writes, “If you choose only one of these books, (“Narnia Beckons”) would be the one to go with.”
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Jeff Holder is an editor for MOVIEGUIDE®.
‘The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian‘ producer Mark Johnson and three cast members showed up at the Con to answer some big questions about the future of Narnia.
By Ryan Stewart
Is Disney really planning to film all of C.S. Lewis’s Narnia books? That’s a question that’s been asked by fans and media pundits since well before the cinematic debut of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe in December 2005. After that first film went on to do nearly $300 million at the domestic box office, Disney greenlit two more installments, Prince Caspian and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, but with the release of Caspian now weeks away, the question is being raised again. This past weekend, when producer Mark Johnson came to the Con to talk about Prince Caspian, he was prepared to give a comprehensive answer, the final sentence of which was pretty decisive. Here’s his full statement: “As you know, we started with The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, not The Magician’s Nephew and so once we established the four Pevensie children, the logical movie to do next is Prince Caspian because all four appear in it,” he said. “Without giving a huge plot point, two of them are told they won’t return to Narnia after Prince Caspian. In The Voyage of the Dawn Treader there are only two of the Pevensie kids and Caspian and Trumpkin. One of the beauties of the film franchise is that while it’s all connected in terms of Narnia and Narnians, thematically it’s not like other franchises in that it’s not set in a specific place or set with the same characters every time, so the Narnia of Prince Caspian looks completely different from the Narnia of Lion/Witch. And The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, for those of you who haven’t read it, takes place at sea and The Dawn Treader is a ship that goes from island to island where there are different adventures. It’s hard to think much beyond that. There are seven books and with your support, if these films continue to do well artistically and commercially, then we’ll keep making them. Right now we have no plans to go beyond The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, but if we continue to be successful I’d love to do The Silver Chair next after that.”
On the subject of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, which will be directed by respected helmer Michael Apted, Johnson had a lot to say, giving details about both the shooting schedule and locations being prepped. “We’re going to start shooting Voyage of the Dawn Treader in October,” he said excitedly, adding “it’s scheduled for release in May 2010, two years from when Prince Caspian opens.” He also said that Mexico is the chosen location for the bulk of the film, because of the water setting. “Two thirds of the movie we’re going to shoot in Rosarito, Mexico, because they have a huge water tank there, which is where they shot Titanic and Master and Commander,” he said. “We know we’re going to shoot two-thirds there but when we start production, it could be back in New Zealand, it could be in Argentina, it could be other places. The tank is unlike any other in the world. Fox built it for Titanic and they were holding it for Jim Cameron, to maybe do another movie.”
Joining Johnson for the main hall presentation and the press junket were three of the principal actors for Prince Caspian: Ben Barnes, who plays the title character, an exiled King of Narnia, William Moseley, returning from the first film as boy hero Peter Pevensie and Peter Dinklage as Trumpkin, the red-Dwarf who is on the side of the good guys. Despite the presence of all these actors, there was very little talk of the film’s actual story — that seemed to be a theme of the entire Con weekend, with The X-Files creators also being noticeably mum on actual details of their project — but English newcomer Ben Barnes did talk briefly about the rivalry between the lead characters of Caspian and how their relationship plays out in the film: “I think the rivalry in the story comes from a difference of opinion, a different value system, what each character thinks is the next best move in any given situation — it’s not a conflict of character, necessarily. But it makes for more interesting anti-heroic characters, rather than these guys who always win. I think that keeps the tension all the way through the movie. You’re never quite sure if the moves they’re making are the right ones.”
Moseley spoke about the tone and style of Caspian, which is known to be much grittier and heavier, dramatically speaking, than the first film. “Narnia is very, very different [this time around],” he said. “The first Narnia was very pastoral. It was kind of a fantasyland. This one we’re about to see is much more raw, much more adult and I think a lot scarier as well. But I think its gonna be, in all, a much better film. A lot more adventure, which certainly I like.” And how has his character changed from first film to second? “In the first one, Peter was the reluctant hero,” he said. “In this one, he’s the hero who really has no idea what he’s doing. He’s so set on his own ego, his own mind, his own stubbornness, that it really causes a humiliating act and here’s an important lesson for everyone — put your ego out of the way and do what’s best for the group. He doesn’t and it’s a really sad, sad moment and I think once he’s learned that lesson he moves on as a character, as a person and he becomes the leader…” Moseley also noted that he “worked with an acting coach for three and a half months before the shoot because Andrew [Adamson] said ‘We’re going to completely change your character,’ and I wanted to do the best job I possibly could.”
Peter Dinklage spoke up in favor of the filmmakers’ decision to change certain aspects of the book’s story in order to make a great film that stands on its own merits. “I actually think the greatest film adaptations of books are very different from the books,” he said. “I think when things are too faithful to the book, it’s like, ‘Why even make the movie? Why not just go read the book?’ But what I like about this is that they do tweak things here and there and change things around a little bit. I think they expanded my character a bit.” He also spoke of the dedication required of pulling off such a massive film shoot. “It was a nine-month shoot,” he said. “Sometimes you go and do movies for a few weeks or a month and then you’re out, you’re on to the next thing and you’re back to your own life. This becomes your life. Nine months is most of a year and so I saw these guys more than my wife. It just becomes your family.”
Johnson also had something to say about the exhaustion that comes from the demanding pace of filming a movie like Prince Caspian. “Our last three reels are being worked on as we speak in London, so we really won’t be finished until the end of next week,” he said. “Shortly thereafter, these guys [the actors] will actually see it. I’ve produced a lot of movies over the years but I’d never done anything like The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, which I thought was the biggest movie I was ever going to do and then as soon as it came out and was a success the studio said ‘Okay, where’s the next one? Hurry up!’ Andrew Adamson, who wrote and directed the first one and Prince Caspian also, called me up out of the blue and said, ‘Do you really want to do another one of these?’ We were so exhausted!”
Thanks to Marcus for sending me this article!
It’s a question that we can’t help but think would please the old theologian himself: Is C.S. Lewis’s “Chronicles of Narnia” film series dead or isn’t it? First, Disney announced in grand fashion that they would film all seven of Lewis’s books, with a new one coming out each May. Then the rumors started to swirl like the White Witch: Disney wanted to concentrate elsewhere, they wouldn’t commit to any Narnia films after “The Voyage of the Dawn Treader,” which would mean three films and no more. Producer Mark Johnson himself recently told a packed crowd at New York Comic-Con that “Treader” would, in fact, be the last voyage.
Cue the Great Aslan. No, better yet, cue one of his patented resurrections.
“There is a list,” Johnson revealed to MTV News of a group of dream directors being eyed to bring the fourth Narnia book, “The Silver Chair,” to the big-screen. “We have an eye on who might direct.”
Whoa, Whoa. Back up. You’re talking directors? That strikes me as something nobody does with a dead franchise. Not at the level of “Narnia,” anyway.
In fact, Johnson went on to describe how he envisions that the future of the “Narnia” series may very well wind up like “Harry Potter,” with different, visionary directors brought in to reinvigorate the franchise at each step along the way (a la Alfonso Cuaron).
“I think [the director of "Silver Chair"] will be somebody new entirely,” he said when we asked if that list of helmers included previous directors Andrew Adamson or Michael Apted. “I would like to get somebody totally unexpected.”
So it looks like, for now at least and until the next reversal, that the future of Narnia is a bright and comprehensive one, with Johnson planning on taking us from the beginning (“The Magician’s Nephew“) to the end (“The Last Battle“).
Amid those future adaptations, of course, will be many complications – from mere logistics to figuring out how to navigate Lewis’s increasing sexism, religious allegory, and perceived racism.
“I’d be lying if I didn’t say a couple of them I don’t know how to film,” Johnson confessed, adding with a wry smile. “It would be a good problem to have.”
Cast and crew for Disney’s upcoming Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian fielded audience questions this morning at the New York Comic Con. On hand were stars Ben Barnes (Prince Caspian), William Moseley (Peter Pevensie), Peter Dinklage (Trumpkin), as well as producer Mark Johnson.
Johnson said that the third Narnia film, Voyage of the Dawn Treader, will begin shooting this October and is looking at a May 2010 release date.
Following with the book, Caspian will be in the next movie, along with only two of the Pevensie children. While there are seven books in the Narnia series by C.S. Lewis, Johnson said that there are no plans at this time to make more Narnia films after Dawn Treader. Johnson followed up by saying that if the next two films are successful, there could be a possibility to continue with the film saga, with The Silver Chair being the next one.
By Sarah Hadland
A young actor from Haywards Heath could be set for international stardom after getting down to the last 10 contenders for a lead role in the next Chronicles of Narnia film.
Ardingly College pupil Joshua Williams, 13, is in the running for the role of Eustace Scrubb in the epic production of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, which would require him to relocate to Slovenia for six months next year.
Scrubb is the cousin of the Pevensie children from The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. In the film, he will accompany King Caspian on a land and sea quest to find the seven lost lords of Narnia.
Joshua’s mother Hilary said the whole experience was a bit surreal: “One minute, Josh was just a good all-rounder, working hard at school – now we face the prospect of him going abroad for up to six months and becomine an international star.”
Joshua and his nine rivals will travel to London this month to take a screen test and meet director Michael Apted. If he wins the role, he will be put under an option to appear in the fourth Narnia film, The Silver Chair.
With all of this strike business happening around Hollywood, a list of films to be made has surfaced, and there is one very interesting item of note to be found there. Under the Walden heading, there are two Narnia films listed. You’d think to yourself, okay, that must mean Prince Caspian and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. You’d be only half correct. They finished shooting Prince Caspian within the last few weeks.
Here’s what the Strike Memo says:
WALDEN
NARNIA 3 – DAWNTREADER D: Michael Apted
NARNIA 4 – SILVER CHAIR D: tba
This is from a list that is being circulated around major talent agencies in Hollywood. It includes all the movies that the studios are making a priority before the impending Writers Guild, Directors Guild and Screen Actors Guild strike next year. The strike, I have heard, will probably begin in June.
What this means is that there is no director yet attached to The Silver Chair, and that Walden Media and Disney are making it a priority to complete the filming before the strike begins. This is very important as the length of the strike can and probably will effect film releases. With Dawn Treader scheduled for May 2009 and Silver Chair for May 2010, this would give them plenty of time to complete both of those films, and prepare The Horse and His Boy, The Magician’s Nephew and The Last Battle for filming after the strike ends.
This is good news, but not great, as we haven’t received any word yet on whether or not Silver Chair has officially been given the green light. They have, however, already signed Ben Barnes to reprise his role as Caspian.
The only question that remains is: who will direct? Will Andrew Adamson have time to direct? Probably not, with the release of Prince Caspian in May, he’ll be busy with press conferences, interviews and premieres. Will Michael Apted direct it then? Perhaps. Given the timeframe for filming Dawn Treader, starting in February, he just might be ready and willing to direct them back to back, keeping the story going. However, with a fairly new cast for Silver Chair, save for Eustace, a new director could begin pre-production while Dawn Treader is being filmed, and then jump right in shortly after it wraps production.
This is all speculation at the moment, but we’ll ask around to learn whatever we can about it.
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