Apted Thinks ‘Silver Chair’ is Next
Back in September, Producer Mark Johnson suggested that he was not sure if “The Silver Chair” or “The Magician’s Nephew” would be the next Narnia film. In NarniaFans’ recent interview with Michael Apted, the director says he thinks it will be the former:
NF: […] Is there any news regarding directing the next one for you?
Apted: No they have only sort of decided I think to do the Silver Chair, but they haven’t started or hired a writer or anything. This one took a long time from when I was first hired in 2007 and here we are now in 2010.
Read (or listen to) the entire interview here.
That does NOT sound like an official confirmation. For years, most fans have just assumed that “The Silver Chair” would come after “Dawn Treader.” It may be that Apted is simply making the same assumption. But since over 80% of NarniaWebbers think “The Silver Chair” should be made next, most fans should find this encouraging.
The main issue the majority of fans have raised is Will Poulter’s age. “The Silver Chair” takes place less than a year after “Dawn Treader.” Many fans are concerned that if they do not make “The Silver Chair” soon, Will Poulter will be too old to play the part. “The Silver Chair” also seems like the logical follow-up to “Dawn Treader,” as Caspian’s son and Eustace play important roles. It also includes one of the series’ most beloved characters (Puddleglum), and one of its most iconic images (the silver chair).
“The Magician’s Nephew,” however, is probably the more beloved book in the series. And this is just speculation, but commercially speaking, the studios may be more attracted to the idea of making a prequel to “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” which grossed over $700m worldwide.
So far, the films have stuck to the original published order (LWW, PC, VDT, SC, HHB, MN, LB). It will be interesting to see when/if they deviate from that. Where will they fit “The Horse and His Boy” in?
The only problem is that it's not just a few words…the entire Calormen culture is extremely similar to our world's Middle Eastern culture. And not to get political or anything, but I'm pretty sure that the Middle Eastern people would not be happy to be portrayed in a bad light, as the Calormens are. To quote wikipedia: "The racism critique is based on a representation of the Calormenes as enemies of Aslan and Narnia.[8] The Calormenes are described by vicious renegade Dwarfs as "Darkies" which is the only expression of bigotry used and by demonstrably oafish individuals (in The Last Battle). Calormenes live in a desert, wear turbans and pointy slippers, their nobleman are called Tarkaans (Tarkan is the word for nobleman in the pre-Islam Turkish culture), they are armed with scimitars, and use the crescent symbol on their money. Such descriptions can be compared with the historic attire of peoples throughout the Middle Eastern and Asian regions, upon whose physical appearances the Calormenes may have been based. The Calormenes also conform to a number of racist stereotypes of Arabs as well—they are cruel, greedy, cowardly, backstabbing, lazy and prone to gross indulgence, as well as owning slaves. However, they are praised warmly for their storytelling." -http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calormen
I think the first will be the silver chair
because it will have already done its part
while after the Magician's Nephew
so will be able to grow
what he wants …
for me at this point would be better to have them all ..
I hope he is right!!
YAY! So excited! Silver Chair is my favorite of the books, and I am super excited that the film will potentially be made.
Well, if I were you, I would go to the FAQ section of NarniaWeb and look under The Silver Chair FAQ. Keep in mind VDT will have to be a success if SC is to be made. Meanwhile, get a good agent on your hands if you can.
The Silver Chair has to be made next! Its the best book in the series! Best story, best villain, and Puddleglum is awesome! It also is the natural and expected follow up to Voyage of the Dawn Treader.
Also, Will Poulter is aging, and they need to film it before its too late. I could care less about the other films as long as Silver Chair gets made.
Making Magician's Nephew next is also a bad idea because it would be the 4th movie in a row to feature the White Witch. THE AUDIENCE IS GETTING SICK OF THE WHITE WITCH!!!!!!!!
I loved all the Narnia books, but especially HHB and VDT. I can't wait for them to make HHB! I think SC should be next though, because of Eustace and all.
Tilda Swinton does not need to be young in Magician's Nephew. She needs to be old. Remember, she had lived as queen of Charn for a very long time. It wasn't till after she came to Narnia, and ate the fruit that she started getting younger and more youthful. It would be perfect for her to be old. Didn't you read the book?
And I was not using the Bible to express my dislike for the The Magician's Nephew. I was using the Bible to show how filmmakers will make movies based upon money matters rather than based upon what is right. In their attempt to make money, they will end up losing money. Audiences want to see The Silver Chair, and instead of giving the audiences what they want (not to mention staying true to Lewis' publishing order) they will instead do whatever they can to make an extra buck.
I think the studio is waiting to see if people like Will Poulter before they decide to make The Silver Chair or not.
I am so excited if they make i am so at the auditions for jill by the way what age do they want for jill?
You didn't hear of much controversy when Adamson made the Telmarine culture predominantly hispanic. They were portrayed in a negative light as well but you didn't see many, perhaps only a few critics, who said anything about racism in PC. The good Telmarine character of Caspian helps with this, just as Aravis will do for the Calormenes. The filmmakers only need to be clever and they'll be able to pull it off just fine.
The book fans might be getting sick of her, yes.
Many of the rest of the world is definitely not sick of her, however.
I've talked to many, many people who say that her scene in "Prince Caspian" was "…like the only good scene in that movie." While I disagree with that assessment, it should demonstrate my point. Also, so many critics absolutely loved Tilda's performance. She is an iconic villain.
Personally, I wouldn't mind if she appeared in all seven films. And I think several people in the world would share my point of view. 😉 Tilda is a great actress. If she gets people in the seats, I say let her stick around as long as she wants to. 😀
Plus, there is no reason why the White Witch shouldn't stick around.
Yes, she is dead. But she is also symbolic of Satan. And the enemy never gives up trying to tempt us. So the Witch will never stop trying to tempt the creatures of Aslan. Her evil spirit will forever be tide to Narnia. That's how I've always personally seen it and I'm glad the people behind the film seem to be on the same page with me.
Well I'm not saying they CAN'T make it, it's just as you said; they'll have to be careful about it.
I still say the best solution is to film two (or maybe even three!) of the movies at the same time. They can be released maybe six months or a year apart. It'd be fine to have two (or three) different directors, because the sories are all pretty different and don't have the same characters (I'm referring to SC, MN, and HHB, btw).
The bad thing about making Silver Chair next is that there will be a huge gap between SC and LB where Eustace and Jill will age a lot – six years actually.
Th Silver Chair is my favorite of the Seven!!!!!!! I REALLY want to see it as a film. It's going to be much more exciting for me than for others! 😀 :O 🙂
Good, I hope they make SC next. I'm also wondering about LB, since that includes Jill and Eustace, and if they made two movies in between those two, both actors would probably be too old to play the same roles. At the same time, if Digory appears in LB and talks about his time at the beginning of the world, well…you know.
Not only that, but if the seven friends of Narnia meet all the characters from previous stories at Aslan's country…ah, the complexity.
Oh ya, Silver Chair should be next. Will Poulter is growing up fast and it takes a while for a movie to be made.
Just because a lot of people like Magician's Nephew doesn't mean it should be the next movie. The studio is just thinking about money and how much they can milk out of LWW. Cause you know they're going to advertise it as the story that leads to LWW. 😛
Agreed! Even if it isn't an official confirmation, it's still very encouraging. 😀
I hope they don't do The Magician’s Nephew to late, I am worried that Tilda Swinton my get to "old" to play The White Witch. 🙁
I also vote for Silver Chair.
After SC… well, I think Its kinda a hard choice. I really wanna se HHB since its my fave movie but MN would be better to be after SC. I dunno… I want to wait more for MN since it has many more magical features which can look better later on. Tho we dont know when SC will makes its debut (counting that its gonna be the next movie)
i hope i will get a te part as jill i look just like her and am about her age and can fake an english accent by the way are you anna popplewell?
Yeah, because Eustace has to be in LB…SO they can't get a new actor, they have to keep Will Poulter…So they better do SC than LB
I'd have to disagree because Eustace is in the Silver Chair, so it would be best to continue with The Silver Chair and then Last Battle. He's already getting alot older-looking.
Also, I think that VODT is going to actually be a 'dark' film because they have focused so much on the dark Island (which I am none to happy about)
MN will probably be really cool as a movie, but people will have to wait to see them for the sake of the actor's ages. 🙂
I agree, narnian resident
Yay! SC REALLY needs to be made next, and my reasons are the same as those above. As much as I love MN, now's not the time to take a throw at a prequel with very few characters we've seen before. My mind can't handle a jump from my favorite book as a movie to a book that doesn't continue with the story after VDT as a movie.
I cannot wait to hear if they'll even make another Narnia film (I'm positive they'll be able to go on this time)! 😉
In other words, I'm for SC. 😀
Where does it say it was 6 years later for Jill and Eustace between SC and LB?
Mayybe…. me! haha! but still…
Silver Chair Should Be Next. Please! if ANYONE knows about Auditions PLEASE Tell Us! Im 12(basically 13 next month) and I can try to do an english accent, and Jill is my favorite character!
I also wanted to add that by jumping to Magician's Nephew right after Dawn Treader, it's probably not the most financially stable move. More than anything, Fox and Walden want to rebuild the momentum and support for these films and you won't do that if you throw the audience a curve ball and start setting up a prequel story when general audiences were expecting to see a continuation of VDT's characters. Once SC is complete, most of the main character arcs will be better resolved and it would then make MN an easier sell to the audience.
i agree with glumpuddle,i mean the magician's nephew is my favorite in the series,but i like the silver chair too.
I really, really want HHB to get made, because it ties with VDT as my favorite book. Also, I think it's one of the most cinematic stories in the series. I mean, come on–it's got an epic journey across exotic locations (including all three of the major countries in the Narnian world), a hero with a destiny, a feisty heroine, an entertaining villain, a fairly big battle, the four Pevensie kids, and talking horses. 🙂 What's not to like? And it has some good spiritual lessons in it as well. If it was done well, and the racial issues were handled carefully, it could be an amazing movie. I just hope it doesn't get passed over just because it doesn't "tie in" as well to the other stories. 🙁
oh and Silver Chair is my 2nd Favorite book!
Will Skandar, Georgie, Will, & Anna be old enough to be involved in the movie? THAT is the question. (involved as the grown-up kings & queens)
Honestly, that would tie these movies together so well. But one step at a time, let's get Silver Chair rolling!
Magician's Nephew is my favorite book and I really, really, want to see it made. That being said, I think Silver Chair is the better choice to make next, since the actors are getting older and it makes sense to keep the continuity between Dawn Treader and the Silver Chair.
SC should be the nxt one after VDT…(of course bcoz of Eustace) then TMN since the main actors there are new characters (Diggory and Polly)… then HHB, i bet we can have Skandar and Anna to play their part as King Edmund and Queen Susan, for sure they are older by then and with the new technology in movie-making, its not that hard to make them appear old in the movie (reminds me of BenjaminButton).. then lastly the LB.. 🙂 -NarniaConquerThePhilippines-
STOP WITH THE INCREDIBLY LONG MESSAGES!!! People don't like it!!!
I think they would look good as young adults in HHB. I think it would be fine to do it after SC, they'll all be in their 20's by then anyway, except for Georgie who would be about 17 or 18.
I have to agree with you 🙂
I think it would be neat to make LB and then later have the story of MN to show how Narnia came to be, and HHB…mostly because of the actors though…
This definitely seems to indicate that if — *crosses fingers* — there is going to be another Narnia film after VDT, it will be The Silver Chair. Excellent. 😀
They could cast a younger/more beautiful version of the witch in MN…someone who would look similar to Tilda Swinton.
I just realized this:
How funny would it be to make HHB with the four "older" Pevensie's (being Will, Anna, Georgie, and Skandar) in which they would look COMPLETELY different from the adults that played them in LWW…LOL!
It does matter which is next in the series and as much as I would love MN next, it seems that SC would be better because of Will Poulter's age, having Eustace and Caspian's son in the next one. THEN have MN. I really believe MN should follow HHB, mix it up and bit, then go back to HHB before LB 🙂
CAN'T WAIT FOR EITHER TO COME OUT!!!!!!! (tho partly i'm hoping it's SC 🙂 )
I always thought it was kind of ovious that the silver chair should come next. Then The Horse and his boy so they can introduce Aravis and Shasta. Then the Last Battle, and then the MN. And the MN is my least favorite book.
I really hope they do make the movies in order which they were writtin. That would be better. 🙂
?????? Someone said that MN is really bad and that I shouldn't read it considering VDT is my favorite book. Anyone know if I would like the MN?????
You should totally read MN! It doesn't have an action climax, but if you like emotional climaxes you would definately like this one. It is also very funny. It's the most humorous book in the series. Besides that, it explains a lot about Narnia, the lamp-post, the wardrobe, the Witch, and the Professor. If you have ever read LB, you'll find it a lot easier to understand if you read MN.
NOOOO it would make NO sense to do MN next. Again…Will Poulter will be too old if they wait for SC. Besides, it follows the progression of the "Caspian Triad" (PC, VDT, SC).
Oh YES! You WAY need to read MN! It's just as good as all the others!
I'm not sure how to report this, but here are the clips from the soundtrack posted by narnifans. Gorgeousness!
http://www.cinemamusica.de/1562/wieder-unterwegs-in-narnia-the-chronicles-of-narnia-the-voyage-of-the-dawn-treader-von-david-arnold
Meh, I never really liked MN.
Well, I have some ideas about the silver chair in SC. Can it be the chair of the White Witch after the ice melts? Then it can have something to do with the first movie. Moreover, who is the Green Lady? I defininately DISLIKE the idea of bringing the White Witch back! However, where does the Green Witch come from? NEITHER the idea of any connection with the sea serpent.
Yes, you should read it. It's fascinating. It's more like an E. Nesbit book than any of the others (probably no one knows what I'm talking about, but Lewis references her story "The Bastable Children" in one of the first sentences of MN), and it explains a lot of things, like the origin of the White Witch, Narnia, and Digory Kirke. It's a bit more whimsical (is that the right word?) than the others, seems a bit more old-fashioned to me (maybe because it's set earlier than the other books) and has hardly any action, but it has some very deep themes. I never thought of it as the most humorous of the series, as Reepicheep, Knight of Narnia said, and I think some of it is quite serious. But it does have a lot of lighthearted parts as well, and the ending is wonderful and leads the way to the rest of the Narnia series. I can't say whether you'd like it or not, but you won't know until you read it. 🙂
Thanks :)But should I read Last Battle or MN first? I'm almost done with SC, so I'm getting there.
THE LASY OF THE GREEN KIRDLE IS AWESOME. She needs an actress that can portray her sinister and seductive side. Maybe Nicole Kidman haha, I don't know.
No, The Horse and His Boy is the most humorous.
I would definitely try MN, Queen Elizabeth. I don't know that it is my favorite of the books, but I still really like it! 🙂 Also, I would read it before LB. Otherwise, when you read LB, you won't really understand who 'the Professor' and 'Aunt Polly' are and why they're so important. Depending on the edition of the series you have, the 7 Chronicles are numbered differently, either in the publicized order or chronological order. I always read them chronologically: MN, LWW, HHB, PC, VDT, SC, and LB. When you read LB, be prepared for a tear-jerker! 😉 I bawled the first time I read it! I hope this helps you!
I used to think that the White Witch and the Emerald Witch were one and the same. Now, I'm sure that they are NOT. I wish C. S. Lewis would have explained where EW came from. Anybody got any ideas?
I definitely hope they do Silver Chair first for all the good reasons that have been advanced (particularly the age of Will Poulter).
As for Queen Elizabeth's suggestion, I would not be opposed to Nicole Kidman as the Lady of the Green Kirtle.