Douglas Gresham on The Lady of the Green Kirtle
NarniaFans has posted their video interview with Douglas Gresham (producer/Lewis’ stepson) at the premiere of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Gresham talks a little about why the green mist was added to the story, and then transitions to The Silver Chair. View the interview here; he starts talking about the LotGK at the 2:48 mark. (Thanks to Danyelle)
NF: Does [the green mist] foreshadow The Lady of the Green Kirtle?
DG: Well, that’s probably why the mist is green. But, that’s the only foreshadowing effect.
[…]
NF: Would Green Kirtle Lady be a new cast or would Tilda–
DG: I think it will have to be a new cast. This evil spirit has found a new, young body in which to inhabit, and I think that has to happen.NF: Do you know if the plan is to go forward with The Silver Chair if this one does really well?
DG: Well, that’s a moot point. We are still in discussions as to exactly what to do next. The leading opinion, I think, among the filmmakers is that we should do Silver Chair. There are probably some who would like to do The Magician’s Nephew or something. This is a decision we will have to make when we know whether we’re going to be making another Narnia movie.
Barbara Kellerman
For budgetary reasons, the BBC Narnia productions cast the same actress (Barbara Kellerman) as both The White Witch and The Lady of the Green Kirtle. Some fans have been speculating about whether Walden might take the same route and cast Tilda Swinton as the Lady of the Green Kirtle. Now it appears they will cast a new actress.
IMDb currently has The Silver Chair listed for a 2011 release, but this is NOT an official announcement. The reason as to why it is listed as a 2011 release can be found on our FAQ page here. Keep checking back; maybe there will be an announcement soon!
Watch, they'll make The Magician’s Nephew next just so they CAN have Tilda return as the WW. 😛
Magicians Nephew!!!
The same reason Tilda Swinton should not play Puddleglum.
They're different characters. Therefore a different actress should be cast.
Anyone who thinks the WW is the LotGK is saying that the prophecy in LWW was a LIE. The prophecy said the filling of the four thrones would mean the end of the WW's life. Aslan killed the White Witch in LWW. The end.
I think there are three main reasons that some people started getting confused about this: 1)BBC cast the same actress due to budgetary constrains. 2) HarperCollins mistakenly said they were the same character in their character bios. 3) The rising popularity of fan-fiction.
It could also result from fans just not reading the book closely enough.
I just hope we haven't resorted to praising the filmmakers when they don't do something stupid. 😉
If not Tilda Swinton, maybe Cate Blanchett. Joan Allen would also make a wonderful witch. If SC do see the light of Day, and yeah, no dumbing down to us audience. I hate cheesy dialogues and letting me know what is going to happened next. Swallow the red pill first then the blue pill-oops I meant you need to choose only one.
As long as Alan Rickman plays Puddleglum I'm good.
That would be pathetic, wouldn't it? 😉 But we might as well voice our approval loud and clear!
okay, i laughed out loud on that one…it does seem like that doesn't it? If only we had a "Peter Jackson" for Narnia.
It would be seriously boring if Tilda played The Emerald Witch. I have a feeling they're going to name her in the movie which I'm fine with. I kind of pictured Nicole Kidman as the Witch.
Well, finally someone pulled their head out from FanFictionLand and got something right! Brilliant! Come on, people, the two are not the same person, if they were Lewis would have said so. So of course, they oughtn't to be portrayed by the same person!
Thank you, Mr. Gresham, for confirming that there is still some hope for this series. Just maybe, SC will be a good film, and a good adaptation as well…finally.
I am not so sure about this…
The whole green mist thing kind of annoyed me but…maybe this will work out.
I liked Tilda in it but she would not be good for that character I think.
Well put glumPuddle! I agree entirely.
I vote for a new cast member for the LoGK. Tilda is a great actress, but having her in another movie right after these last three is going to be too much. People were already a little miffed that she was in VDT.
If they want to connect the two, they could somehow make the Lady of the Green Kirtle into Jadis's sister from Charn. I'm sure they could figure out a way to make it possible for an evil witch to come back to life. But they've used the White Witch so much that it's become ridiculous. I don't know that they could successfully make the SC villain be connected with the LWW villain without making themselves look stupid.
How about Helena Bonham Carter? Perfectly menacing. I think she'd be a great Lady. Or even that girl who plays Victoria in those Twilight movies.
Putting it like that, it sounds cooler. 😉
I personally always considered Jadis the "king villain" of the chronicles.
The Green Lady had a good plan, but she never got to go through with it, and as a result, she never really got to shine. Although, killing Ramandu's Daughter is pretty wicked of her. All in all, LOTGK just doesn't do it for me because she never seemed quite developed, but who knows? Another actress just might make it work.
I do admit that her "green as poison" snake form really sounds cool in the book.
I like the way Lewis kept saying that the Lady's dress was "green as poison" and he also described the snake that way so there was an obvious connection. Very good stuff. 😉 Makes me wonder guys, what would her snake form look like? A Green Mamba or something a little more fantastical? And how big would it be? Notice that the Sea Serpent had a bit of a green color to it. I don't think the Lady's form would be quite that massive though. I imagined it slightly smaller.
GOOD! I was a little worried about that. I'm glad that somebody NEW will be coming into SC!!
or haven't done something stupid… yet. lol 🙂
I really think the best way to do it is make them look similar so that the audience knows "Okay this is another witch." Whether they give them a similar hair style or costume detail, I don't know. HBC would be a good choice as long as she approaches it in a way totally different from her Red Queen performance. I know she has great range as an actress, but I know people would make comparisons to "Alice in Wonderland" if it were in any way, shape or form similar to that.
Nicole Kidman. As the witch. Ha.
Still, the way he phrased it was REALLY tacky, and I'm not sure Lewis meant for "evil" in Narnia to be quite the way Gresham describes it here.
On the plus side, he has an AWESOME speaking voice. I've thought so ever since I heard him do the introductions to the Focus on the Family radio dramas.
not necessarily, they have a deep interest at Walden to get this made
Yeah I know me too. Both the White Witch and The Lady of the Green Kirtle are two complete different witches so having different actress will be best, not to make the same mistake that BBC did. Also, I am so glad it was mentioned they are most likely doing The Silver Chair next! YAY.
I say get the group rate!
Of course, someone claimed Jadis looked like someone escaped from the circus in "Magician's Nephew" once she escaped to England.
But I have to agree. The White Witch in the BBC films was more like a theater actor than a professional. She made every line flamboyantly dramatic, and ultimately ridiculous. I remember thinking she was more annoying than scary when I was a kid.
I hope Cate Blanchett plays The Lady of the Green Kirtle. She and Tilda look like they could be sisters, and Cate Blanchett has done such a diversity of looks in her roles (Galadriel, Elizabeth, the antagonist in that last Indiana Jones movie…). I think she could pull it off and then some.
Guess we'll have to see if it's even made before we start hypothesizing. 🙂
Thank you Mr.Gresham!!!
please, no- someone unknown with no baggage
what does DITTO means?
nothing against you personally, Tilda, if you are reading this- it's white witch fatique we mean-
you personally are amazing!
it's funny how picky we get about this stuff , like it's real or something- LOL
didnt that mean they are both giantesses? or maybe just evil types-
give the guy a break, he's on OUR side, it's hollywood that forces him into these things or they won't make it.
i picture someone more traditionally beautiful, and younger just to be different. someone who looks like Megan Fox, with that cruel beauty look.
I think Tilda Swinton was awesome as the white witch. She gave me goosebumps. I am glad someone else will probably be the LOTGK, however I think it would be cool if the had like a scene or something where they are like friends or related or something like the book kind of did. If I am way off pardon me as it has been a while since I read that book.
I looked at Tilda Swinton's IMDb profile, and says in 2011 she is busy with other projects( which we would assume SC filming would start). I'm REALLY glad she is not LotGK. And if she had been cast, I would boycott all future Narnia films.
Like
Tilda is such a good actress that, even though they would look similar, you wouldn't think of them as the same. She IS an actress after all. I'd prefer it if they used someone else though, which seems to be the case here. It's a pity they'll never make Silver Chair as a movie.
Thanks, glum. Now I'm picturing Tilda Swinton as Puddleglum, lol. You know, I kind of think she could pull it off . . .
I have to agre with Shelly Belly. We're all Narnians and we're all trying to see these movies being made.
Not to nitpick, but Tilda didn't wear a kirtle. So they'd have to change LGK to Lady of the Green Funky Avant-Guard Ballgown? 😛
. . . sorry, I couldn't resist.
I honesty don't care who plays LotGK. As long as she wears green, turns into a snake, and dies, I don't care 🙂
Oh, that's an interesting idea. I've been trying to think of who my pick would be. I don't think Alan Rickman, I think it should be someone with a background in subtle comedy.
I've always felt that WW and LGK were the two top villains of Narnia, equal in their villainy, but having a very different style and metaphorical function.
Love your post by the way. 🙂
Amen!!
I think it would be especially horrid if they had Tilda come back now, because I remember in the new movie, when Edmund sees the WW in the Dark Island, he says something about, "You can't hurt me. YOU'RE DEAD!" So if she comes back again, it'll be like, OK, so first Aslan killed her, and she was dead. Then she came back in PC and Ed stabbed her, and she was dead. Then she came back as the green mist, and when Eustace put that seventh sword on the table, she screamed and evaporated and was dead. So now, if they had her come back AGAIN and then Rilian hacked her head off, that would just be wrong.
Jason Isaacs from 'Peter Pan' was a great Hook/Mr Darling, very funny. IF he was suitable in a Puddlegum characterisation, it would be a highlight.
I meant that the actress who played the WW in the BBC series was just a bad actor all around who looked like a madwoman rather than an intimidating witch. No, I don't think Cate Blanchett should play the Emerald Witch. Yes, she is an amazing actor, but first, of all, she doesn't look the part. The EW should have dark hair and a more human, feminine face. Blanchett looks too much like Tilda. The Emeral Witch and the WW ARE different people after all. They shouldn't look like twins just because they are from the same race. And having her play the Emerald Witch would remind people of the Lord of the Rings rather than Narnia.
Coracle. I have been on Narniaweb for years and have seen what Gresham has said. But what he said now was confusing and he didn't phrase it in a way to make it clear of what he meant. If YOU had been around Narniaweb very long, you would know that Gresham does that a lot.
Just tit for tat.
Because it gives the impression that the White Witch and the Emeral Witch are the same person or spirit. People who are not familiar with the stories would think that. And that is one of the biggest mistakes they could make. Just think of what C.S. Lewis would say.
Haha nice way to put it. 🙂 Get to the point and I will be happy lol
Hmm . . . I didn't see Peter Pan. I've actually never seen Jason Isaacs in any comedic role. Now that I think about it, Rowan Atkinson could make a good Puddleglum. He can do subtle comedy, not just Mr. Bean.
The thing is, you're not supposed to know she's a witch right away. But maybe she can have similar styling to the WW when she's down in Underland.
YES!!!!!! TILDA WON'T BE PLAYING THE LADY OF TH GREEN KIRTLE!!!!!!! don't get me wrong…i love tilda. but as the WW! not as every evil villaness in the narnia series.
None of this matters because DT bombed, no way will they finance another one of these movies, unless another studio picks it up.
I had no idea he's in Harry Potter & well known or anything! just thought he was really good in Peter Pan.
OOOOH yeah! Peter Jackson for Narnia! Wooooohooo! Then I'd have no fears!
Patrick Stewart for Puddleglum? 😀 That's my hope! If they cast him as Johnny Depp, I'd cry… and THEN I could so feel the heartbreak that Glumpuddle felt for DT. SC would just about be ruined for me… oh well.
Patrick Stewart anyone? 🙂
ummm…I don't think that would work. In the Magician's Nephew, when Jadis speaks the Deplorable Word she "was the only living thing beneath the sun". This gives me the impression that her sister died upon the Word being spoken. If they did make LotGK Jadis' sister, they'd have to change the plot of Magician's Nephew. And, personally, I wouldn't like that. 😀
Johnny Depp as Puddleglum?! I don't think I like that idea very much…
wow, interesting comments here. I could see how they *could* cast it as Tilda and be safe… just because what if they really thought it was the WW? I honestly and innocently *thought* Jadis was the LotGK… but I can see how it is *not* the LotGK=WW– I've read the books for 10 years and thought that Jadis WAS LotGK, so I can see how movie makers could mistake it… and if Lewis cared he'd have to deal with it because he was vauge on it.
But I can see how she isn't the LoGK at *all*… some of it *almost* depends on how you take 'some of the same crew'. For me, I assumed: 'oh! White Witch.' When I'm now guessing it meant: 'a witch similar to Jadis.' See? I reformed, I don't think Lewis intended them to be the same people, but ya have to admit it was so vauge.
But now that they've come out and said 'Tilda will not play LotGK' it adds excitement to the movie. Who is the Lady of the Green Kirtle? There will be history to learn about this lady! 🙂 There will be a note of uncertainty for us fans! 🙂
So, I can see both sides, but now that it's not Jadis, I'm like REALLY pumped for this movie! Which I thought I'd be disappointed, but I'm really excited right now!
I'd love for Patrick Stewart to be cast as Puddleglum though. Fat chance, I think, but wow, can't you see Patrick Stewart pulling off the Drunk Puddleglum act… the Life isn't Eel Pie Act and all that?
Glumpuddle, if you read this, know that if they cast Johnny Depp as Puddleglum, I would feel JUST like you did after viewing Dawn Treader… I would so *not* look forward to SC at ALL! But Will Poulter as Eustace has excited me about SC, as it is! 🙂
(ha, ha, I've got to be like the only person who thinks Johnny Depp is an absolute dweeb)!
i wish Narnia was reaL And i could go there