Why is Walden Making ‘Magician’s Nephew’ Next?
The Christian Post caught up with Micheal Flaherty to talk to him about the future of the Narnia films. Flaherty confirmed that Walden plans to make The Magician’s Nephew as the fourth Narnia movie (which we already knew) and that they’re currently in talks with Fox and the C.S. Lewis Estate about it.
But what was interesting was one of the reasons he listed as to why they were making The Magician’s Nephew next instead of The Silver Chair.
Looking ahead, Walden Media believes The Magician’s Nephew has the potential to be a blockbuster hit like The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe because it is the second most popular book in the Narnia series.
Flaherty explained that box office performance for Narnia films appears to mimic the amount of people’s interest in the books.
“What’s interesting is that the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe over this period of time sold twice as many books as Prince Caspian and it did twice as much at the box office. Prince Caspian sold a third of the books as Dawn Treader and did a third at the box office,” he noted.
“So while it’s not always a correlation between books to film, so far with these first three films, it has been.”
The full story is available here.
Heavens no! The mist wasn't destroyed by Aslan, but by Eustace! Didn't you see it! *sarcasm*
I think this is actually the worst economical move. MN is the slowest of the books and possibly the most difficult to adapt to film, followed by VDT. They already tackled a huge hurdle trying to make VDT into a linear-plotted 2-hour movie; it's going to be harder filling in the gaps with MN. I say make it easier for themselves and go for SC first and then tackle the hurdle of MN later on when they've had a break from adapting un-adaptable books. Otherwise we're going to see a drop in the profit the films make.
Also, AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO IS CONCERNED ABOUT THE ISSUE OF WILL POULTER'S AGE???? They DO know he's already 18, right?
yeah i do agree that eustace scrubb is going fast
He's already 18. By the time they film SC he might be 20. That's very problematic…especially considering they have to cast a Jill who is close to his age. :/
The White Witch will be in MN(hopefully they'll call her Jadis, not the White Witch). I just hope when SC comes around, they'll cast a different person for the role of the Lady in the Green Kirtle. It wouldn't be the same with the White Witch(Tilda Swinton) being the same is the Lady in the Green Kirtle. They could cut The Lady in the Green Kirtle, and just do the White Witch, but I hope they don't do that. It would be interesting to see who they cast for the role. 🙂
What REALLY angers me about this whole thing is why Michael Flaherty even asked the fans which film they'd rather have first if the production team wasn't even going to take the fan opinion into account. It's the same thing that happened with the Stargate franchise when the fans' opinions were ignored and Atlantis got canceled to make room for Universe. Look where that franchise is now: at its end. Universe has been canceled due to low ratings (probably because all the SGAtlantis fans refused to watch). The decision by tptb to go ahead with their little pet project and ignore fan opinion pretty much killed the whole franchise. They have to realize that without the fans, there is no money pouring into anything.
And don't give fans the illusion of having any worth to a franchise if you're not really going to pay attention to them. Flaherty shouldn't have asked the question if the fan opinion didn't matter. If it had, they'd be making SC instead because the majority of people voted for it. I'm afraid that the Narnia franchise might follow the same path some other franchises who's production teams ignored fanservice and therefore went down the drain. I seriously hope MF isn't Walden Media's Michael Eisner…but it's starting to look that way given some of the things I've read throughout VDT's theatrical run, and I'm starting to get worried.
ya lo se no hace falta que me lo digas se que voy a ser jill pole.$ Ganare mucha pasta.
So true!
Sorry, that was meant to be a response to Moonwood, not lilims.
I think there is a little too much worry about the age/look of Will Poulter. What is he, 18 now? Let's say they start filming SC in 2 to 4 years. An 18 year old is an adult, about "full grown" anyways. If it's not too late for him to be Eustace now at 18, I don't think 2 to 4 more years will be a deal breaker. The difference in "look" between a 18 yr old and a 20 to 22 yr old is not that significant. Certainly not something that make-up and filming "tricks" can't make adjustments for. If it's too late at 20 to 22, it may be too late already.
Completely ridiculous.
A real fan !
I just haven't really known what to say. There are just so many thoughts and ups and downs of doing MN before SC.
I do remember in some interview with Michael Flaherty that a script hasn't been written yet, meaning there will most likely be new scriptwriters. So, if you really hated the script in Dawn Treader, feel free to rejoice.
All else I can really say is that there are probably a lot of Jill Pole wanna-bes protesting outside of Walden Media's front door, although my hopes of being a centaur are not diminished.
Very well thought out, and researched, Mayor !
I had never made the connection between temptation, and the serpent in the movie…
I wish we had more positive and intelligent posts like yours…
Hey now! Didn't YOU see the movie? Or maybe you were too busy judging it. Who turned Eustace back into a boy and put him in a postion where he COULD stop the green mist and destory dark island? Eustace couldn't have done it himself. So really it WAS Aslan. But, no, you and others prefer to focus on the fact that Aslan didn't carry the sword in the crook of his paws and pounce down onto the table with it himself. I think there is a point where this gets nit-picky, don't you? I mean, you wouldn't say Aslan didn't die to save Edmund because he didn't push the stone knife into his own heart, would you? Be reasonable. By your logic, the white witch saved Edmund; which makes no sense whatsoever.
I would be very, very surprised if Gresham allowed that…
You have to understand that we at NW are not the ONLY fans. Yes there was a poll on here to ask which WE wanted next, and YES more of us (including myself) said SC all the way. But at the press confrences more people raised their hands supposedly for MN than SC. So you can't blame the film-makers for that. Also, considering how many of you people are whining that the VDT movie wasn't good enough for you, that you want remakes, do you really think the film makers are going to make a sequel of a movie you all keep trashing? (I still don't agree with that, but to each their own.) Or will they make a prequel to a movie most of us can actually agree was good (LWW)?
Nice ! Well said : ) : ) :0 ; ) :+)
I hear they are planning to call the pools in the wood between the worlds glumpuddles.
I smell coffee brewing.
The WW was almost in PC (book) with a real spiritual lesson behind it… as for VOTD the way they did it simply echoed the sentiments of PC. With the pevensies gone I don't see how they the could conceive of bringing her into SC, even less into HHB, and I can imagine them bringing her in front of Aslan at the last judgement in LB, to sort of complete her "extended" story arc
Well, I still think it's ridiculous that they just had to put something so out of place in VDT (no offense, Wilkins, I'm glad you liked it in your own way 😉 ). Is it really that hard to be creative and have no paticular villian like most movies? I don't know the case here, but either the movie makers are too confident in their own ideas (which isn't a bad thing, depending), or they're so little on confidence in what Lewis has done.
And besides, the GM doesn't make any sense. Apparently, it's "pure evil," but we never really get to understand WHY it's evil. Is it just because it oddly enough kidnaps people? And how does it ever affect Narnia as do the evil villians like the WW have? In the long run, the GM is the most evil thing so far, but it's just too holey and confusing for me to ever think that.
And now, how will it affect SC? I'd love it if they forgot it all together, but the mist the LotGK uses might cause even more confusion. Along with money reasons, are the movie makers doing MN instead of VDT because they don't want to figure it all out? I doubt it, but it makes you wonder…
Why?
I wonder if they are going to use the same actress (Tilda Swinton) for the White Which.
I hope Digory actully looks good, because Eustace kind of looked a tiny bit ugly:(
And I thought that they would make The Silver Chair next.So that it looks like Eustace did'nt change much.
You know, it's not just us fans that are "bashing" the film. VDT had so many mixed reviews, and even if it's close to PC's box office total, it'll never go much higher and be as sucessful as LWW's box office. And its domestic box office was only two thirds of PC's, something that's not that great of news.
As for LWW, it's still (and likely will) always be the most famous of the movies so far. MN is the closest link to that sucess right now, unlike SC. It's not the easiest of the seven books to make, but if in the end, it brings back the movie makers' enthusiam (along with the fans 🙂 ), this will have been a smart choice.
And also, you can't change our opinions of "bashing" the films, Lucy, just as we can't make you stop enjoying it. Just understand that we all want incredibly well-made adaptions of the books we love, even if it makes us sound pessimistic or negative. VDT has made a gap between the fans, so hopefully there's a slight possibility (as far as we know) that MN will bring us into a happier time… 😉
I think the next movie is going to be fantastic, just as Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Prince Caspian, and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. And Christ Jesus is going to shine through the next movie, just as He did in the previous movies.
LOL
If we hypothesize that the green mist has something to do with the Green Lady, then the most logical explanation, to my mind, is that it was a magical devise used to acquire human slaves to run her Underland kingdom (yes, I know, it's still not THAT logical). But, since the green mist was vanquished at the end of VDT, she had to resort to bewitching the gnomes of Bism instead, using a different type of magic and temptation. Basically, I see no reason why the green mist would have to make an appearance in SC; it's gone. But if the green dust is vaguely reminiscent of that, I don't think it will be a problem either. I just wouldn't want them to waste valuable screen time explaining the connection. There are so many other interesting things to depict in a Silver Chair movie. In short, I don't see the green mist plot line as posing a problem in adapting SC.
I wouldn't be so sure about the new script writers. It's possible they haven't written a script because they weren't sure what film they wanted to do.
I was starting to wonder if I was the only one who saw it that way.
Thank you Brad. Very nicly put.
Flaherty forgot to add that they get to have their Oscar winner back in the franchise, Tilda Swinton. $20 says that the trailer for Magician's Nephew will have the phrase: "Featuring Oscar Winner Tilda Swinton" or something similar.
Great assessment Mayor Wilkins, this is why I don't believe others why they don't like the adaptation, they're just to overwhelm about the changes and cannot see the good ones. I have no problem with the GM at all but when I read this assessment Now I really like it!
So there's still hope!? Thank you! 🙂
Yo quiero Taco Bell
just don't do it again.
question: why is the Dawn treader shaped like a dragon?
Well as long as people go and see it right. I don't think most people will weather it's in chronological order or not.
I never saw the prospect of any of the rest of the books making as much as LWW, but MN? Seriously? I guess by doing MN first, it'll even out the narrative of the rest of the series, because SC had the storyteller telling the story of HBB, and if it was done after, it would in a way flow better from the last story; because of the Calormenes having been looked at in-depth in HBB, it would set them up as the antagonists of LB.
I don't know. I think it all comes down to money, and attracting younger viewers. (i.e. I don't care HOW much people try to convince me, that little girl stowaway on The Dawn Treader both annoyed and upset me by her inclusion.)
But parents will fork for stuff for their screaming children, bringing it back to the beginning is just a ploy.
I'll watch the next movie, but I'm not impressed about the lack of concern for the fans. (George Lucas has done enough to his fans, don't you think? Do we really need a repeat?)
Wow. That is a /very/ thorough assessment, Mayor Wilkins. I'm impressed. However, I still disagree with you.
Firstly, we are never told how the GM got there in the first place. There's no background story of where it came from and how it crept into Narnia. Plot hole, much? If those seven mystical swords were given to someone or other to protect Narnia from this mist, wouldn't you have thought that someone would have set out to kill it straight away? I'm quite sure that Aslan wouldn't have just given Narnia seven random swords for no reason, just in case evil were to find its way into Narnia while he wasn't looking (which would be an insult to Aslan). So people would have heard of the mist, but done nothing about it? Unlikely.
Secondly, to me, the GM is nothing like the devil. Jadis was sort of the parallel to the devil. Satan fell because of his greed: he wanted to be of higher rank and more control than he was. Jadis was also ruled by greed. She wanted more control and power, but that was given to her sister, so she killed her sister, destroyed her world and looked for another world to bring under her iron will. The GM wasn't greedy, it was just an object that randomly swalowed up people. For me, this made it less intimidating, more of a "can't they come up with ANYTHING better than some evil object that kidnaps people just because it can?" There was no thought behind the mist, no motive, and that made it shallow and pointless.
In all this, the most important reason I hated the GM was the fact it was there. It completely went against all the most important themes in the book, especially discovery and searching for your true home. It turned a book where the main enemies to the characters were themselves into a movie where it takes all accountability off them (because it's not their fault they're being tempted) and their enemy is a mystical bad guy that somehow knows their fears and desires. The fact is that in this world, there won't be a green mist, but we will be tempted all the same because of our own greed. We don't need some supernatural force to make us argue against friends and want more power, because it's something we, as humans, do anyway. We are our greatest enemy, and Jesus is the only one who can save us from this. Lewis realised that in this book, there didn't need to be a 'bad guy', and that would only take away from the discovery aspect of the book, which is really what it's about. The filmmakers didn't pay attention to this, so they created the GM.
Also, the reason Voyage of the Dawn Treader was such a unique book and so many people love it was that there wasn't a bad guy, so we all got to see some themes apart from the usual 'defeat the bad guy' theme. By adding in a villain, the filmmakers made VDT into just another fantasy film with just another quest.
On top of this, I highly doubt that the filmmakers intended the GM to be allegorical in any way – it was just something to throw into the movie for more action and excitement.
In conclusion, ot only do I think the GM made a lousy villain, but by adding it in there the filmmakers cut out so many important themes that made Voyage of the Dawn Treader a good book.
I don't think we're ever going to agree, but I must say that I have immensely enjoyed discussing this with you, Mayor Wilkins 😀
I don't know about you guys, but I'd rather see 'The Hobbit.'
Well, I think we can peacefully agree to disagree then. 😉
"Firstly, we are never told how the GM got there in the first place. There’s no background story of where it came from and how it crept into Narnia. Plot hole, much?"
Not according to my above theory. 😉 Satan can probably exist in any world in some form, take any form, and exist at any time. In my opinion, no explanation is necessary. We know where Satan comes from.
"Secondly, to me, the GM is nothing like the devil."
Obviously we disagree. LOL. 😉
I never actually said The Green Mist mirrored the story of Lucifer's fall from grace.
No. We're dealing with a version of Satan here that is raw evil. His backstory just simply does not enter into it. See above for reasons as to why I think Green Mist = Satan. The methods of the mist and the methods of Satan appear to be strikingly similar, as well as the limitations of evil.
"In all this, the most important reason I hated the GM was the fact it was there."
As you wish. But the above theory has nothing to do with what's in the book and everything to do with the film version only. 😉 I've taken what they've given us on screen and I'm interpreting it a certain way. Ultimately, I understand we're of different minds here. That's fine. But I just wanted to share my own viewpoint. I don't think the film makers intended this, as I said. But this is what I think the Green Mist is.
Thanks for your comment. 😉
Not sure what part of the comment is supposed to be sarcastic, but it's pretty clear that the magic of the swords was Aslan's magic. Eustace completed the quest. But his power didn't destroy the mist. Sorry, sarcasm in print is harder to catch.
Tilda could appear in LB along with Tash…. if they really wanted to do that.
Ah, thanks Moonwood. 😉
Just found it interesting that the physical form of Dark Island ended up being a huge green serpent. If Green Mist = Satan, it's only natural a snake of some sort would show up. He/it used the White Witch to personify temptation and used the most ugly serpent ever captured on film to personify his/its wrath.
The other good thing about having MN first is that Tilda Swinton can look old, as she is now, becuase she only becomes younger when she eats the silver apple in the end
😉
Just want to collectively thank everyone for their comments.
Thanks for keeping the replies as peaceful as possible.
Tilda still looks pretty good.
But you have a point. 😉
I've often wondered how they will show the final results of eating the silver apple as it applies to Jadis.
Tilda Swinton MUST play Jadis in "The Magician's Nephew." 😉
I love Tilda so much that I wouldn't mind her in "Silver Chair."
But I'm pretty sure that the spirit of evil in Narnia (Green Mist) has embodied itself in another witch by the time "Silver Chair" rolls around. However, I could never ever get tired of seeing Tilda in these movies. She's so awesome.
Now, I'm not saying that artistry is a negative. I would really love to see artistic integrity in all of the Narnia films. I think if they had that in VDT, the movie would have been much more successful, not a LWW-caliber hit, but better results than what we got. However, a successful Narnia (or any other ultra-expensive) film must also have another key ingredient: accessibility. That is what MN, in film form, would lack. And frankly, I'm kind of expecting Walden to sacrifice artistic integrity as well.
This is how it would go if I was in charge of the production:
Empress Jadis should have a striking, unearthly appearance. Now the book mentions that the terrain of Charn might have red soil (it was hard to tell since the sunlight was also red). I think Jadis' gown should be inspired by natural red clay formations. I have a picture of it in my head. She should have soft reddish blond hair in an up-do, and her make up should be subtle peaches and cream (Tilda looks best in subtle make up).
When she bites the apple, a dramatic change in color should radiate starting with her mouth. Her mouth becomes redder, her face, and then the rest of her skin become much paler, her hair becomes dusty blond dread locks, and gown changes color to grey and the texture changes to resemble permafrost (like one of her gowns in LWW).
I definitely feel that the moment Jadis transforms into the WW should be depicted on screen rather than implied.
I get what you're saying, but can you explain exactly how the GM is raw evil? All we ever actually see it do is tempt people (sometimes with bad results like Eustace experienced), kidnap people (for never really explained reasons), and scare them. Yes, it's called "pure evil" and such, but what kind of evil is it really? It has no real known purpose, and it isn't that scary compared to the WW or Miraz, villians with purposes who will kill to get their way.
Satan is evil, but he has an obvious reason for doing bad to us. As for the GM, I doubt it'll ever become truly clear…
(And hopefully, that didn't insult you. 😉 )
Luckily, it's not a choice between the two…
That's really neat, Anhun
Oh, yum ! Can I have mine with the maple sugar cookies ?
I'm upset i thougt thay would be making SC
and thay were thiking uf making all 7 of them
i know alot about moves and i dont thay will EVER mack SC
but know mater wat i sill LOVE the NARNIA movas
i still think it will be cool to see a new cast but tilda
will be in it becuse she coms from charn
but it will cool to see something difrent.
just curious- in which ways did you feel let down-