The Next Narnia Film: Where We Are Now
For quite some time now, Narnia fans have been waiting patiently for news on whether or not there will be another Narnia movie. But in the past few days, many rumors and bits of news have started circulating over the internet and our forums–both that more films are actively being scripted and that work on the Narnia films has ceased entirely. We were hoping for an official statement before posting any more news on the situation, but now we feel that things need to be cleared up immediately.
During the negotiations between Fox, Walden, and the C.S. Lewis Estate, the film option that Walden Media owned was allowed to expire and Walden Media no longer has exclusive purchasing rights to any further Narnia films. (What’s the difference between a film option and the film rights? Check out Wikipedia’s article here.) This has been confirmed to us by representatives of the C.S. Lewis Estate.
And while Walden and Fox have confirmed they are both interested in making more Narnia films, our understanding is that, by law, the C.S. Lewis Estate must wait a certain period of time (called a moratorium) before they can sell the film option for the Narnia books again. And when they do, it will be available to any film company out there interested in bidding on it, not just Walden and Fox.
So what does this mean? It means that the ball is entirely in the C.S. Lewis Estate’s court at this point, and they have to wait this mandatory period of time until they can sell the film option again. We here at NarniaWeb don’t know exactly how long this moratorium is, though it is likely several years. What we do know, however, is that Doug Gresham has mentioned many times that it’s his dream to make all seven Narnia books into movies so he probably won’t rest until he’s done that. This is not the end of the Narnia movies! We’re only going to have to wait a while before we see another one.
one article said walden came up with a script exactly like the book and THE ESTATE rejected it as not exciting enogh. after which walden threw in all the forced action. i thought the sea serpent fight would never end. it was 20 min long.
I don't particularly like the idea of a reboot either, but at this point it may be the only hope for the series. If they wait too long for a sequel the actors will be too old (in their '20s at least), the only movies they'd be able to make would be HHB or LB (and let's face it LB wouldn't even make sense unless they did SC & MN first, at least not without eliminating some major characters). But let's look on the bright side, maybe a reboot would be more accurate to the original text :-??
the director is responsible only for the "look" of the film, it's the writing and the producer's decisions as to what will be done are the biggest factor. the producer decides on the content. he approves what the writers come up with or not,
The book?
i read an article in 2001 in THIS ROCK catholic magazine before i even knew what narnia was that covered how when the estate saw the success of harry potter books + decided to tone down the christianity in the narnia books to make secular movies of it, this info was leaked by christian movie people quitting in disgust at what the estate was planning on doinig to the new movies. they leaked the memos out. as you can see, these movies have had the christianity watered down to the bare minimum. and gresham himself is on camera and quoted as saying he wanted to get it out to the secular world and out of the christian ghetto. they did what they felt was needed to pass in today's godless movie world. compare them with the older productions which were blatently christian, you can tell how overtly godly the older (cartoon, bbc, etc,) were. no matter what the estate says, the end result can be seen, the memos were true.
always narnian-I asked why, not what you thought. details? all im getting are your opinions not facts. Please explin yourself a little better
HAHAHAHAHAHA funny comming from a guy named Non-negotiable Comment! I never said the movies are better than the books? My opinion is we need to appreciate what has been given to us. AKA VDT movie. Take the good out of what has been given not the bad! like you and dylan and others who look at the bad. So try and read this with an open mind and dont freak out. however im sure we will be seeing your 10000000 word comment soon because this is "non negotiable" right? humble yourself.
In the book I got the idea that Aslan was the sea serpant to help Eustace find courage. I would need to dig through the book to find the page but I remember something about this.
They used lines about faith right from the book. So are you questioning the movie or C.S. Lewis? ha ha
As Non-Negotiable said, his comments were directed at both you and Emily. Reading comprehension FTW.
I’d just like to point out that you have very little room to attack Non-Negotiable considering your arrogant attitude. Might I suggest you take your own advice and quit trying to enforce your opinion as some sort of standard everyone else has to hold to?
As for only discussing positive aspects of artistic works, this is exactly the sort of attitude that results in stagnation and the same miserable tripe being churned out over and over again. If one is never told that their work is crappy, they’re never going to make changes and improve.
As Lewis himself said "it does not matter very much in which order anyone read them." Each book has a self-contained plot. Now some of the later books rely on earlier books for relevance or critical back story. But in the case of SC, HHB, and MN, that isn't the case. Each one of those 3 is almost completely independent of the other 2. Different protagonists, different settings, unrelated plots. You can do those 3 in any order and it won't make a difference.
Where in AC's comment did s/he imply that Non was only talking to them? If you are referring to their statement that they didn't like the movies better than the books, I should point out that neither AC nor Emily said that they liked the movies better than the books, so it is unclear who Non was addressing with that "AGHAST" comment.
Now AC claims that people who criticize the movies are "UnNarnian." This is arrogant and irritating I agree. At the same time, Non has subtly implied that people who don't criticize the movies are ungodly. That is beyond offensive. I don't know which God he believes in, but that attitude is an insult to any god I know about. Maybe there's a Greek god of film criticism that I missed . . .
Aslan's Country!:
My nom de plume (google it) is an homage, of sorts, to a comment made by Douglas Gresham in an article posted here some time ago. It is mild, gentle sarcasm, not intended to be taken literally. Most people can appreciate that, and I've never really had to explain it before. Since you brought it up, I've made an exception for you. There are many people I disagree with here on a regular basis, but I still like to read what they have to say, and I'm actually rather fond of some. Diversity of opinion is not the terrible thing you seem to think it is. We can learn from different opinions. We should be thankful for them, not be spiteful of them. I mean this, and my post above, as friendly advice. Of course, the people most in need of taking advice are almost always the ones to most frequently ignore it. I tried.
As for me "looking at the bad", if that's what I SEE, then that's what I REPORT. I have praised every aspect of these films worth praising. I have many positive things to say about the first two films. The last one, sadly… not so much. Being "positive" does not mean blindly accepting every aspect of something, and ignoring its (many) faults. I am a supporter, NOT a cheerleader. Learn the difference.
My responses are long, because my positions are complex. I respond in great detail out of COURTESY (google that, too) to others, so that they can know, precisely, the basis of my reasoning. I hope that clarifies things for you.
So, less than "10000000" words this time, but, as always, every last one was pure gold.
First off, humblest apologies to Emily for the "aghast" comment. That was intended for "Just Queen, not High Queen"
("I love the movies, even a little more than the books").
Yes, I occasionally make mistakes, and am happy to correct them when pointed out.
Anhun, that is beyond ridiculous and as offensive a thing as I've read here. Which is saying a lot. Other than to say that I thought you were above such things, it is not worth responding to further.
In other words, you can't think of a proper counter-argument. What am I above exactly? Disagreeing with offensive remarks?
If the following quote: "God wants us to seek and find the truth. You don’t do that by accepting everything at face value, and by not seeking to improve things if there’s a chance to." in the context of this particular conversation does not imply that artistic complacency is ungodly, what does it imply?
You people take things WAY too personally.I say one little thing about how " Doesnt Lucys smile in that scene look kinda goofy?", then you jump all over me saying " All you see is a goofy smile", " And your just a huge LOTR fan who wants to bag on Narnia". Whoa. Just relax a little. Does it matter that muych? Its not like Im dissing your race, or you family or nationality, if I am I give you full permission to get mad. But this is about ONE scene in ONE (bad) movie.
To everyone who replied to my comment: Thanks so much! You guys all make some really good points. I probably sounded kind of angry in my post, but just so we're clear, I absolutely love this site and being able to see such a broad variety of opinions about the Narnia films and books out there. I think it's just so cool how all Narnia fans can come here and let themselves be heard. I've learned so much from all of you. Thanks again!
Narnia forever!
No kidding lol.
Oh, and another thing, humble yourself Aslans country. Who do you thing you are to govern who is a "true Narnian", or whether or not I HATE Narnia, because of what I said. And you know what, if Non negotiable comment wants to have a 10000 word comment and use a proper sounding manner of speech he can. It doesnt make him any better then us or yourself. And if you think I dont have anything at all good to say about VDT, ask me I have some good things to say about it.
Now you know how I feel! Man this is ridiculous….
Yeah, I could act too! But since EVERYBODY wants to act, I could be a costume designer of script writer. Preferably the writer though — more my area. I don't know if I could handle all the stress of the director, but I could try that too while we're imagining, hey?!
At least we'll be able to see a movie about C.S. Lewis in theatres next year!
It means I'm tired of responding to your consistently WHACKO, delusional interpretations of what I mean. This is a tired refrain from you. You see things that aren't there, and use the embarrassingly lazy excuse of: "he subtly implied it, blah, blah, blah, waaaaaahhh….". Everything with you is speculation.
Move to dismiss, your Honor.
That quote means exactly what I said. In all things, seek truth, and question everything. In science, in art, in life. Everything. What makes someone else happy is none of my business. But, surely, you'd want to examine more than the positives before you arrive at "happy"? It's COMMON SENSE. Do I believe common sense is a gift from God? Absolutely. How you could possibly extract some sort of pious, exclusionary bigotry on my behalf, based on THAT, is ludicrous. I've never preached to anyone here, and I have always evaluated these films, first and foremost as FILMS, not as Bible tracts. Here's a quote from Aslan's Country!:
"Christianity is having faith and i think this movie is what they were trying to show."
This person is either a Christian, or, at the least, is familiar with Christianity, in some regard. My point to him/her is that faith comes FROM seeking (questioning), first. I was trying to relate MY compulsion to criticize these films in a manner that I hoped s/he could relate to AS A CHRISTIAN. I was NOT, IN ANY WAY, saying "that people who don’t criticize the movies are ungodly". Seriously? What? I've never, EVER made that sort of judgement, nor have I ever claimed to be better than anyone else.
I know you don't like the things I say. Fair enough. But that's a really low tactic, trying to twist my words into something that ugly, and I just don't see why you would do something like that.
"The God I worship" is the one who tells us to forgive hurtful, unwarranted allegations like the one you made. I will. Thankfully, He doesn't expect us to waste our time arguing crazy, speculative nonsense. I won't.
What are you above? Not much, apparently. As I said, I do, occasionally, make mistakes. You are one.
The book? Okay, I have the book right here beside me. I am going to put an excerpt from the book;
"The others were too exhausted to see what Lucy saw. There, a few yards behind them, the loop of Sea Serpent's body got rapidly smaller and disappeared into a splash. Lucy always said (but of course she was very excited at the moment, and it may have been only imagination) that she saw a look of idiotic satisfaction on the creature's face. What is certain is that it was a very stupid animal, for instead of pursuing the ship it turned it's head round and began nosing all along it's own body as if it expected to find the wreckage of the Dawn Treader there."
It clearly shows here, that the animal was dumb. Aslan's not dumb.
Another thing, whenever Aslan is portrayed as another character it is clearly defined–like the two lions in HB, and the cat in HB, the lamb in VODT, and the albatross in VODT–here is the part with the albatross—"But no one except Lucy knew that as it circled the mast it had whispered to her, "Courage, dear heart," and the voice, she felt sure, was Aslan's, and with the voice a delicious smell breathed in her face."
Aslan tells Shasta that he was the lions and the cats in HB—clearly defined.
When you are reading a story you can't just interpret it any way you want. If the others were clearly defined, why wouldn't the Sea Serpent?
Please tell me the lines they used in VODT (movie) from VODT (the book) about faith. If you mean the ONE line at the end with Aslan saying he had another name, like Non-negotiable Comment said, it was like "throwing the Christians a bone" at that point when they had already portrayed having faith in YOURSELF the whole movie. ( Like the conversation Aslan has with Lucy after her dream of looking like Susan)
If I questioned C.S. Lewis why would I be defending the books so much?
I'm sorry, Aslan's Country! but when YOU say this: "Narnia fans i would love to know what you would of added or changed about the movie? What would you add to make the cup full? Im not talking bad or trying to be negative im very curious at what you guys wanted differantly?" you are asking what our opinion is.
Secondly, I did give the fact that they did not stay true to the books, and you can not say that they did. That is a fact. It was NOT a FAITHFUL adaption- whether or not you think it was a GOOD adaption- it was not, in the slightest, faithful to C.S. Lewis' book.
Amen, brother!
If you CAN GO see it. It's a must, don't go see some movie with worthless content, go see Courageous. I heard it's going to be one of the major blockbusters in this weekend so go and support this. Thats OK if you CAN'T go but get your friends to go, post something about it on facebook, anything. There was parts I was laughing my head off, and only one other movie does that to me. I was enthrawled in the action, which is pretty beast. And the emotion, did actually make me cry a little I admit. Fifty percent of critics on Rotten Tomatoes liked it, and 88% of the audience like it. There was an applause from a full auditorium when I went. GO, GO, GO!
True, hadn't thought of that…
(man, if people would not get so upbeat about our opinions, we might get somewhere!)
OH COME ON YOU GUYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Just take a second to think how terribly BORING Narniaweb would be if everyone had the same opinion!
How about this: We quit slamming each other up against the wall, and then part ways as unlikely friends? (Yes, I know, it's a Tangled line, but it seems to fit this situation)
Non Negotiable: I personally like your 100000000 etc. comments and your correct grammar. Please don't stop the good grammar! Plus, what denomination are you? Oh, and "faith is being sure of what we hope for, and certain of what we do not see." Hebrews 11:1.
Aslan's Country!: I am going to say this as nicely as possible… Please stop criticizing those of us who disagree with some parts of the film. Just because we have issues with VDT doesn't mean we completely HATE the movie. I really like that you have a contrasting opinion with Non N, it makes things have more 'oomph' to them.
Just stop arguing, please.
(and please, please don't slam me against the wall!)
There was applausing when I went too! I know, it's the same actor but he is like the writer/director (him and his brother) of the movies, so yeah. But, It's so good! Support them! We need more movies like this!!!
Which movie is that? *waits curiously for answer*
Its just what i thought. I went back and read that page also but I still thought it was in the book somewhere…hmmmm. I see what you mean about it being clear but i thought Aslan would not want it to be clear in this situation. I will keep looking i swear it talks about it
I know you said not to but just listen to this," In your world i have another name. You must leran to know me by it. That was the very reason you were brought to Narnia; that by knowing me here for a little you may know me better there." This quote screams FAITH!
FOREVER AND EVER! FOR ASLAN!
if they dont do the way more popular mn, the series will sink
AA said befor he;d come back for MN
no, aslan was the bird that flew down after lucy prayed- the albatross. it's an ancient symbol of christ cause it looks like a cross when it flies.
and the white stag they chased at the end of LWW is an ancient symbol of christ too.
As far as using correct grammer i get on here and post what i think without double checking due to my busy schedule. so sorry about my horrible spelling and bad grammer sometimes!
Non-negotiable Comment- You just seem like a very negative person, im not sure how we got so off topic and are now addressing each other instead of Narnia but here is my opinion. I call you not a true Narnian because all you do is say negative things. I read your words and after i feel negative instead of when i read others posts that build me up. Im sorry i made fun of your 1000000000000 word comments that was wrong. But i still feel you should stop getting so worked up about how horrible the movie is and try and look for some good. A part of a song? a scene? a charatcter? There is enough bad in this world that i have taught my brain to really focus on the good. Ya the green evil natzi mist was a bit much and i was confused by it at first. So i hold on to what i do know and that is looking for the good in things even this movie everyone despises called VDT. So you can feel free to attack me again and drag along your sidekick dylan who is also very negative but just know this…. In my opinion Narnians are of peace. In my opinion Narnians look for the good in things and in what they have been given. In my opinion you guys need to relax, and say a few things positive. In my opinion its not easy being a true narnian and i have not said that i am this perfect Narnian True fan. no. i have not. but i know what one is when i see it, and its what i strive to be.
Anhun- You are awesome and i agree with what you have said about Non
EVERYONE- Im not "governerning" who is a true narnia its just my opinion. Sorry if someone is dissing narnia and making jokes about it that i cant help but to say WOW! I thought this was Narniaweb act like a true Narnian, thats just my own opinion! no duh its not the law come on guys.
Hiking Peter- I like your style, way to promote peace like a true narnian (my opinion) Im not looking to throw anyone against the wall i just voice my opinion. Its like texting, you dont know if someone is pissed off screaming or just laughing. I agree that we all need to relax however im sure NON will need some assistance with this. peace? whats this? ha ha
i believe the way it works is, the estate is the emloyer. the studio is the employee. the estate says what they want done, the studio tries to carry it out. the studio can suggest it should be done a certain way, and must get approval. the estate tries to respect the artist's (director's) vision of what will accomplish the best result. the estate, having little technical knowledge, defers to the studio and director.
yeah, i liked the bbc eustace better, i thought he was perfect.
it was a fun, shallow movie that should have been about finding God, not stoking one's self esteem.
More popular with whom though? If the Narnia franchise is to be successful, it needs to be accessible to new and casual fans. Many of the people who flocked to see LWW had never even heard of the other books. Some of them had only seen the 70s cartoon, some of them read the book when they were kids, and some of them had vaguely heard of a witch and a wardrobe.
Although I personally feel that HHB is the best bet since it has the strongest LWW connection AND the most cinematic story, even SC would be a better choice since it has dynamic protagonists and a readily comprehensible plot, both of which can be marketed. MN has neither. Nobody who hasn't read the book or doesn't have a strong interest in Narnia to begin with would be interested in MN.
its amazing how complicated something like Narnia is being. it doesnt all clearly make sense to me. at this moment, im just trying to have faith in Doug Gresham, and any other people who share his dream and have the power to make it happen.
you know, i really want to work in the film industry someday, mostly on cinematography and screenwriting. maybe, if the movies are continued and continued at the time frame they've been continuing, i could land a job on one of the movies 🙂 that would be a dream come true!
Hey, Aslan's country! Since you've been talking about being a true Narnian fan. What exactly does that look like? I'm only curious, really. Because I thought that to be a Narnian fan you just had to love the books, the movies, the actors, C.S. Lewis, and things like that. If you'll remember, Nikabrik was a Narnian but he certainly didn't share the beliefs of the other Narnians. However that didn't make him any less Narnian.
Non N, I must agree only partly with Aslan's country about your attitude. I'm not saying that you should quit writing with excellent grammar and longer than life comments, because I like your opinion. Somehow, it seems to me, that you think that to be non-negotiable you have to appear a little … aloof and proper all the time. You can be non-negotiable without appearing cold. But keep up that grammar, man! It's always easy to understand you!
Calm yourself, Dylan my friend. Just because you don't agree with Aslan's country doesn't mean we all don't and are all against you. I would be pretty mad too if I found people typing about me like that.
But I would suggest that ALL OF YOU don't reply immediately to other comments that suggest that they're trying to beat you down. Whenever that happens to me, I usually walk away for a while, do some work around the house and think up a "non-negotiable yet intriguing" reply. (no pun intended) Why not try that? Maybe I'm right! (or just weird) That way we're not hurting everyone's feelings.
(Because hey! that's what bullies and meanies do!)
Well, then it would be understandable. (and they don't want that!)
Well at least there's no reboot. And even though we have to wait a few years, at least there is hope that there're all going to be made and Fox and Walden are still interested in making the rest of the films. 🙂
Okay, I see. I read that book before I saw the movie and don't remember anything like that… So, um, yeah. If you find the part you were talking about let me know. 🙂
Yes, but what other lines from the book that are in the movie? Lines about faith, that is?
Okay, maybe our immaturaty is showing, and we need to calm it with the banter. I can see how, Aslans country and Anhun can see how Non is just a tiny bit condescending, but to go about acting as if he is the biggest jerk in the world is a little bit much. Now, i am not anybodies side kick, if somebody is being put down for no good reason at all, i will go to their defense. so dont act as if I am anyones sidekick, I dont want to come across that way.
Thats it thats all there is. However there are lines in this one quotes so there ya have it. Also i must poin this out. In all of the Narnia books C.S. lewis only uses the word faith in one book…. Voyage of the Dawn Treader. So i really appreciated when Lucy talks about having faith in the movie, that was a very awesome scene for me seeing as how VDT was the only book that uses the word faith. If you want to know more details pg. 239
ok let me put it this way for you. FACTS. What would you add from the book? Im talking about events, charatcers, ect.
Aslans BFF- This is my opinion on the matter, i agree that nikabrik is narnian. However i dont think he was being his true narnian self the way Aslan intended him to be, i mean he tried to bring the white which Jadis back to life! He seemed very negative and his deeds didnt help his cause. Well now you can look at Puddleglum from SC. He had negative remarks but his deeds were of honor to Aslan. Being helpful, providing, keeping the faith, lightening the mood. Even then when you an look at his "negative" remarks you can see that he is just being PRACTICLE. After all he is based off of C.S. Lewis's practicle gardner. Anyways sorry to go off with info, my point is in my own personal opinion a "true Narnian fan" is someone who finds the good and strives to be good! There are many other things like someone who has faith someone who is always looking to provide help. To me a "true Narnian fan" goes beyond just loving the books and the movie. I will be bold and sorry if anyone takes offense to this but to me a true Narnian is someone who is trying to be a true christian. So just because i go out and buy a Narnia book and put a poster on my wall that makes me a true Narnian fan? no. it does not in MY OPINION. I hope this made sense. Now one more time just so we are clear… this is my opinion not anything else.
My appologies, I can humble myself and admit that i was wrong! i have been digging for this and doing alot of reseaerch and I have found the right answer. Aslan was not the sea monster. I have thought he was ever since i was a small boy and thats what i have beleived all these years. Like you said i assumed. So thank you for correcting me. Thats what i love about this sight, you can know alot about Narnia, and someone can always correct your mis information, awesome!
Anhun- I see your point, however it never clarifies it. We don’t know if she is or if she isn’t. Jadis ate from the tree of protection. She may be gone for now but she is immortal and can return! That being said, i agree with you that i don’t think The Lady of the Green Kirtle is Jadis. All I’m saying is we don’t know from a fact point of view its strictly personal opinion. Does this make sense?
Aslans country, you have blown this one way out of proportion. To quote you from your above comments " A true Narnian fam feels the magic in that scene". So, because I did not "feel the magic" in that scene, that makes me not a true Narnia fan, and not a Christian (which I am by the way).
Dylan—Did you mean maturity or immaturity? It looks like immaturity.
Aslan's Country—Thank you so much for the clear up! I can see now that I am not a true Narnian because I don't /always/ strive to be nice and honorable. Don't ever be afraid to share your opinion on Narniaweb!