Gresham Still Considering Options for Next Narnia Film
Co-producer (and CS Lewis’ stepson) Douglas Gresham spoke at Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky on Monday. Afterwards, he spoke to William O’Flaherty from EssentialCSLewis.com who couldn’t resist asking for any kind of update about the future of the Narnia films. Here is his response (16:41):
DG: We just don’t have any information. We’re doing what the people in Hollywood like to say “considering our options.” But let me tell you: As soon as anything concrete does happen, as soon as we have anything concrete to report, we will make an announcement and the world will know exactly what’s going on. But until we have something, there’s no point in trying to say something.
Q: In a perfect world, if you could line everything up to fall into place, how soon do you hope to have an announcement?
DG: When you’re dealing with this kind of material, it’s impossible to even guess. I wouldn’t have a clue. But I can tell you this: It always takes longer and costs more.
You can listen to the full interview here. Gresham indicates that The Horse and His Boy is his favorite chronicle though he hastens to add that it is very difficult to choose (4:30), and also talks about Susan’s fate in ‘The Last Battle’ (15:22).
Read more about the event at Asbury here.
I honestly don't care at this point, after what they did with VoDT.
Wow, news?
Nice to have a sort of update, even if there really isn't anything new to report.
But who is "they"? If a fourth Narnia film is made, Disney, Fox and/or Walden will almost certainly not be involved. I don't blame Gresham or the Estate for my gripes with the films.
The interview was very good! Highly suggest you have a listen.
Why is it taking so long to consider all the options? It's been two and a half years! They should have had plenty of time to consider all the options. This makes no sense. At least they are not saying that there are going to be no more films. This gives me the slightest bit of hope.
Legally, they aren't allowed to make any Narnia films without Walden right now. Check out our Narnia 4 info page… http://www.narniaweb.com/narnia-4/
Thanks for the audio of the interview. I liked all 3 Narnia films for different reasons. Hope they eventually do make more before I "pass beyond the veil". I was going to comment on one or two of the previous comments but I shall hold my peace.
Yes, in my opinion the blame falls squarely on Walden Media and the big studios, the only thing they were interested in was cashing in on the success of Harry Potter and the Lord of the Rings. At the same time they wanted to make "family-friendly" movies. Neither of these things have anything to do with telling a compelling story and/or creating a faithful adaption of a work.
If they do manage to somehow finance the movie independently, I think The Silver Chair could really be something special. I know that a lot of people around here are still enamored with the actors of the previous films, but they aren't really necessary to tell the story well. If you've seen good indie movies, like Shane Carruth's or Jim Jarmusch's early work, you'll know that acting is one of the least concerns. It will probably come down to production design, which is the one area where Disney and Fox's massive budgets really paid off. I consider Roger Ford's work on Prince Caspian to be the best I've ever seen.
I'll be happy with anything that they come up with whenever they decide to do it! (Just as long as there will be a Narnia 4…) 🙂
I appreciate all the work Gresham is putting into this. Here's to hoping he finds a solution, especially if it doesn't involve a studio bent on changing the beloved stories.
It's good to hear that they are considering options! Oh, I hope I hope I hope they make a sequel. I really like the movies and would love to see this move finished from beginning to end like the Harry Potter series. I think it's funny that the day I decide to look up The Chronicles of Narnia is the day that I stumble upon this post that was posted yesterday. Haha! Awesome!
Breaking news on the official Narnia Facebook page: news about the next movie!
https://www.facebook.com/TheChroniclesofNarnia
I went to that event and saw him speak! Got two books sined by him ^_^ He said he would be interested in making Silver Chair as opposed to Magician's Nephew, which I was glad to hear as I think that's the logical thing to do. It was so cool to see him in person, even though most of the infromation he said about Lewis and the movies can be found in other interviews and books. He also said he thought Susan and Caspian kissing was complete nonsense. For the record, he said everyone he talked to though it was nonsense except Adrew, and he even probably thought it was nonsense now, haha.
I'm glad you enjoyed it.