C.S. Lewis Goes to Kiwi-Land!

[BSF]

Heh - The Wood between worlds was my transitory plane between different primes for one campaign. I *still* like the idea.

I remember when I first got done reading the books, I re-organized them on my shelf for a while. Later on, I realized how silly it was to tell the story that way. Then, when I was working in a book store some years back, I was dismayed to see that the publisher was starting to sell them like that!

This has the potential to be very cool though. Let's hope it lives up to that potential.

 

[EricNoah]

Are the ages ever stated (or able to be deduced) from the text?

Well what I meant was Osment-like in quality (pure acting ability), not necessarily in age. The Sixth Sense could easily have sucked if the child actor hadn't nailed it.

 

[EricNoah]

I agree... but I also think that if I were doing the series, it's the second one I'd ignore (Horse and his Boy, naturally, being the first).

You have to start with Lion. Starting with Nephew, I think, wouldn't work. And then you're under time pressure to get through to the end of The Last Battle before your Eustace and Jill actors get too old You can keep putting off Nephew because the only actress you're going to reuse is Jadis... and she's less likely to become unuseable for the character in 5-7 years than Eustace.

I think if Nephew gets done as a full-length film in its own right, it will be after they've finished up Battle.

-Hyp.

Like LOTR, it probably makes sense that some of the movies would have to be filmed either back-to-back or simultaneously in order for actors to be the right age. So Silver Chair and Last Battle (both using Eustace and Jill) maybe film back-to-back (isn't there like a year between them in the "real world"?).

 

[Hypersmurf]

So Silver Chair and Last Battle (both using Eustace and Jill) maybe film back-to-back.

Yes, but Eustace has to be the right age in Dawn Treader where he appears with Lucy and Edmund as well, and Lucy and Edmund have to be the right age there compared to where they were in Prince Caspian...

... so you have to pretty much do the five "primary timeline" books back to back, in order.

Well what I meant was Osment-like in quality (pure acting ability), not necessarily in age. The Sixth Sense could easily have sucked if the child actor hadn't nailed it.

True. But I'd say there are a lot more teen actors who can pull off Susan and Peter adequately than there are child actors who can get Edmund and Lucy right.

-Hyp.

 

[tetsujin28]

A very high standard -- both in terms of what LotR achieved and what Narnia fans expect. Narnia is going to require the same mix of high-tech wizardry, excellent casting and acting, and a script that digs out the depth of the story and remains true to the essential themes of the work. A tall, tall order.

Imagine if the first one does well. That's six more Narnia films that could be made. Can you imagine sitting in a theater 10-12 years from now and witnessing the Last Battle? Or maybe in 5 years watching Reepicheep sailing his little boat over the "edge" of the world? Or in 9-10 years witnessing the destruction of the Silver Chair? That kind of gets me goofy.

Eric, why do you look like an Amish elder?

 

[EricNoah]

Eric, why do you look like an Amish elder?

Why, whatever do you mean? Pip pip, cheerio, and all that.

(And to keep from derailing this thread, here's a place to discuss my facial hair: http://www.enworld.org/forums/showthread.php?t=72074 ).

 

[WanderingMonster]

Maybe they can use CG children and have them voiced by Andy Serkis.

Seriously though, the Chronicles of Narnia are the books I cut my fantasy teeth on. Imagining a movie that will bring those books to life in a visual medium makes me –as Eric said– goofy.

The whole problem are the expectations that will be put on these films. From fans (Oh! the fans), to the studio, to the critics, all will be expecting a success on the scope of Lord of the Rings. One can only hope.

 

[tetsujin28]

Well, they managed a damn good job with Gormenghast.

 

[afreed]

C.S. Lewis

You know, I'm very fond of C.S. Lewis and Narnia, but this news does nothing for me. Partly because I'm generally not terribly interested in movie adaptations of books, partly because I've already <i>seen</i> a mess of TV and movie interpretations of Narnia, but also because it strikes me that they're not books with strong cinematic qualities. LOTR was great for film (in certain respects), in that much of the appeal of the books was in the worldbuilding and epic events, all of which nicely translates into cool set pieces and FX. Whereas Narnia...is much more quiet and literary, I think. I don't see making a film of the books as worthwhile, I guess.
Strangely, the thought of a movie version of Lewis's Space Trilogy strikes an odd chord with me. I can't even try to explain that.
So if Narnia is a success, does that mean we get Charles Williams as the next Inkling filmed?

 

[Tinker Gnome]

Man, i really need to read the Narnia books.