'Narnia' Sequel

[Another Voice]

The buzz about Hollywood is that Walden Media has started pre-production on The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. The script is currently being worked on and a director may be named in the next two month. One report is that, through the reuse of the sets, art direction and costumes from The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, production might be able to start at the end of this year. That would indicate a Holiday 2007 release date; a later start to filming would push it back to summer 2008.

 

[Sarangel]

This is one problem with using children as stars - if you're going to make a sequel, it has to be soon after the original. Leave us think good thoughts about them not messing it up.

 

[YoHo]

If memory serves though, This is the only movie that requires all or most of the same children. After this, it changes.

 

[Alysa]

It has all the same kids at almost the same age - Susan, Edmund, Peter and Lucy (they are also in "A Horse and his Boy" without Peter and "The Last Battle" without Susan, but both times much older - like the riders at the end of "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe"). Then comes "Voyage of the Dawn Treader" with just Edmund and Lucy (still not much older though and including Eustace) and then Eustace takes over with... Jill! in "The Silver Chair". They really have to make 4 films in quick succession.
Amazing, isn't it, how these books stay with you? I think Lucy appears most because CS Lewis wrote the books for her (his God-daughter). And didn't the actress do a lovely job? I hope she will stay as charming throughout the stories.

 

[yaytezIOA]

The girl that plays Lucy is signed on for at least 4 films. And yes, Prince Caspian is going for a 2008 release, if not a late late late 2007 release.

 

[Chief Joseph]

Didn't HP and/or LotR do back - to -back sequeels for this reason ?

Expense wise, isn't it considerable cheaper to do B-T-B movies ? Obviously the producer must be willing to sit on the production cost for an extra year or so till the 2nd flik ( actually it would be the 3rd ) was released, but the profit margin would be considerably higher.

 

[mickeyfan2]

This is one problem with using children as stars - if you're going to make a sequel, it has to be soon after the original. Leave us think good thoughts about them not messing it up.

In Narnia they are all adults now. They are only kids in "our" world. So it might not be as problematic.
If the new title is true then they are skipping "The Boy and His Horse."

 

[rwodonnell]

In Narnia they are all adults now. They are only kids in "our" world. So it might not be as problematic.
If the new title is true then they are skipping "The Boy and His Horse."

I always assumed the children started off each time in Narnia in their current earth age. Prince Caspian, for instance, takes place over 1000 Narnian years after Lion, Witch and Wardrobe, so clearly they are not going to assume their "Narnian age". They are supposed to enter Narnia about a year later earth time, so they should be about a year older for the events of Prince Caspian.

The other books they are all in are The Horse and His Boy (not the other way around ) and The Last Battle (except Susan). Of course they are adults in Narnia during Horse and His Boy, so that's easy. The Last Battle does not take place for another 8 years or so (earth time) after Prince Caspian, so that also is not pressing yet. Edmund and Lucy are in Voyage of the Dawn Treader, which takes place one earth year and 3 Narnian years after Prince Caspian. The toughest thing might be Eustace, who in less than a year, ends up in Narnia twice, in Voyage of Dawn Treader and Silver Chair.

Given those facts, if they were going to do all 7 books (which seems unlikely), they would probably do them in this order:
Lion Witch and Wardrobe
Prince Caspian
Voyage of the Dawn Treader
Silver Chair
Horse and His Boy
Magician's Nephew
The Last Battle

I guess the last 3 on my list could be juggled somewhat, but I would think they would want to end with The Last Battle, as doing another one after that would seem odd.

Regarding the suggested reading order, that has been debated, so whether or not they "skipped" Horse and His Boy is debatable.

I know next to nothing about film-making, but I have always wondered, couldn't they film some of the scenes they will need later now, while the children are closer to their correct age? I guess that could get complicated in the case of Narnia, as they overlap with other characters, such as Eustace , who overlaps with Jill.