Weta already working on Narnia film

Weta already working on Narnia film
November 15, 2003 - 4:30PM


Work on The Narnia Chronicles has started at Peter Jackson's Weta Workshop.

A spokeswoman for Weta confirmed it was working on the $170 million film project, but refused to go into detail.

Secret negotiations have been going on for months between Walden Pictures, Economic Development Minister Jim Anderton and Bob Harvey, mayor of Waitakere, where much of the filming is expected to take place.

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I so glad it's WETA doing this... any American company would bollocks it up, being so concerned with all the ingredients for a successful movie and not concerned enough about a great story-telling job for a set of beloved books.

Does anybody know if the five films will span the whole seven books?

There were some people here last might poopooing the idea that WETA had taken this on.
Since the deals have been secret it may take a while for the full info to come out.

Thre press release I read on DU this morning said that five films will span five books. I've been wracking my noodle all day trying to figure out which two they'll not produce.

I imagine that "A Horse and His Boy" will not be released, but for the life of me, I can't imagine what the other one would be. Maybe "The Silver Chair" or "Voyage of the Dawn Treader", not that I dismiss any of the books, but those two don't seem to fit into the general "theme" (if you will) of the history of Narnia.

Press release is located on the site at http://www.narnia.com/

Horse and his Boy is sort of outside the main plotline, and Silver Chair maybe too. It would be a huge disappointment not to see Dawn Treader on the big screen. That one I didn't like as a kid but it wore on me as I got older.

After watching the A&E presentations of the new Horatio Hornblower movies, I've gotten a bit nostalgic for some good, rip-roaring, high-seas adventure and Voyage of the Dawn Treader would really be a good vehicle to do that.

And if memory serves me, one of the characters (Eustace?) turns into a dragon. I can only imagine the fun WETA would have with that one. In fact, I can only imagine the fun WETA would have with many of the characters- Reepicheep, Mr. Tumnus, Mr. & Mrs. Beaver and (espicially) Aslan. I'm thrilled just thinking about the nobility and grace that (I hope) WETA will convey to Aslan.

As an aside and to the poster who responded that he enjoyed the books until he found out they "had an agenda", so to speak; don't you think that's a bit silly upon closer examination?

By following that road of thinking, should I begin to discount any books, movies, poetry or art because I don't agree with the religion or politics or sexual orientation of the authors and painters and directors?

Wouldn't you find it laughable (and even somehwhat saddening) to hear of a Neo-Con dismissing the works of Dickens because he empathized with the plight of the poor and the horrible working conditions of industrialized, lower-class London?

For my part, the religion, the politics and the orientation of a master artist becomes (at most) a tertiary concern if even a concern at all. How can I, in good conscious dismiss a great work merely because the artist and I disagree on a point not relevant to my initial enjoyment?

Obviously, this aside of mine has gone on a bit longer than I originally intended (and may be cause for a thread in and of itself). Yet I do believe that my concern is one of the fundamental points that differentiates us from the Neo-Cons. And I truly believe that denying this point places us on their level and denies us the chance to open our minds to the opinions and the perspectives of others, regardless of that opinion. I believe that this is one of our greater strengths.

of the Chronicles timeline.

The only book that's "outside" the main Chronicles narrative is A Horse And His Boy. I can't really imagine which additional book he'll leave out. I can't think how he'd even combine two of them.

The book that I hated as a child, and still don't much like is The Last Battle. But I can't imagine Jackson skipping that one.

:scared:

Before I found out they were Christian fundamentalist propaganda.

OK, I am as scared of Christian Fundamentalism as the next person, but to accuse C.S. Lewis of promoting Christian Fundamentalism is absurd. His books promote Christianity, yes. But not whacknoodle fundamentalist stuff. Every book he wrote was dealing with Christianity on a personal and moralistic level, not fire and brimstone crap.

not a baptist or something.

I don't find them to be fundementalist.

I can't find the thread but it was when the LOTR craze began..."NO WMD, and no Chronicles of Narnia movies!" I was just griping, I knew it had to be inevitable. ;) I am so glad they are finally making them...I can't wait to see how elaborate they recreate the scene where the White Witch slays Aslan on the Stone Table. It was delightfully described in the book.

..both C.S. Lewis and Tolkein considered each other's works to be tripe.

--bkl
Bored Of The Rings
and
Not At All Surprised By Joy.

Treebeard in LOTR was based on CS Lewis.

I've read about Lewis, Tolkien and another writer (who, for the life of me, I cannot remember his name) who collectivly referred to themselves as "The Inklings" and how they would get together some evenings and read new or rewritten portions of their manuscripts for constructive criticisms and fresh opinions.

What I wouldn't give to have been a fly-on-the-wall for some of those sessions. :9

Although I heard that criticism could sometimes be quite harsh. Here's some info i found about them.

The members of the club varied, but among those who participated was CS Lewis (without him there were no meetings, JRR Tolkien (rarely missed a meeting), Charles Williams and Warren Lewis (CS Lewis brother).

http://hem.fyristorg.com/gumby/sf/eng/oktober/2g.html