We’ve just posted the twenthieth edition of the NarniaFans Mailbag. We’ve answered fourteen letters this week, covering directors, extended editions, Prince Caspian, much much more. This is a long one.. brace yourselves!
Q: Since you plan to make movies from the books, which do you think will be most difficult to shoot?
-Rebecca
A: Well, Rebecca, I know that Walden would love to make all seven books into film, and I know that if they do get to all of them, which is the plan, that all seven will be really difficult to shoot in their own ways. As for the most difficult, personally I think that it will be a toss up between The Magician’s Nephew and The Last Battle. Primarily because of the visuals that will need to be included in the films. Each will be very magical films and will be spectacular to watch.
Q: Hi Paul Happy Birthday from a few weeks ago, anything from WETA yet? any way I also wanted to know; I saw a trailer for Narnia and it had used the same music from the king kong trailer it was awesome. I was just wondering what the song is? thanks seeya!
-Jason
A: Thank you, Jason! I have heard from WETA, but not on your question that you posed. I would say that’s because they are very busy with many many projects. We’ve heard some about a forum blitz happening this upcoming Monday, though. Be sure to check that out. As for the Narnia trailer, and the King Kong trailer, I am not really sure which trailers you are referring to. There are many, and it would greatly help me to know which trailers that you’re talking about, so that I can help you out. If anyone reading this, however, knows what he’s referring to, do write in, and we’ll append this story with it. Otherwise, check next week’s mailbag, and we’ll hopefully know by then!
Q: I saw on Absolutely Anna that she’s a Church of England Christian. So I was wondering- what does the CoE consider to be a Christian? If you can help me with that at all, it would be great!
Also, who decides and how is it decided where the world premiere will be held? Thank you!
-Nightingale
A: Wow, that’s a very tough question, as I myself and Roman Catholic. The Church of England is similar to the Roman Catholic Church in many respects, however, and they are, like Roman Catholics, also Christian. I would ask you, what do you consider to be a Christian? I cannot speak for the Church of England, so it’s a tough question for me to answer.
As for the world premiere, it’s decided by the people creating the film. Where it happens is usually a place where they can hold a huge screening, and where the screening will be perfect. A place with the best sound, comfort and location is important for the World Premiere.
Q: The timelines say Jill and Eustace are supposed to be 9 in SC. But in the BBC movie they look several years older. The new LWW movie is the same way- Peter and Susan look older than they supposedly were in the books. Based on that, do you think future characters (particularly the other children) will look older than they were in the books?
I know that’s not really important to the movie, I just wondered. Thank you very much!
-Katherine
A: Looks are all in the eye of the beholder. I see many young people that look much older than they actually are. I have known people to look 25 or even 30, that were actually only in their teens. Likewise I have known people that were about 25 that looked like they were still in their teens. I really don’t think that it matters very much, although it does. I think it really falls allong the lines of perception, depending on how old you are. I am now 26, I saw the movie at 25, and from my perspective, the children look the correct age for the roles. However, if you’re at or under the age of the characters, they may look older to you. It really depends on how you perceive it.
Q: Hi! It was a long time since my last letter. Well, I’m back. I was a bit worried about who’s going to direct VDT and the other films, because I like the way Andrew Adamson is doing it and I won’t like another person to do it. I’ve heard he read the books when he was a child and I think that someone like that will do it well.
Also, I want you to know that there is a very good book about LWW that explaines the meaning of all the important moments in the book. It’s called “A sight on The Lion, the witch and the wardrove” (or something like that, because I’ve read it in spanish) by James Stuart Bell, Carrie Pyykkonen and Linda Washington.
Ok that’s all, see you.
-D�bora “Tomoyo” Martin
A: Hello, welcome back! Just so you know, I’ve found the book that you’re talking about and the english version of it is Inside “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”: Myths, Mysteries, and Magic from the Chronicles of Narnia.
As for the Narnia film directors, let’s talk seriously about this for a moment. Okay, so Andrew Adamson did a great job on LWW. It’s not without its flaws, but it is a great film. I saw that because there are things that I would have done differently with the story that I feel would have captured or represented the source material better and captured the audience more into the story of Aslan.
That said, we do know that Andrew Adamson is signed on for at the very least one more film in the series. But let’s say that Peter Jackson was the one to direct the first film, and it turned out the same or better than Andrew Adamson’s Narnia. You’d be e-mailing me the same question right now about the film’s directors and possible changing of the guard, as it were.
There are many series that have changed directors to positive effect. For example: Star Wars: A New Hope was directed by George Lucas, but The Empire Strikes Back was directed by Irvin Kershner and Return of the Jedi by Richard Marquand. The Harry Potter series of films (also to be seven in length) was started out with two films from director Chris Columbus. The third film, Prisoner of Azkaban, was directed by Alfonso Cuarón (who I feel created the most entertaining film in that series, period). The fourth, Goblet of Fire, was directed by Mike Newell and the fifth, Order of the Phoenix, is currently being directed by David Yates. And those are just two examples. Many don’t realize that TV series also have directors. The TV show Lost for example has had at least seven different directors; Heroes has had two so far. It’s not a bad thing to have different directors at all. In some cases, it can bring a breath of fresh air to a series.
Q: Hi, I’m sooo glad you’re still doing the mailbag. It is such a great idea. Anyways, I was just wondering if they were going to keep Will, Anna, Skandar, and Georgie for the rest of the Narnia films if they do them. I would love to see this happen, the only thing is that it is going to be almost 4 years between movies and I am worried that the kids will look too old. Do you know anything about the actors returning?
-Marie H.
A: Actually, it’s only going to be about 2 to 2 1/2 years between films. I do know that the four Pevensies are returning for at least this one as is Liam Neeson in the role of Aslan. As for the children appearing in all of the films, well, you’ll have to read the books to find the answer to your question is actually very simple… at least for a while…
Q: I want to get the LWW soundtrack for Christmas, but I am unsure which one to choose (the normal soundtrack/movie score, or the special 2-disc red one). I already have the 2-disc Special Edition DVD of the movie, does the special soundtrack have any special features the DVD doesn’t have? Should I just ask for the normal version?
Hope the question made sense. Great website, especially love the mailbag feature! Thanks!
-Michelle
A: Well Michelle, I suppose that depends on if you really enjoy having all of the special features to watch again and again. The Soundtrack does have about 45 minutes of features not found on either DVD set, but here’s a rundown:
Film Art Gallery Concept Art Gallery
Behind the Magic of Narnia – Featuring the Score with Harry Gregson-Williams
The Story
The Director
Visual Effects
Sets & Locations
Models & Costumes
Theatrical Trailer
Music Inspired By the Film
I recommend reading reviews at Amazon.com on the 2-Disc Soundtrack. They seem to really cover it very well. It should answer your questions. However, when it comes down to it, it’s a toss up. It’s getting harder to find the 2-Disc version though, so good luck with the decision! Either way, the music is the important thing and it’s great on both!
Q: THE MAGICIAN’S NEPHEW SPOILERS AHEAD! Hi! First off, this is an amazing site! Keep up the good work. And here’s my question… why is the area where the lamp post is called Lantern Waste?
-Cait
A: For this answer, I turned to my friend Paul F. Ford’s Companion to Narnia. The answer can be found within the pages of “The Magician’s Nephew,” so if you’ve not read that yet, stop reading now. Okay, for those still with me, here’s the long and the short of it:
The Lamp-Post marks the westernmost boundary of Narnia. It grows from a cross-bar of the lamp-post outside the Ketterleys’ London residence, which is damaged in the crush. Brandished by Jadis as a weapon, it fells two policemen and is transported with her to Narnia. She throws it at Aslan, but it drops to the ground, where it grows into a complete — already lit — Lamp-post that shines day and night and gives the name Lantern Waste to the region.
So it appears that the fact that the Lamp-post is there, is the reason that it is called “Lantern Waste.” But I am not completely sure, so I’m going to e-mail Mr. Ford and see if he can provide a better answer than I could guess.
Q: Hi there, again. I just remembered I had another question and I didn’t want to wait until next week. In Prince Caspian, why is the area where the Stone Table was called Aslan’s How?
-Cait
A: Well Cait, I believe that it is called Aslan’s How, because it is a very sacred place. It is the ancient place of sacrifice that Aslan has destroyed with the Deeper Magic. It was re-named in honor of that sacrifice.
Q: Hi Paul!
Do you know anything about the Prince Caspian Script yet? Things I wanted to know are stuff like: Are [Bacchus] and his wild girls going to be in it? The school teachers, Caspian’s old nurse etc. going to be in it? I hope so!
-Grace
A: Hello Grace! I actually don’t know much about the script at all, yet. It is very much a well kept secret, that I don’t have access to. However, I hope that all is included in the film. We’ll see if they have time to cover all of that and to expand what they’re going to in the story.
Q: Dear Paul,
Hi there again! Anyhoo, I noticed a slight error in the Narnia summary that is on the back of the dvd. You know that on the backside of the movie there is a summary about the movie Narnia. The summary tells you what the movie is about. Well, I noticed that in a line in the summary it says “Lucy, Edmund, Susan, and Peter, four siblings who find the world of Narnia through a magical wardrobe while playing a game of hide-and-seek.” Isn’t that line wrong? Because the Pevensie kids enter Narnia while they are running away from “Mrs. Macready.” Isn’t that true. I know, I know Lucy is the first one who discovers Narnia while she is playing hide and seek. That’s why I typed “slight error.” But still, the Pevensie kids discover Narnia while they are running away from Mrs. Macready, not playing hide and seek, except for Lucy. So, why did they put that in the summary? Please respond soon! THANKYOU!
P.S. Will you upload pictures of the deleted scenes from the movie Narnia (Extended Version) on this website? I hope so because I won’t be able to buy the extended version. Sorry.
-Narnia Fan
A: Yes, it is a slight error, but it’s okay, because technically they do all discover enter Narnia during hide-and-seek, from a certain point of view. Lucy goes to Narnia during the game, and it is through her that the others learn of Narnia. It’s the beginning of the adventure that would eventually lead them all into the world of Narnia. From that perspective, it is correct. However, they don’t all physically enter Narnia yet, they do enter just a bit into the Narnia story, as Lucy relates her story to them. Sure, they don’t believe her right away, but that’s not the important part.
As for the pictures, yes I will. I now have a photo gallery that I’m going to be using for pictures from all Narnia films. I’ve decided to use the galleries at WaldenFans.com for this purpose. Look for those in the next few weeks (as I find the time for the screenshots).
Q: Hey Paul, do you know if the LWW EE is coming out in Australia?? I want it badly!!
-Nellie
A: Sorry, Nellie, this is one question that I’m still awaiting a definite answer on. It’s a very limited release, and there’s no guarantee that it will come to all shores. Hopefully I’ll have some answers soon, on all locations of release.
Q: Hey! I just bought the Extended Edition DVD and I can’t wait to watch it. I read that there is only 15 minutes added to this new edition. For Prince Caspian and all future Narnia movies, are they going to film more than they will put in the final cut so that they can have a lot more footage to put in future extended editions? Thanks.
-Jeff D.
A: Good question, Jeff! When it comes to the Narnia books, all are so short that they could very easily fit all of the story in the theatrical cuts of the films. However, as the stories get more involved, it is possible that they might have to cut some good footage that could easily be added to an Extended Edition to flesh out the story a bit more. The Lord of the Rings has enough story for about 45 HOURS of film, if it were shot unabridged. That gave them a great deal of material to work in. A great deal more than we have for Narnia. I wouldn’t mind having extra footage that added to character development, though!
Q: THE MAGICIAN’S NEPHEW SPOILERS AHEAD! Hello. I have a question regarding the lamp post they used in the LWW movie. In the books, since that is the same lamp post that is in Magician’s Nephew, will they keep the same one to use in the movie version of Nephew to have continuity so that people who haven’t read the books might be able to pick up on that this is where it came from? Thank you.
-Jeff D.
A: Hello again Jeff! When it comes to the Lamp-post and it’s being recognizable, the story makes that very accessible. I think it’ll be very easy for the audience to understand that it is the same Lamp-post. That’s part of the magic of waiting to read The Magician’s Nephew until after you’ve read the previous five books (all books before The Last Battle): when you read it, after having been to Narnia, it reveals all of these secrets about how things came to be, why the Wardrobe is a doorway to Narnia, where the Lamp-post comes from, and more.. and that makes it very exciting to read later. Reading that story first takes away the magic of discovering a wardrobe with a doorway to another world, without expecting it.
Wow, that was a long one. I hope you enjoyed it! With that done, I can go back to work on my in-depth LWW Extended Edition review. It’s taking a while because I want it to be thorough. And that’s it for Mailbag #20!