Yes, confession, the breaking news stories yesterday were in fact April Fools Day Jokes. I really enjoyed reading everyone’s responses to the jokes both on the message board for NarniaFans and NarniaWeb. I almost busted a gut laughing at some of your responses! Some of you caught on really well! I was impressed. I hope none of you were too alarmed by any of the news and apologize if you were. Thank you all for being such great sports. As a bonus, I hope some of you checked my source link on Wikipedia as it would have led to a page on April Fools.
So yes, there will not be a new Narnia book focusing on the legend of Queen Swanwhite ( though there are some well written fan fictions on-line if you can find them). Lindsey Lohan will not be in Narnia as Ramandu’s daughter. Zac Ephron won’t be playing Eustace. The “powers that be” have wisely chosen unknowns for the principles thus far and surround them with great top-notch actors and actresses as apposed to celebrities, for the supporting roles. No doubt they will repeat this formula.
When actual news of the cast for Voyage of the Dawn Treader does surface, you can count on us to have the news. And rest assured, I think we all will be “presently surprised” when the news hits and amazed when the next installment of our beloved fantasy series comes to life .
Though remember when April 1st comes around I think we all have the tendency to behave a bit like Edmund ( or maybe Eustace.) ESPECIALLY here at NarniaFans.
For those who missed out on the fun and excitement ( and the possible heart failures, seizures, strokes, Near Death Experiences, nausea, throwing up in the mouth, rage, and other symptoms associated with believing the jokes) here they are.
Harper Collins announces release of “Lost” Narnian Chronicle: “The Legend of Queen Swanwhite.”
Long time fans of the Chronicles of Narnia who were saddened by the end of the series in 1956 may rejoice at some news from publisher Harper Collins. With the help of Walter Hooper, Colin Duriez, and other Lewis scholars, Harper Collins is posthumously publishing the book that existed in various fragments. Lewis scholars had found these fragments and pieced them together, resulting in a coherent story.
“Parts of it were in old notebooks. A page or two had been written on a couple of cocktail napkins. The opening page had been scribbled on a student’s test booklet that he was grading. A few other bits and pieces were found in other places,” said Hooper, a long time editor and collaborator with Lewis.
“A few fragments were even found on an old chewing gum wrapper from a stick of gum that Tolkien gave to Lewis,” he added.
“We are very excited about this new release,” said a representative of Harper Collins. “ We were a little leery at first about releasing it as we weren’t sure if it would sell. The only fantasy books that seem to sell now a days are Harry Potter books. You can’t bank on the success of some old dead guy.”
However another CEO, who wished to remain anonymous, expects the book to do well considering the success of Tolkien’s Children of Hurin last summer.
“Children of Hurin was number 1 on the New York Times Best-Seller list. It knocked a Harry Potter book off of it’s spot and out sold the final Left Behind book. A rare feat for a book by a deceased writer. This has shown it could work.”
Narnia has it’s own built in fan base. Readers young and old have been hoping for more Narnia books since the release of the Last Battle,” said Colin Duriz, a noted Lewis scholar and author of various handbooks devoted to CS Lewis, JRR Tolkien and their various works. “Now they have their wish.”
Hardcore fans will remember that Queen Swanwhite was mentioned by Jewel the unicorn in the Last Battle as an important figure in Narnian history. Her name is featured on countless Narnia Timelines. There does appear to be some discrepancy between when Jewel says the events happened ( the year 1500 in Narnia time), and the official timeline compiled by Lewis. ( 900. Approximately before Jadis came to rule Narnia.)
“This book will definitely shed some light on those questions,” said Hooper. “Fans have been wondering about her for years. Now they will discover her rich story.”
We have yet to receive any details on the full plot or what other characters will appear in the story. Early rumors indicate that it may also deal with the Jadis’s return to Narnia, the beginning of the 100 year winter and how Tumnus came under her employment.
The book is expected to be released sometime this Christmas. We have not yet been able to reach Douglas Gresham for comment on this book.
Casting Announcement : HSM Star joins the Voyage.
Word on the street indicates that a choice has been made on a crucial member of the cast of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. That role is Eustace Scrubb. It is none other than High School Musical star, Zac Efron.
“They were hesitant on casting him at first,” the insider reported. “ As he is such a high profile star. But he gave the best audition.”
Other finalists on the very short list included Dylan and Cole Spraus from the Disney Channels Suite Life of Zack and Cody, Ricky Ulman from Phil of the Future, Jake Lloyd ( Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace), and Haley Joel Osment.
“Our preferences were for either Efron, Ulman or one of the Spraus twins to get a role in this franchise,” said a Disney insider. “Narnia is one of our most bankable franchises, and these are some of our biggest stars. Efron, especially has a lot of street credence with our target audiences.”
“They’ve cast plenty no-names in the series, such as that guy from Schindler’s List ( JS: Liam Neeson) as the voice of Aslan,” said a member of the filming crew. “While he’s a great actor, what we need is a big star to carry the franchise. No one is bigger than Zac Efron right now. It was a perfect fit.”
Efron has already been training for his role and is meeting with his dialect coach to prefect a British accent. Reports indicate he is getting along well with the cast already. It has also been reported that Partick Stewart ( X-Men, Star Trek: TNG), and Christopher Lee ( Lord of the Rings, Star Wars Episode II&III) have also been seen on set. Could they also be filling in roles for the film, perhaps as Coriakin and Ramandu?
Check back with NarniaFans tomorrow for more news on these casting choices!
Lindsey Lohan enters Narnia!
One of the biggest names in Hollywood is getting to become part of one of the biggest fantasy franchises. Sources indicate that child star Lindsey Lohan has received a role in the next installment of the Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. She has been tapped to play the small, but memorable character of the daughter of Ramandu.
Fans of the series will remember that Caspian, Lucy, Edmund and Eustace meet the character at the last island they landed on before they reached the edge of the world of Narnia. The character is the daughter of the wizard Ramandu, a retried star. She and Caspian fall in love and get married. The two of them become the parents of Prince Rillian, one of the main figures in The Silver Chair.
The character is never named, but expect the screen writers to amend that situation. The star’s agent says that this will be a great way for her to repair her image following her legal problems that were the subject of tabloids for weeks, as well as the box office failures of her recent films.
An executive from Disney said, “We are honored to have her coming back. She has had a great record with us.”
The actress has gone on to say, “I really like the books. They’re my favorite. Goblet of Fire is my favorite out of all of them. Wait, this isn’t Harry Potter? Oh well, a jobs a job.”
