There has been more trouble getting The Voyage of the Dawn Treader going into production with rising violence in Mexico as of late. Scheduled to begin filming production at Baja Studios next month, presumably set building and pre-production, the drug war violence may have led Disney and Walden Media to begin a search for another location. Baja Studio is the home of the water tank that was used for Titanic and Master And Commander.
Word has it that the production may move down under, as film industry officials in NSW and Queensland are chasing the movie. The Sunshine State is favoured to win because of the water tank at Warner Roadshow Studios on the Gold Coast. The Dawn Treader needs studios, beaches, jungles and other locations for a five-month shoot.
In the C.S. Lewis fantasy novel, Edmund, Lucy and their cousin Eustace return to the magical land of Narnia through a painting then set sail with King Caspian to find seven lost lords.
Briton Michael Apted, who made Amazing Grace, The World Is Not Enough and the Seven Up documentary series, is directing with returning roles for young Skandar Keynes and Georgie Henley. Also back will be Ben Barnes, who was Prince Caspian in the last instalment.
The producers are known to have investigated Australia as a location before they settled on Mexico.
What is it about watching the way this film is being handled that feels like watching a train wreck in slow motion? They are botching this franchise. A friend came by the house (shortly after I posted my comments on another article about Prince Caspian’s terrible release date/season) and asked if I had any movies he could borrow. I suggested Prince Caspian, and he was surprised because he had thought it hadn’t come to theaters yet!
After watching it he informed me that it was better than the first one.
Now they’re cutting budgets due to their mishandling of Caspian, and they keep pushing back the filming date.
Will Georgie be twenty when they begin shooting?
Better than the first one? Wow. Couldn’t disagree more. The first one at least resembled LWW. Caspian had little at all to do with Lewis’ Prince Caspian. One of the things that makes the book so great – and is almost non-existent in the movie – is the bringing to life the struggle that exists between faith and skepticism. The child-like faith of Caspian coupled with the heroic faith of Cornelius and unquestioned loyalty of Trumpkin, make excellent opponents for the antagonistic Narnian and Caloremen skeptics. In the book the Kings and Queens of Narnia were treated with reverence. The movie destroyed both of these key plots.
The budget is not the issue. The issue is this, they must cease setting aside the overtly Christian themes in favor of more PC (politically correct) ones. If they do not, Narnia fans will witness another disappointing PC (Prince Caspian) type movie, which could spell the end of the series.
I couldn’t disagree with you any more than I already do, Tom. I found Prince Caspian to be true to the spirit of the book. Sure, there were some differences, but I found the differences to be refreshing additions to a story that I found was not fulfilling as a book. I felt it was more of a lead-in to Voyage of the Dawn Treader, and that the movie was actually an improvement of the story in nearly every way.
I felt that Caspian captured the direction that the characters were headed, and the emotions that they were going through, very well.
When it comes to faith vs. skepticism, I think the movie does it just as well as the book, if not better in my own mind. High King Peter is a character that I feel was the outlet for that, along with Caspian. Remember, Peter decided that they have
This will be cool if it’s true, I live on the Gold Coast and we have amazing beaches, bush, rain forests, scrub etc and it’s a perfect place for them to shoot with that tank at movie world, I say Ben should come out here a month before, get a tan and he’ll be good!
Tom, I disagree greatly with some of the things in your reply. First off, let make sure I state that I enjoyed the first film more than the second, unlike my friend who borrowed the DVD.
I think that stating that the film had “little” to do with C.S. Lewis’ book is overstating things a bit. I think even Douglas Gresham would disagree with that sentiment. That certain aspects of the story were changed doesn’t mean that the book was violated or disregarded. The book does the best job of being the book anyway.
I have to add that the accusation that the changes were made as a result of concerns by the filmmaker or studio about the film being too “Christian” are unfounded. There is no evidence that Political Correctness has anything to do with the artistic decisions made in this film. Otherwise they would have avoided what many moviegoers took as a giant water Jesus attacking at the end of the film. Obscuring the Christian meaning in the Narnia books is impossible and Prince Caspian didn’t want for moments that were Christian in nature.
I think that it is possible (and I am not pointing fingers here) that some fans of Lewis and Narnia want the Christian origins of the Narnia tales to be more obvious than they already are in these films, as opposed to the elements of Greek mythology. As a secular fan who does not share Lewis’ beliefs (though I admire and respect him greatly), I find the books and both films enjoyable because they are well told.
The first movie was much better than the first because it followed the book. Books are almost always better than the movie if you read them first because the give you the freedom to invent your own ideas of the characters and scenes. Once you’ve read the book and made those ideas firm in your brain it is hard to see a movie that strays so far from it, like Prince Caspian.
From many of the movies that have come out, it’s easy to see how being “politically correct” seems to be much more important to hollywood than showing real values like those in Christianity.
ahmp. yaah.
i love the TLTWATW because they followed what CS Lewis wrote on the book unlike the movie PC. So Im looking forward seeing TVOTDT better! [i’ve read the 7 books]
its pretty hard to breath knowing that all you’ve read are being spoiled by neophyte narnians.
haha :]
iLove Narnia
For Narnia And for Aslan!
I have to ask a question, because it has come up twice now and I wanted to clarify it. When people describe being
Fan, I completely agree. The first movie was almost completely true to the book, which resulted in a much better movie. Honestly, Prince Caspian strayed so far from the book it made me sick. I didn’t even buy the movie on DVD. There was only one part I liked about the movie that wasn’t in the book, which was when Peter fell into the witches temptation and Edmund snapped him out of it. But besides that, straying from the book will cause the series to lose their fans.
I Agree! Queen Su kissing Prince Caspian?
eeew.
+ they have so many deleted scenes.
entirely disgusting!
uh mm. watching PC without reading the book, i say it’s GREAT! love it! but duh. when you had had read every book and that you almost memorize all Narnia’s history you’ll surely be sick. they change too many pieces of the story. so what? what’s the verdict?
as a real narnia Fan
i’ll agree with Prince Caspifan
:]