Another successful April Fools Day comes and goes. I couldn’t have asked for a better response than the one that was given by the amount of press that we received from our three major April Fools Day jokes this year.
For our wrap up this year, Jonathon and I are collaborating on this story. We’re both weighing in on the response to the stories that I can take no credit for. Jonathon is a genius, and he is THE genius behind the April Fool’s Day jokes this year and last.
Reading the comments on the stories is really fun, as people express thoughts of dread, the idea that it might well be an elaborate ruse, and more gems of incredible emotion.
By far, my most favorite mention, however, is on the blog of a movie magazine that I never expected to get a mention in:
Cinefantastique! It even made the front page!
Thank you, Steve Biodrowski, your write up made it all worth it.
Jeffrey Overstreet called our Twilight story his “Favorite April Fool joke of the day so far” via Twitter, and goes on to call it “wonderfully painful” on his blog.
These stories spread around the Twitter world very quickly, and brought in a huge spike in traffic, more than doubling our usual visitor traffic, and we had a great time with them.
As a round up:
- Twilight scribe Stephenie Meyer is not writing The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. ( or The Hobbit.)
- Cast members from The Princess Bride are (sadly) not really in the cast (yet?) And for that matter, neither are Andy Serkis or any Muppet performers ( past and present) as voices of the Dufflepods.
- Mel Gibson and Kirk Cameron have not signed to an Untitled Inklings Movie, nor have any of the other actors.
Jonathon’s response:
Most of my thoughts are the same as Paul’s. As Paul said, I was the man behind all of these jokes both this year and last year. It has often been told to aspiring authors to “write what you would want to read.” In this case, I went with jokes I’d be inclined to believe as well. Clearly, that has been achieved.
Seeing all the press we got for this was amazing. (I’m wondering if this will make Wikipedia.) It is just as much fun to read some of the responses to the jokes as it was to actually come up with them. At some responses I’d laugh, and at other’s I’d muse to myself, “why so serious?”
All of you loyal NarniaFans readers have been great sports as usual, and I thank you for endulging in our tomfoolery.
I believed the Twilight one- I wish Stephenie WAS really writing VDT!! 😀
Yep…I knew it. That was fun… I can’t wait till next April 1!
Wow, that was hilarious! I even sort of, kinda believed them…although I did hope the Twilight one wasn’t true *shudder*
Actually I wasn’t really sure whether to believe them or not…I knew the stephenie meyer one wasn’t true cause she said on her website she didn’t intend to write any sequels,scripts,etc
I knew it!;) Anyway, a really good job NarniaFans!
I must say your April Fools “reports” were better than that other Narnia site (NarniaW…). And they were in better taste than some I’ve seen, including a cousin of mine who reported on Facebook that he only has 5 days to live.
Good job. What are you going to do next year to top these?
Thanks tons! We only have 364 days to plan it all… and that’s also the year that Dawn Treader releases… we’ll still be about 8 months out from the release date then.. perhaps it’ll be something to do with that. I can only hope they’ll be half as good as these. These were comic gold!
Well, as you know, Paul, I bought it hook, line AND sinker and even Twittered my delight at the choices of cast. Possibly because (and this is a feeble excuse, I know) it was already April 2nd in New Zealand when I read it, as we’re 19-0dd hours ahead. But well done. Now I’ll go and cry, as I won’t be seeing Inigo Montoya in VDT… :0(
Cheers
Magnus
“Weta Bloke”
Yes, I definitely caught that. I wish it were true as well. It would be awesome to see Inigo in Dawn Treader. I think he’d fit perfectly in the film. 🙂
Thanks Magnus! That comment made my day. I did know it was April 2nd in New Zealand, but I did think the date stamp would give it away as well. 😉
i’m depressed now. it would be cool for the princess bride people to be in it. well, good joke, you guys.
Ha ha. Good one guys! I do hope that there will be a movie about the Inklings! It’d be AMAZING!
I thought so…but I kinda wished the last 2 were true. But, thank goodness Meyer isn’t involved. Good job!
Man, I was so happy to hear about a Mel Gibson-Movie -.-
That WAS mean…but funny 😉
Good to hear that the Stephanie Meyer and Inklings film are April Fools Day jokes, but I would have LOVED to have seen (or heard) Cary Elwes and Mandy Patinkin in Dawn Treader! Now . . . I’m a little sad. 🙁
Well, thanks. I just sent an e-mail to all my friends saying how the author of Twilight was scripting Narnia 3, and there was going to be a movie about C.S. Lewis and Tolkien, and etc etc etc. Humph. LOL!
SO GLAD ON SO MANY LEVELS ABOUT THE STEPHINE MEYER THING THAT WOULD RUIN VOTDT
Now that Fox is co-financing the franchise, perhaps we should get Bart and Lisa Simpson to walk through a wardrobe at Springfield elementary school and find a snow covered magical land . . . .
Skandar Keynes and Will Moseley could appear as special guest voices of the week. After all if Tony Blair can appear as himself, why not the Narnia cast ?
I did partway fall for the Princess Bride thing until I saw the date, but the other two were just too far out. 😉
well i’m happy that the twilight lady isn’t doing the script…that’d be horrid…but i was so pumped bout the princess bride actors being in VDT! i didn’t read it till today (april 8) and all thoughts of april fools were gone. i was waiting for my family to get home so i could tell em bout it! it wasn’t till after i got all excited that i saw it was posted april fools and saw all the comments and how people were saying it was a big joke. atleast i did a little mor research b4 told my family…i woulda looked so stupid. anyway…who ever thought that up was a genius but i’m so mad!!!!! grrr >:(
hahahahahaha
but i still don’t think the twilight thing was funny.
Like, really NOT funny.