Now for the thirtieth edition of the NarniaFans Mailbag! It’s good to be back, and I’m having a great time at this so far. I just need more letters. Then my esteemed team will be able to help answer questions (the earlier you ask them, the better). It gives us more time to do research and give you the best answer possible on the Thursday release date! This week’s questions cover the qualifications of Michael Apted, if there is any more Dawn Treader promotional material and scenes that a reader feels were missing from Prince Caspian.
Q: Do you know much about Micheal Apted’s previous work, and with that in mind how do you think his approach will be different to Andrew Adamson’s?
-You_are_a_mouse
Paul: I do know a bit about Michael Apted’s previous work. Enough to know that he’ll do a great job with the film. He’s directed 67 previous titles, amounting to 100 previous projects accounting for all films and episodes of tv shows combined. This is his 101st film project. He’s got a James Bond film, episodes of Rome and Amazing Grace under his belt within the last 10 years, among other projects. He’s definitely qualified for it.
By contrast, Andrew Adamson has directed four films total. This includes Shrek, Shrek 2, and both Narnia films. He served as co-director with Vicky Jenson on Shrek, and Kelly Asbury and Conrad Vernon on Shrek 2 prior to working lead on the Narnia films. Did this make him less worthy of the Narnia films? Prior to the start of filming, I remember people were a bit concerned that the director of the Shrek films would be handling Narnia.
It’s understandable that you’re concerned for the future of the series, however, as a new director could take things into directions that you did not expect, or use a style that is so different from before, that it’s almost unrecognizable from prior films in the series.
But if you look at other film series as an example of changing directors mid-stream, you’ll see it can result in great results. Star Wars (1977) was directed by George Lucas, while directing duties for The Empire Strikes Back (1980) were handled by Irvin Kershner, and Return of the Jedi (1983) by Richard Marquand. Many feel that Empire is the greatest of the original trilogy, while I like Jedi best. Either way, it was a different director each time.
Harry Potter has been a sticky point with many fans of the franchise. I’m in the strange position of having never read the books (only listened to the book on CD for the seventh book). The first two films, like Narnia, were directed by one director. Chris Columbus created a paint-by-numbers pair of Harry Potter films, and was followed by a director that I felt was more than capable of taking over the series, and would welcome him to the Narnia series whole heartedly. Perhaps for The Horse and His Boy. Alfonso Cuarón was the director of A Little Princess, and because of that, was more than capable of handling the third Harry Potter film. The film, as I understand it, skips some of the book’s plot points that are “extremely important.” However, as someone that never read the book, I found the story lacking nothing. It was a complete movie and the first Harry Potter story that actually captured my interest. I felt that the fourth film regressed back to Columbus style drab, but the fifth film was more the style of the third.
The Lord of the Rings is another great example. Prior to the release, everyone was worried because Peter Jackson had never directed a major blockbuster. They were giving a novice director a budget of close to $300 million, and three release dates, and he was filming three movies at the same time. If the first one bombed, they still had two more films scheduled and near complete, save for pick-up shots. It was a major risk that turned into my favorite motion picture of all time (I don’t consider them as three separate films any more). Now they’re working on The Hobbit, and Guillermo del Toro is directing it. People are now saying that only Peter Jackson should.
It’s the same mentality that people have about actors. When casting the Joker for The Dark Knight, everyone was saying that Jack Nicholson could never be topped as the character. Then they cast Heath Ledger in the role, and the internet went crazy with people furious about it. People expected Ledger to be terrible in the role and were wondering why him. The answer was clearly evident as Ledger gave an Academy Award worthy performance as the Joker. Now people are saying that nobody could ever play the Joker as well as Heath Ledger. Really? If Ledger could top Nicholson, surely someone else could top Ledger.
I know this was a long and rather scatterbrained answer to the question, but I needed to put it all into perspective.
Q: Now, for a serious question–besides those two pieces of concept art I and my brother spotted in the PC extras (Magician’s house and Dawn Treader painting), are there any known verifiable movie spoilers of promo-material which have been released for The Voyage of the Dawn Treader yet?
-Lily_of_Archenland
Paul: Great question, Lily! Nope! Nothing yet. I’ve got some information that I can’t share, but that’s all it is: information. As for promotional products or images or anything, perhaps later on this summer we’ll start seeing promotional photos of actors in costumes, set pictures, and all of that.
Q: One quick question: why did they cut out the precious moments between Aslan and Lucy? And Aslan and Trumpkin, and Reepicheep, they did not quite put it the way the book did, and it completely ruined it? is it in the Deleted scenes? (I really need to get BLU-RAY!!!)
-Madison
Paul: Yeah, you should get the Blu-ray. It’s pretty spectacular, and looks amazing. As for your question, though, I suppose it’s a matter of perspective on whether or not it completely ruined the movie for not including those scenes. I felt the scenes with Aslan and Lucy that were included were brilliant and well done.
Showing Aslan tossing the dwarf Trumpkin into the air? Is that what you are referring to? Apart from looking rather cheesy, it would have also been very expensive to create, with the effects that would have been required to accomplish such a shot. I’m also not sure what scene between Aslan and Reepicheep that you’re referring to. It’s late and I don’t have the book on me to look up what it might have been.
Perhaps others have a better response than that?
That’s it for this week’s mailbag! Sorry I went long on the first answer. It is something that I find I am talking about fairly often, and have a lot of great examples to back up my points. 🙂 Contact us with our contact form, or e-mail us with the subject “Mailbag” to get a question in!
Thank you for the thorough analysis of Michale Apted and his qualifications. Making Dawn Treader into a movie is not going to be an easy task. But if anyone is up to it, I would think Apted is.
You’re welcome. I know it’s not a lot about Michael Apted, specifically, but I tackled it from the perspective of previous series that flourished under new direction, rather than trying to analyze a man that, like many, has never directed a fantasy-genre film before.
I agree with Madison about Aslan and Lucy. That really spoiled it how they made her time with Aslan a dream.
I think the main difference with Aslan and Trumpkin in the movie versus in the book was when Aslan roared at him, versus laughing and throwing him in the air. I don’t think expense/cost was on their mind when they changed that; however, I also don’t think they really thought through the meaning for it. In the book it shows a picture of God’s grace to us, while the movie in a way makes it more a picture of God’s judgment. Something to think about.
You answered my question! Yay! That’s so exciting!
Thanks… I feel a lot more reassured now that I know how many great projects he’s done. I’m sure Dawn Treader will be great- and maybe he’ll be our Alfonso Cuaron! (Who by the way I think would be great directing The Silver Chair).
I have a question for you. Not sure if this is quite the place, but here goes. Could you offer any perspective on the ages of the main actors, especially considering the delays of PC and VDT? Do you think this adds the inevitability of minor romances such as we saw with Susan and Caspian, and does this ruin or compromise the spirit of the stories? I know I would have liked to see the Pevensies (and Eustace and Jill) stay around the ages of 10-14 or so.
I know I’m not Mailbag Personnel, but here goes…
It did get on my nerves that Caspian was older in PC, as that seemed to take away a lot of the element of the childlike in him… that lad I’d learned to love in the book still clinging to Nurse’s stories and looking up to these ideals of the myths of old. But it seems like his age lands about right on Ben Barnes for a good job in VDT–and I was actually thinking the whole attitude Caspian has in movie-PC fits in much better with the Caspian we see in VDT. The Caspian arguing over Goldwater Island, getting himself in trouble by trying to be independent and all-on-his-lonesome in the Lone Islands, and eventually even attempting to abdicate to follow the whim of his will before Aslan gets him back on track.
And since he’s now SUPPOSED to have romance in his storyline, him being the right age for romantic involvement shouldn’t be a negative issue. 😉
Thanks for the reply, but my question was about the Pevensies and Eustace and Jill, not so much about Caspian. His being older didn’t bother me quite as much, as I understand about VDT, but Susan’s did. Say what you like – Susan/Caspian was NEVER supposed to be a possibility.
Although I felt it was too cheesy to be as much of a threat to the truth as some of their other alterations, I’m not a Susan/Caspian supporter.
However, I hadn’t thought of possible future problems… Think they would do Eustace/Jill?
ooh i think they will! Maybe in the last battle. That would show how they both have changed through their encounters with Narnia, and grown to know each other. It would also add even more emotion to that movie (if they make it…)
But if you read the book, It’s actually quite plausible… the’ve got a little subtext thing going on…
I don’t think it would cause as much controversy as the susan/caspian thing. It might also help to counteract the “Susan Problem” in that story.
I appreciate your answer, but the bro brought up something else we’d spotted that he thinks counts as promo material. In the same part of the extras as the concept art, there was what appeared to be preliminary CG on the shadow of either the dragon or Dragon-Eustace, and a bit of rising sea-serpent… so my question, it seems, didn’t cover all the bases.
Thanks again for answering, and I look forward to any updates you people give us in the future. 🙂
What you saw on the PC extras were brief shots from VDT’s pre-viz: the shadow of a wing cast against the water and what appeared to be the sea serpent coming at the camera.
Of course, these shots may not make the film. That pre-viz was completed before the switch in studios and writers. And if you compare the pre-viz for PC to the final product, there are differences. For example, the PC pre-viz had an awesome, sweeping shot of Aslan in the distance with the trees parting and bowing in front of him. It was amazing, even in rough CG form. Also the pre-viz of the trees in battle showed them literally flinging Telmarines into the air and attacking multiple trebuchets. The film versions were different.
All of that aside, just think: in a little over a year, we should have a teaser trailer to dissect!
I think that Michael Apted is quite qualified! He directed the movie Amazing Grace about William Wilberforce. It was AMAZING! Very, very good quality movie and very moving. He did an amazing job, and I can only hope he does just as good on The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.
I have another question- Do you know anything about the Dawn Treader Cast?
Apart from our lovely returning cast and Eustace, is there any news, talk, rumours, speculation at all??? I’m desperate to knwo who Drinian is!
me too! i can’t wait to see who they add to the cast! so exciting!!
…What are the chances that the series’ changing hands (Disney to Fox) will adversely affect the movie’s effects department capacities?
And what sort of Narnia-related events are available to attend in the southern US right now?