All of this talk about Disney bailing on The Chronicles of Narnia, and we finally have a comment from one of the creative team that is part of the series. That of producer Mark Johnson. I had the pleasure of spending a couple of hours with Mr. Johnson in New York last may, a couple of days after having seen Prince Caspian for the first time. He’s a genuine person, and someone that I feel will do a great job with the series from here on out, should it continue.
He’s commented, though, on Prince Caspian:
“We may have made a mistake in doing PRINCE CASPIAN as the second one,” Johnson said. “Unfortunately, PRINCE CASPIAN is one of the lesser-liked books. We also made a slightly more adult, darker story, and we shouldn’t have.”
Granted, if they would have skipped Caspian, Narnia fans would have wondered what might have been when the series just moved along. Peter and Susan would have been inexplicably absent, and we would have been fielding questions about their status, and why they skipped the book for months.
One thing that makes his comments really interesting is his statement about it being a more adult, darker story. It was, and I suppose that’s part of the reason that it was marketed the way that it was. But I don’t fault them for that. They did what they thought was right at the time, and hindsight in this case, is definitely 20/20.
Then he goes on to say “and we shouldn’t have” which a lot of Narnia fans would probably agree with. If it wasn’t as dark or adult a story, Aslan might have appeared more. The story might have followed the children as each of them starts to see Aslan one by one, as it is in the book.
This, however, is a hopeful story, as Mr. Johnson clearly understands the mistakes that were made, and should the right studio be found to join Walden Media, those mistakes will not be made again. Walden Media continues its’ search for a production partner, as they are still behind the series, 100%!
Addendum: I really enjoyed the darker and more adult story for Prince Caspian, as I have said in the past! 🙂
It is hopeful that they are catching their mistakes this early in the series. That is promising for the rest of the series.
However…..re the “dark and more adult” element. Ironically, my eight year old brother was reading over my shoulder when I read this article, and he said, “What? How can anyone not like that they took the dark and adult parts from the book and put them into the movie?” I have to agree with him–although maybe the themes were more developed than in the book, they were definitely there, and they gave the movie a great draw.
Yet it is supposed to be a family franchise. I think it is going to be harder to balance then the production teams realize–although a family friendly series, the Narnia books DO have a darker, more adult element, especially in between the lines. And let’s face it–with C.S. Lewis, the in between the lines stuff works. But in a movie, those in between the lines stuff have to be shown. So naturally the movies are going to have a more adult take.
I guess what concerns me is that I don’t want to see the Narnia movies dumbed down either. There ARE darker elements in the books–and even some very disturbing ones (especially in HHB and LB).
So I guess I disagree that they shouldn’t have made this story darker. By nature, a story involving a teenage boy who is going to be killed by a relative and has to wage war on him IS a darker story than a girl finding a magical land in a wardrobe. What do we want the movies to tell–fairy tales for kids, or follow the books themselves in telling a story that appeals to everyone with both with more enchanting and adult elements?
Hey Everyone, I just want to disagree with Producer Mark Johnson and say that I personally enjoyed and appreciated the more “adult, darker story.” I stand by my belief that “Prince Caspian” was really well done and exciting to watch and experience on the big screen. I thought the special effects were just magnificent (shame on you Golden Globes and Oscars!), and I consider the acting and emotions great (thank you Ben Barnes, William Moseley, Anna Popplewell, Georgie Henley, and Skandar Keynes among others!). Plus, any film with Tilda Swinton in it, even briefly, now gets my attention!
I do not know if this is heresy to say, but I actually liked “Prince Caspian” more than “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe,” and I love that book much more than “Prince Caspian” (as do the majority of Narnia fans, I am sure!). I do however agree with Mr. Martin and wish that Aslan had been shown more in the film a lot more often in HIS full glory, as HE is and should be the most prominent character in the Narnia stories. Nonetheless, Aslan does save the day at the conclusion of the movie, and that is ALWAYS important to me!
In terms of lower box office (and let me be honest: unlike Disney, I do not really consider over 400 million dollars worldwide and giant DVD sales over the holidays a disappointment), I think the blame lies primarily at the feet of the marketing people who did not introduce the mainstream public to the book “Prince Caspian” itself in the same way that did so well for the first movie. For example, I read recently that Disney refused to sell “Prince Caspian” directly to evangelical church members who have proven over time as with “Wardrobe” to be a very influential and powerful box office block.
I hope the advertising gets corrected for “Voyage of Dawn Treader,” which (if it ever shall be made) can be the type of rare film that I believe greatly pleases both adults and children in highly entertaining drama and adventure. Long live Narnia and Aslan!
It concerns me more that everyone seems to know this was the “Weaker” book , and yet the budget was more than LWW.
I’d hope, in the future, when faced with plotting out the budgets for the series, that Walden remembers which books the readers like more or less and spend accordingly.
That way, the return will be more reasonable.
In part, this is a response to some comment posts that are no longer here…
To call Prince Caspian the least of the books is not necessarily an insult. I think that is just where it stands in relation to the quality of the other books in the series. It is still of high quality (in my opinion), just not as high quality as the rest of the series (which is one of the best fantasy series of all time).
In seven of the seven Chronicles of Narnia, there are strong, engaging stories with multiple underlying meanings. However, in only six of the seven Chronicles of Narnia is there much character development. To restate, while all seven Chronicles (as far as I see) are successfully plot-centric (driven by the events in the story), only six of the Chronicles are character-centric as well. In Prince Caspian the book, not much happens to the main characters that makes any of them change. None of the main characters face much of an impending question that they must answer by the end of the story. In stead, Prince Caspian (more so than any of the other books in the series) is a story that is there to get the reader from point A to point B so that more CAN happen with these characters.
Although I agree that the majority of the Chronicles are so separate from one another that they are almost not really sequels per se (though that is still how they would be defined, I see the point behind the distinction), I think that this is not really so with Prince Caspian. This book is there (in large part) to bridge the gap between the completely different stories of LWW and VDT. It is a stellar sequel, but it is a sequel and a sequel whose primary importance (beyond the important themes of lost faith and why God doesn’t always help us) is to enable the wonderful stories that follow to be told and make sense.
As a side note, I think the themes in Prince Caspian are some of the more profound. The idea that God won’t help us unless we believe in Him is a difficult message, but one, I think, that MANY people need to hear. We are not doing God a favor by believing in Him after He has proven Himself to us. He does so much for us after we believe in Him. This sort of depth and importance of message in the series is only matched (again, in my opinion) by that of the Silver Chair, which completely trumps not only the rest of the series but a strong majority of fantasy literature as being a truly substantial and important work of art. Like with Prince Caspian, these themes in the Silver Chair (if translated properly to the screen) would logically make for a darker movie, which is something the filmmakers may (unfortunately or not) try to avoid.
Hmm… I don’t think I wrote enough…
I for one am not in search of a religious connection with these stories, although Lewis may have intended it as he wrote.
THese stories are well thought out, have great plots, great characters and lots of excitement and interest for those who like the fantasy genre.
The quality of work put into Prince Caspian is simply fabulous, told with the right blend of sensitivity and hardness, although I agree, not so much for tots.
It would be a deep entertainment crime should the series not be completed, in my humble opinion as these will stand the test of time like Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. Quality in, Quality out.
I am grateful that WaldenMedia is continuing to work on this story, as it is my favorite of the novels and stars the reappearance of Reepicheep, who is my favorite character. I felt that Reepicheep’s exit was C.S. Lewis’ salute to some of the great prophets of the old testament, and I would love to see how that would play out in a movie. I also feel that some of the scenes can be really well done.
I also think that it may be difficult for them to sell this movies to audiences as there is not much of a plot. This is a gentle quest, and there is no definitive purpose. It is not a life-or-death situation as in the first novels, so the movie must be set out differently. To be honest, there are few goals to the story. Caspian wants to visit the edges of the world to the east. Lucy and Edmund are merely along for the ride. Much of the story will have to be based on the character Eustace, whose development throughout the novel is one of the more important plots. In short, I want them to complete this movie, but I am also worried that it will also lose money due to the lack of an audience–they will have to sell it to a different group of people.
The Prince Caspian movie was well-done, I feel, and I am glad of some of the things that were incorporated. There was a lot more character development and a feeling that this story did not just take readers from one point to another but actually served a purpose in taking the characters further on their Christian journey, and I was grateful for some of that. It was a darker movie, but I still felt it worked as a family movie, though perhaps not for all the very young children. I think that it could not have been played down any more, that the theme of the story was very dark and difficult. Perhaps the problems between Caspian and Peter were a little more than originally intended, but I feel that it added an extra dimension to the plot that was necessary. The battle scenes could have been cut down a bit and I think that a lot more could have been done with Aslan, however. There was a wonderful chapter in the book that described Aslan’s movement through the country and his incredible effect upon the people. So many people came up to join Aslan, rising from their bad times and joining his glorious parade, and by cutting it out of the movie, I think that viewers missed some of that excitement. It’s the same feeling that is shown in the first movie when the beaver says “Aslan is on the move.” It gave me shivers to read that line, just as it made me want to dance for joy as I saw Aslan with Lucy and Susan. I was disappointed that they did not take advantage of that scene.
I encourage WaldenMedia to continue working, and I feel that they should work to not only show the difficult times that arise and some of the fear and pain that comes to the characters but to really show the wonder that Aslan brings to his people. C.S. Lewis’ did not want to focus on all the problems in the world but in the way that God can help us to solve them if we only call on him.
“I for one am not in search of a religious connection with these stories, although Lewis may have intended it as he wrote.”
I couldn’t agree more. I will go one step further and say that as a secular fan, I don’t need to share C.S. Lewis’ beliefs to see the genius of his fiction (though it does provide context for the work). In addition, I enjoyed Prince Caspian the film on its own merits, and I think it is was entertaining and visually stunning.
I hop the producers will bring us a new installment soon.
“I also think that it may be difficult for them to sell this movies to audiences as there is not much of a plot. This is a gentle quest, and there is no definitive purpose. It is not a life-or-death situation as in the first novels, so the movie must be set out differently. To be honest, there are few goals to the story.” – Stephanie
What about the journey to find the seven lords? That seems like a pretty big purpose, a good reason for them to be out there. The book isn’t aimless. However, I would agree that VDT is less plot-driven than the other books, as it’s far more character-driven. Eustace’s character arc really is what VDT is all about. Although, I do think people often overlook Lucy and Edmund in VDT. After all that they have been through and all they have learned, they are ready to help another person grow.
Even if no movies after the Voyage of the Dawn Treader get made, I still hope to see that one. If the filmmakers (I suppose, the director, screenwriter, and producers) nip, tuck, and prod in just the right spots, the Voyage of the Dawn Treader COULD be that film that makes people not only like but truly respect these movies. The potential is there in the book for a film worthy of a Best Picture Oscar (though, nowadays, I’m not sure if “worthy” is the right word). Do I expect the film to be that good? I don’t know. BUT the potential is definitely there for a fantastic character-driven film.