Another thing to remember with scripts is they are continually works in progress, not just at the beginning. I remember a comment Peter Jackson said on the appendices of the extended Fellowship of the Ring--they would constantly write, talk, rewrite, think, rewrite up until the shooting of the scene, literally. John Ryes-Davies, who played Gimli, said he has boxes of rewrites that they would slip under his door in the middle of the night, most of them unopened because he knew they'd be changed again by morning anyway.
And as a comfort to you Puddleglums out there
Jackson also commented that as they revised and rewrote the scripts became closer to the book. Though I know many of you fans don't have the same faith in the Chronicles script writers as the LOTR fans have with PJ.
Well, I actually do...at least, in the respect that the script writers have been able to keep true to the predominant theme of Aslan always "being there" and being "in control". Even the nuances, like tiny little lines such as the one in LWW when Aslan says, "I, too, want my family safe" or "You have to trust me, for this must be done".
And honestly, I trust Stephen Knight (new script-writer under Apted...unless he's been changed or something). I'm actually surprised he would write something like the previous scrapped script...but maybe it wasn't all him. I mean, his script for
Amazing Grace was phenomenal, so I don't really expect him to do anything less than that.
As for the little nuances I mentioned, I hope they remember to keep those in. They've been a constant theme throughout the first 2 films, so I'm going to look for them in the 3rd.
And one more nuance. The word "impossible". Somebody "bad" (Gumpas, maybe? Pug?) needs to say it in response to something that is being represented as the "truth". I don't know if anyone else has noticed, but that one word, too, has been a running motif in the last 2 movies. The first time it's said is in Susan's response to walking through the wardrobe the first time (they were already foreshadowing her fall then), and the second time was by the White Witch when the resurrected Aslan comes to the battle (thus linking Susan to the source of evil? more foreshadowing?). The third time is when Miraz sees Trumpkin for the first time (linking him to doubt? which CAN be a source of evil? too). See the theme? It's only said by the people who think (or eventually will think--ie Susan) that they have no reason to believe in the true Aslan, the true Narnia, etc. I've enjoyed seeing that one tiny bit in the films so far; I hope it's continued, or I will be quite sad.
But...Eustace should NOT say it, because he eventually converts. I think the only reason Susan says it is because she ends up going in the opposite direction (keep in mind Jadis and Miraz are basically evil the whole time). It wouldn't make sense for him to say it and then completely turn around and become one of the 7 Friends of Narnia, when Susan says it and then stops being a Friend, and when the other two who say it are either the embodiment of evil or allying w/ evil for good. Does anyone understand me?? If not...nevermind...or I could explain it again...
Anyhoo, given all that, I guess I wish I could be part of the script-writing team. But I'll have faith in Knight & Co.; I think they'll do well.
