The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

Cool! I'm glad someone else loved it as much as I did. This is a fantasy classic that is going somewhat under-noticed amidst all of the superhero hubbub this summer.

 

I was quite impressed with Sergio Castellitto.

 

If Fox gets the distribution rights to the next movie, you can kiss the franchise goodbye. Fox will find a way to screw it up. I liked Prince Caspian, but I'm just worried that Fox would kill this Franchise.

 

In case anyone is confused, Disney dropped the franchise. Now Walden Media will have to find a new studio to distribute Voyage of the Dawn Treader before production can go forward. Personally, I'm hoping WB will pick it up.

 

http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=51523

Disney Pulls Out of Third Narnia Film
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
December 24, 2008

Walt Disney Pictures and Walden Media have confirmed that for budgetary and logistical reasons the Burbank-based studio is not exercising its option to co-produce and co-finance The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader with Walden.

The Hollywood Reporter says the third installment was in preproduction and set for a spring shoot for a planned May 2010 release. The development puts the participation of the talent attached in doubt, adds the trade. Michael Apted was on board to direct a script by Steven Knight. The key players of the second installment, "Prince Caspian" -- Ben Barnes, Georgie Henley, William Moseley and Anna Popplewell -- were to return for the third film.

Walden has a strong relationship with the C.S. Lewis estate and will shop "Treader" in hopes of finding a new partner. The most likely candidate at this stage is Fox, which markets and distributes Walden fare under the Fox Walden banner.

Any partnership on a "Narnia" movie will require a substantial investment, however. "Caspian," which filmed in the Czech Republic, Mexico and New Zealand, cost $200 million. The first film, "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," was shot mostly in New Zealand for $180 million.

This sucks big time, but Disney only has themselves to blame. The first film opens at Christmas and does 300 million domestically. Disney gets greedy and decided to open Prince Caspian in the summer thing they'll make even more money. However the choose a terrible date, between Iron Man and Indiana Jones, and don't promote it enough. Prince Caspian only did about half what the first film did.

I knew Disney was asking for trouble when the selected May 16th as the release date. Fantasy films just do better during the holiday season. Disney should have waited and opened the film a couple of weeks ago when there was virtually no competition for a big epic fantasy film. They shot themselves in the foot when they tried for a summer release.

Now having said that there is still hope. I'm hoping one of the other studios steps up to the plate to help keep the series going. I also hope that Walden Media retains all the copyrights and that Disney only provided money and distribution. I want the next film to look virtually identical to the first two other then not having the word Disney appear.

I think Warner Brothers would be a great choice since Harry Potter is almost finished. If they get Narnia they'll have the literary fantasy market cornered with Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings (through New Line) and Narnia. A big gamble would be MGM. They could use a major franchise to help them besides James Bond. However they may not have the cash.

Let's just hope the third film gets made, it has the same cast, and a Christmas release date.

 

I wasn't too happy with the way Disney made the movies (well, I really did like Prince Caspian), but I hope that they'll find someone to fund them. I think VOTDT is one of the best Narnia books, and I'd really like to see them make it. I'd like to see them make all of the movies.

I wasn't too excited about seeing PC, but after I did, I was a lot happier with it than the first.

- Serena

 

are all the kid actors from the first 2 movies supposed to be in the next one? I haven't read the third one in a long time and I know they don't appear in all of the books.

 

As far as the four children go, only Edmund and Lucy (the two youngest) return in the next movie, along with Caspian, their cousin Eustace and Reepicheep the mouse.

This is basically all I ask for.

 

I am seriously looking forward to VDT. I'm curious to see how Narnia will be when Disney isn't running the show.

 

Darn it. PC is one of the great all-time fantasy films, 10 times the film that LWW was. For whatever reason it lagged behind at the box office -- a summer release instead of winter holiday, or else a public weary of live-action fairy-tales -- it deserved a much better reception than it got. My concern, then, is that whoever takes over the franchise will have less funding and will take PC's lack of huge numbers as an indication to go in another direction stylistically -- both of which I think are a mistake. VDT needs an ample budget and it needs to be rendered in the exact same style as PC.

 

Dawn Treader and Silver Chair aren't some of the most entertaining stories of the series. I do hope it lasts long enough for Horse and His Boy to be made.


And yes, the only returning people in Dawn Treader should be Caspian, Edmund, Lucy, and Reepicheep.

 

And Aslan.

 

Are you kidding?! The Silver Chair was awesome! It has great movie potential.

 

Yeah, I heartily disagree with Miana Kenobi as well. VDT has those awesome sea battles and voyages, which distinguish that installment as unique and refreshing. I really hope they keep Michael Apted (Bond #19, Gorillas in the Mist) attached to the project; he'll do a fine job and deliver an exciting and realistic film.

 

VOTDT doesn't have much of a conflict, though. The whole story is about hopping from one island to another, getting in and out of misadventures.

What they would need to add to make VOTDT exciting is another ship that's trying to destroy the Dawn Treader or something. Then there could be an end battle between the ships before the Dawn Treader reaches the end of the world.

 

Exactly what I think.

 

It's true that VTDT didn't have a conflict, but that doesn't mean it's not entertaining. You don't have to have huge battles and conflicts to have a decent story. I'm not worried about VTDT being boring because I'm sure that kidnappings, pirates, sea monsters, the dark island(that's gonna be downright creepy!), Eustase(sp?) being turned into a dragon, etc. will be enough to make VTDT a great movie.

 

Yes, there is an adventure-serial feel to VDT; rather than one over-arching conflict (a main villain, for example), there are several immediate conflicts that the heroes have to resolve. This might make the story unconventional, but it isn't unfilmable or boring by a long shot. And any screenwriter worth his salt will spice up the material anyway.

 

I think the audience will have a high expectation for some sort of large action scene at the end of the movie, though, based on how the last two movies ended.

 

Which is why I was annoyed with how the last battles in PC and LWW where overdone. Not that there bad, they're very cool, but they should have kept in mind that other future films(VDT, SC, MN) without conflicts would look boring in comparison.

 

Agreed. Voyage of the Dawn Treader, if its made, will be more in the vein of an adventure movie with strong fantasy elements rather than being an attempt at high fantasy like The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe or Prince Caspian.

 

Damn this movie was horrible.

 

ummmm...why? Could you be a bit more specific?

 

This film is the farthest thing from "horrible" conceivable. It is stylish, moving, powerful, brilliantly shot and edited, with utterly convincing CGI effects that blend perfectly in with the live action, stunning photography, excellent performances, gripping plot, etc. etc. etc.