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The New NARNIA Movie Begins Filming

hey just wanted to know if there will be the next Narnia movie on the silver chair that will be casting for the role of Jill Pole

Thank you so much for the news! I’m looking forward to reading the news and seeing the pics!

HURRAY! Finally filming….Please finish all the movies.

I’m so glad things are finally underway…but I must say, I and ALL my Narniac friends ( at Narnia Web and The Lion’s Call) are very very worried that you’re going to do too many wacky things to the story.  Just what is this “unfathomable fate”??  And why does Narnia have to be “saved”??  If you veer too far off course from the basics of the book, you will lose your core audience for any future installments.  PLEASE be faithful to the book!  You’ve done so many wonderful adaptations (Holes, Terebithia, City of Ember), but we’re nervous about this one.  Sail on, Dawn Treader!!  Thanks & God bless!    <><

I am very excited to hear that filming is underway!  Please stay true to the book…Caspian is a king,  and why does Narnia have to be saved?

I’m looking forward to the Dawn Treader, completely, and taking the Voyage with you, as well as more adventures in Narnia, I hope!

-Paul Martin
NarniaFans

Dear Walden,

Thank you for making the Narnia movies.  They are wonderfully engaging stories.  I have always loved them.  I want to encourage you to remain faithful to the original books.  They do not need supplemental plot or extraneous diversions.  Please remain true with the Dawn Treader; it was a voyage of discovery for King Caspian.  It will be enough without extra additions such as impending doom for Narnia. 

I will admit I was disappointed with diversions in Prince Caspian.  The romantic interest by Prince Caspian and High Queen Susan was distracting and unnecessary.

Again, thank you for continuing to create the wonderful world of C. S. Lewis for us on the silver screen.  It is incredible to see the world come alive.  I am looking forward to seeing Voyage of the Dawn Treader in the theater and purchasing it as soon as possible on DVD.

May God bless you, always.

I am definitely “taking this Voyage” with you but I must express my worries about Narnia having to be saved from an unfathomable fate. I second the comments of Violamom and thewardrobe on the matter. Please stay true to the book as much as you can, it’s already a great story it can only be a great movie if done wisely. You have my best wishes =)

I agree, changing (including adding to) the story is NOT necessary or wise. I hope you stay true to the book.

Dear Walden:

We are fans of the Chronicles of Narnia, and have done a lot to help promote the first two films in the franchise. We are looking forward to doing even more for The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, and were very interested to see the recent press release. As dedicated fans, we have some concerns about the direction of the story.
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is a story about discovery. It is a wonderful, episodic sea-voyage with plenty of humor and serious moments as well. Our concern is that the movie may take a more “epic” and dark direction, with the introduction of plot points like the children having to save Narnia once more, etc.
There are several reasons that this creative approach — while great for other movies — will not work well for this story.
• First, changing the motivation for the voyage will make the story much darker. This isn’t what Lewis intended, and will cloud the important themes of the book (discovery and exploration) by substituting something that is, quite frankly, somewhat clichéd. “Big” and “epic” has already been done countless times in fantasy films, and will not capture the heart of Narnia.
• Second, the reaction to the leaked script is a good indication of how the fanbase feels about major plot changes. It is the book’s plot that is classic, that people have loved for over fifty years. Some changes are inevitable when translating a book to the big screen, but they should be avoided wherever possible, out of respect for the integrity of the story.
• Third, such major changes to the original story could jeopardize the film’s financial success. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was a much more faithful adaptation than Prince Caspian, and its greater success is partly related to that fact. The book’s many fans would be disappointed to see a different story on-screen, and that disappointment will result in bad word-of-mouth reviews and lower box office earnings.
Once again we want to thank you for bringing the beloved Chronicles to life. Please know that we really want the Narnia film franchise to succeed, and believe that The Voyage of the Dawn Treader has the potential to be absolutely fantastic on the big screen. We are really looking forward to it, and want you to know that we support your efforts. Thank you for considering our suggestions.
Sincerely,
The Fans at NarniaWeb.com

We are thankful for your interest and support in the Narnia franchise. We feel positive that you will be happy with the screen version of the VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER as we have worked very hard to stay true to the themes of the book.

Dear Walden,
I want to let you know how glad I am that the beloved book The Voyage of Dawn Treader will be made into a movie. At the time of this writing, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader was almost tied with The Horse and his Boy for first place in a list of favorite books on Narniaweb. Clearly The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is very dear to Narnia fans.

I have eagerly awaited news about The Vogage of the Dawn Treader, especially since it was uncertain for a while if it would be made and hope that it will be a faithful adaptation of the book and a successful movie. I am sure that you also hold the book dear and want to make a movie that will be true to the book and be successful in the box office.

I was pleased to read in the press release that the Pevensies and Eustace will enter Narnia through a painting like in the book. I assume the mention of the “sinister slave traders” refers to Pug and his men capturing the children, Caspian, and Reepicheep and trying to sell them in the slave market and that Caspian will be bought by Lord Bern and pretend to have an army of ships.

However, I was concerned to read the line “Only an entirely uncharted journey to Aslan’s Country - a voyage of destiny and transformation for each of those aboard the Dawn Treader - can save Narnia, and all the astonishing creatures in it, from an unfathomable fate.” I am confused because in the book Narnia does not to be rescued, and I feel that this is part of what makes the book special. Narnia was saved in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and Prince Caspian and will be rescued in the Silver Chair and Archenland will be rescued in The Horse and his Boy. I feel that the unique aspect about the Chronicles is that the plots and characters are varied. Too often different installments of the same series have very similar plots and make the audience feel that they have been there before. I understand that some changes are necessary to make a book in to a movie and admit that I am a bit paranoid when it comes to the adaptation of the Chronicles. This feeling, however, stems from my deep love of the Chronicles and desire that the The Vogaye of the Dawn Treader be successful and accurate, so that more successful and accurate movies based on the Chronicles can be made.

Referring back to the quote from the press release, I feel that the changes the characters go through are a very important to the plot of the book. I see some of these changes as being Eustace’s changing from a pesky boy to a nice dragon to a nice boy and Lucy showing her bravery when going up to free the Dufflepuds from being invisible and learning from the temptations she faces and the mistake she makes when reading the magician’s book.

I also feel that it is critical to the story that Aslan tell the children that he is in their world too. 

I hope that my concerns about some items in the press release are unfounded and are just a misunderstanding on my part. I understand the descriptions about movies, books, etc. are often exaggerated and that it is easy to read too much into things.

Thank you again for taking on the enormous responsibility of making the Narnia books into movies. I am sure that we all want this movie to be a success among fans of the books and the general public as well.

I agree wholeheartedly NarniaWeb’s letter.

As a fan who loves these books dearly, I would ask that Walden’s version of the movie steer clear of anything pertaining to “saving Narnia from an unfathomable fate,” which frankly has me concerned about the direction the filmmakers are going with the story.

Dawn Treader is a story of adventure and discovery, not one of epic battles and saving the world. Please, don’t try to make Voyage of the Dawn Treader into something that it’s not.

Walden, just in case you were wondering—
You will never regret staying true to the book. Never.
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is so beloved because it is a wonderful story. You don’t have to add anything to it.
The fans of the book, the ones who will be seeing the movie and buying merchandise, will be extremely happy and grateful if you remain true to the book. Change things needlessly, and you will alienate your core base. Unhappy fans = movie does poorly = no $ = the other movies don’t get made.
In short, you have every reason to make a faithful adaption of VOTDT, and no reason to change things. It’s best for all involved. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe was faithful to the book, and did well. Prince Caspian had many changes, and did not. You see why we fans are worried about this one.
I am very much looking forward to this movie. Thank you!

I am eagerly awaiting the film adaptation of my favorite book in the series and one of my favorite children’s books.  Voyage of the Dawn Treader is a beautiful tale of a curious and loyal king who learns a lot about himself and about ruling on a voyage to visit his far off territories and retrieve friends of his father’s from various islands on the way to the end of the earth.  I would urge Walden Media and the rest of the crew to remain faithful to the original spirit and themes of the book: that of exploration and not of “saving” Narnia from a “fate worse than death.”

I strongly support all of NarniaWeb’s points.  I only saw Prince Caspian in theaters once; I was too disappointed in the treatment of the characters and storyline to view it again.  The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is my favorite book within the Chronicles.  Please stay close to the book!  This tale is about adventure and discovery, NOT “saving Narnia from a fate worse then death.”

If you wish to keep fans and keep money coming into this series, then please do not destroy all that we know and love!  Please keep Lewis’ goals of encouraging a child’s imagination and thoughts to grow with the characters; don’t try to change it to fit whatever it is Hollywood likes at the moment.

I have faith that you will make a wonderful adaptation; please don’t let your loyal fans down.

Thanks a bunch, Walden Media :D
I’m so happy that the Dawn Treader will be adapted, and your commitment to stay true to the themes in the book makes me all the more wanting to see it. I can’t wait!

I saw some pictures of the set and costumes and it looks amazing and so incredibly exciting. I trust that the book will have it’s justice. I also have a question. Can fans give musician recommendations for the songs inspired by the film and where we can do this? I have an idea or two in my mind…

Who do you have in mind? =)

I cannot wait!

Prince Caspian and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe are perfect in every way, and it gives me the utmost confidence that the rest of the series will be no less spectacular. Both films, especially Prince Caspian, are so moving to me in fact that I burst into tears of alternating melancholy and joy every time I view them, for the entire running duration, which means a lot coming from a filmmaker who is also a film lover that counts over 300 films amongst my favourites list out of the 2,500 I’ve seen so far.

The only concern I have is Mark Johnson’s comment in a print interview a few months ago wherein he stated he felt the team had perhaps gone “too dark” on PC, and that he felt that was the reason for the dip into box-office, down from TLTWTW’s share. I felt the darkness was pitch-perfect for that story, and while The Dawn Treader should be a bit lighter, the remaining films, particularly The Last Battle, should be as dark as Caspian was. Not any more, but certainly not any less.

We all know the real dip in profits wasn’t due to the darkness or Caspian’s thematic bridging scenes that were masterfully woven in, but because it was released within a week of the first Indiana Jones movie to come along in two decades, not to mention only 2 weeks after the powerhouse of Iron Man! It was definitely the May release, as opposed to the December one that TLTWTW set the precedent with that drained the potential audience. So it’s indeed a great move releasing TDT in Dec. of 2010, but please don’t tread too far back from being a bit more mature (while staying within the PG realm), ESPECIALLY for the remaining films!

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

P.S. - Please consider bringing back Regina Spektor, who not only created the most perfect song for a single film outside of Williams’ Star Wars, Jaws, and Indiana Jones themes and Gregson’s Narnia theme, but what is also one of the greatest songs in pop-music history period!

Hello to every narnia fan. I must tell about this movie that is going to be an awsome book adaption. I have all the narnia books and i love them im reading them again. Walden i just want to say that u did and awsome adaption with lion the witch and the warbrobe and prince caspian. Greate effects,action, drama, romance( That wasent in the book but it work greate, Remmember peopple the movies r based in the book not the same,but most important every messege that cs Lewis wanted to send to us r in the movies thats wat important i dont care if they add more action peril, drama. If they add more peril is good because is going to be more suspenfull and with more vitual effects. Wakden i must say go on and do the best with this movie, but most importantly put every messege that cs lewis wanted to be there ok. I cant wait to see the movie the book was greate i can not imagin how the movie is going to be, im so exited.

Hi, I’m from Premier Christian Radio in London, UK.  Wehave already worked with you guys promoting the first 2 Narnia films over here and are eagerly following the progress of Dawntreader.  Very excited to hear that filming has started.  I will be keeping our web surfers and radio listeners informed of the progress.

Yes! this is very cool about having the Spirit of this organization and the dollars behind these movies. The adaptation of each book is soooo important to bring the message across..that same message that C.S.Lewis wanted everyone especially children to hear and experience. I thank you and pray that you continue on with this very important mission and of course for now…voyage!!!
Thanks….Long Live Aslan !!!

Just wanted to say we are behind you and supporting you while you film Voyage of the Dawn Treader. I have enjoyed the Chronicles of Narnia movies and I’m sure this one will be the best movie in the series!!  Good Luck!!  Can’t wait until 12/2010!!

What the heckl are you playing at chaging the plot. It goes against the whole reason why CS. Lewis wrote the book; or did none of you watch the narnia code? I think the movie be much better if you flimed what the book states, not what you had a dream about last night after watching Jurassic Park. If you do include the “unfathomable fate” then doesn’t it kind of take away the plot of the Last Battle?

BTW Does Anyone know when The Horse and his Boy Auditions are if they are doing them?