Disney buys rights to Narnia movies

[Chilly Down]

In light of all the other developments of the past month, I thought this was noteworthy.

Again, I'm optimistic. Andrew Adamson's a talented director; Walden has already promised the movies will be faithful to the books; and previous Walden/Disney collaborations have been well-recieved.

Since Walden and Disney have worked together in the past, I'm certain this deal would have gone through anyway, regardless of the lunacy of the past month's Disney news.

What this does mean is fabulous promotion for Disney (for all their other faults, Disney does promotion well), and possibly the Imagineers producing some Narnia rides and attractions.

So all in all, I feel good about this. Of course, that's just my opinion, and if you're inclined to freak out, now would be an appropriate time to do so.

Here are the two articles:

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Disney to Work Its Magic on 'Narnia'
Tuesday March 2 4:12 AM ET

Following collaborations on "Holes," "Ghosts of the Abyss" and the upcoming "Around the World in 80 Days," the Walt Disney Co. has struck a deal with Denver billionaire Philip Anschutz' Walden Media to co-finance and distribute "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe."

Budgeted at more than $100 million, according to sources, the film is scheduled to begin shooting in the summer, with "Shrek" director Andrew Adamson at the helm.

The film, the first installment of Walden's "Chronicles of Narnia" franchise based on the series of children's fantasy books by C.S. Lewis, will be released at Christmas 2005 by Walt Disney Pictures. Under the deal, which includes worldwide distribution rights, merchandising and all ancillary rights, Disney retains the option to release future films in the series, Walt Disney Studios chairman Dick Cook said.

"It's a very, very ambitious production and one that we believe could be very important to the studio," Cook said. "The story and the characters are so inviting that audiences around the world will be excited for the franchise." Cook said the studio is still "digesting" the deal and that it's too early to talk about the timetable for the production of future installments.

The story of Narnia revolves around the Pevensie siblings -- Lucy, Susan, Edmund and Peter -- who go through a magic wardrobe and enter the world of Narnia, a once peaceful land of talking beasts, dwarfs and giants that has since become frozen by the evil White Witch. The four children then help the lion Aslan break the witch's spell.

Ann Peacock wrote the first draft of the script, with revisions by Adamson and Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely.

"'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' has many fantasy elements," Walden Media CEO Cary Granat said. "It is a film that has unbelievably great scenes for families, with four kids who leave a world consumed by war that they have no control over only to enter a world where a war is raging in which their actions are crucial to the outcome. It says a lot about empowerment and fractured families coming together."

Said Adamson: "'The Chronicles of Narnia' were an important part of my childhood, just as they are to millions of fans around the world. I hope to bring to the screen a movie that is as real to the audience as Narnia was to me as a child."

Lewis launched the series in 1950 with "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" and followed it up with the prequel "The Magician's Nephew" and the sequels "The Horse and His Boy," "Prince Caspian," "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader," "The Silver Chair" and "The Last Battle."

Reuters/The Hollywood Reporter

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Cinescape.com Movie News

Disney agrees to adventure with NARNIA partner
Dateline: Tuesday, March 2, 2004
By: PATRICK SAURIOL
By: News Editor
Source: The Hollywood Reporter

Walt Disney Pictures has entered into another partnership with Walden Media, this time to share some of the production cost and also to distribute the upcoming film adaptation of THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE. Budgeted at around $100 million, the adaptation of C.S. Lewis' childrens fantasy book is slated to commence filming this summer.

Disney and Walden worked a similar deal out for the release of HOLES and GHOSTS OF THE ABYSS, but the NARNIA contract calls for Disney to have the rights to distribute all future NARNIA sequels should they occur. SHREK director Andrew Adamson will helm the first NARNIA movie. A Christmas 2005 release date is being eyed.

 

[Don'tLiveonMoon]

I saw something about this yesterday and wondered whether it was true. That's interesting. I can't wait to see how LWW turns out!
Erin

 

[Whatever]

Puh, I think it would do a lot better with the Creature Shop.

 

[Fozzie Bear]

COOL!! I'm reading the series now and like it purty good!

Byron will be blasted away by this news! Good ole Prince Byronius of Narnia!!

 

[Phillip]

Yeah, it will be fun to hear Byron's take on this...

 

[Luke]

So if they are planning to make all the movies, should they not be making the prequel first before the Witch & Wardrobe? I guess that wouldn't be as exciting a film to launch it with though.

 

[Chilly Down]

Luke,

That's actually one of the key debates about the books. The publisher's current numbering system is NOT the one embraced by Narnia fans. The current order is correct chronologically according to Narnian history, but Lewis wrote the stories in a different order. Most Narnia purists (including myself) feels the stories are robbed of their magic and surprise when read out of the order that they were originally written.

LWW was published first, so most fans feel that LWW is the appropriate starting place.

Of course, sensible people can and do disagree about the proper reading order, but my main point is that the movie producers didn't accidentally start with LWW.

 

[Fozzie Bear]

I have the books in an order that puts LWW in 3rd book place. It all reads smoothly to me in this order, though.

 

[Don'tLiveonMoon]

I definitely think that LWW is the one to start with. For one thing, it's definitely the most famous of the seven, one that the most people would be likely to be familiar with. But beyond that, it was written first, and The Magician's Nephew has throwbacks to it that don't really make sense the other way around. I agree that the magic is diminished when the order is altered.
Erin

 

[Chilly Down]

Actually, Foz, I think your order probably places the book second in the series, not third. The two common numbering systems are:

Chronological/Historical Order (the current numbering used on the books):

1. The Magician's Nephew
2. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
3. The Horse and His Boy
4. Prince Caspian
5. Voyage of the Dawn Treader
6. The Silver Chair
7. The Last Battle

The order in which they were published, and the order in which most purists prefer it read in, is this:

1. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
2. Prince Caspian
3. Voyage of the Dawn Treader
4. The Silver Chair
5. The Horse and His Boy
6. The Magician's Nephew
7. The Last Battle

(Of course, if you do have a different order, please let me know. I'd be interested to hear it!)

Horse and His Boy and Magician's Nephew are kind of "floaters"--they can be read anywhere else in the series. But the story works better, I think, if they're at least read after LWW.

But I'm glad to know you're enjoying them anyway. Which book are you on right now?