Narnia Movies - 2004-06-04 6:14 AM
all taken from www.narnia.com
Diehard Lewis fans might complain that the movies are being made out of order -- but Lewis did write The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardobe before writing the 'first' book of Narnia, The Magician's Newphew. Considering The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe has always been the best-known of the books, there's no shame in starting there. I liked A Horse and His Boy as well.
I was a little worried about Disney taking this project, but I've heard good things about some of the production team -- they did Holes and the upcomming Around the World in 80 Days. Add a little bit of 'Disney Magic' that made the PG-13 Pirates work so well, and this can actually be pulled off. The trick is -- will all the religious metaphors be retained?
I mean, no one complains nowadays about how Mary Poppins and Bedknobs and Broomsticks were soooooo different from the books.
Quote:
WALDEN MEDIA TO PRODUCE C.S. LEWIS'
"THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE"
First Live-Action Feature of Children's Classic To Be Faithful Adaptation
New York, NY ( December 6, 2001) - Walden Media has partnered with The C.S. Lewis Company to produce the first live-action feature adaptation of the best-selling children’s classic The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. Finding resonance between its educational mission and the book’s universal themes of truthfulness, loyalty and courage, Walden has optioned the seven-part fantasy series The Chronicles of Narnia, and intends to develop it into a franchise. The project will be overseen by Douglas Gresham, stepson of C.S. Lewis.
The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, published in 1950, is the second and best-known novel in the seven-part Narnia series, which also includes The Magician’s Nephew, The Horse and His Boy, Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, The Silver Chair and The Last Battle. The Chronicles of Narnia series has established itself as a worldwide brand and is currently published by HarperCollins. As a child, born in Belfast, Ireland in 1898, Clive Staples Lewis was fascinated by the fairy tales, myths and ancient legends recounted to him by his Irish nurse. The image of a faun carrying parcels and an umbrella in a snowy wood came to him when he was sixteen. Many years later an evil queen and a magnificent lion joined the faun, and their story became The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe. The book tells the story of Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy, who step through a magic wardrobe into Narnia, once the peaceful land of Talking Beasts, Dwarfs, Giants and Fauns, but now frozen into winter by the evil White Witch. Other Chronicles of Narnia followed and the final title, The Last Battle, was awarded the UK’s prestigious Carnegie Award. Lewis, who was also distinguished as a professor at Oxford and Cambridge, died on November 22, 1963.
Stated Gresham, “It has been our dream for many years not simply to make a live-action version of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, but to do so while remaining faithful to the novel. We are delighted to make this film with Walden Media, which we are confident will create the adaptation that my stepfather would have wanted.”
The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe is one of the best-selling children’s novels of all time, full of richly detailed characters faced with choices that all of us, as human beings, must make in our own lives,” offered Cary Granat, co-founder and chief executive officer of Walden Media. “Through fantasy C.S. Lewis has held up a mirror to the lessons of the real world, and we are honored to partner with The C.S. Lewis Company to bring Narnia to life.”
About Walden Media
Founded by Cary Granat, former president of Miramax Films' Dimension label, and educator Michael Flaherty, Walden Media creates films, television shows, books and interactive media that inspire, engage, enlighten and entertain. Walden believes that quality entertainment is inherently educational and can capture the audience's imagination, rekindle curiosity and demonstrate the rewards of learning.
Walden Media is a subsidiary of The Anschutz Company. The Denver-based company is one of the largest privately owned and operated ventures in the U.S. Its affiliated companies are principally engaged in telecommunications and media, natural resources, transportation, real estate, sports and entertainment.
Media contacts:
Alison Lehrer, Walden Media
press@walden.com
Quote:
"SHREK" DIRECTOR ANDREW ADAMSON TO HELM "THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE" FOR WALDEN
New York, NY (July 31, 2002) - Walden Media has engaged highly acclaimed director Andrew Adamson, the visionary behind last year's box office smash and Academy-Award winner "Shrek," to helm the first live action feature film adaptation of "The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe." Adamson joins award-winning writer Ann Peacock ("A Lesson Before Dying"), who recently signed on to adapt the novel for the screenplay. Walden partnered with The C.S. Lewis Company last December to option the entire seven-part fantasy book series The Chronicles of Narnia, of which The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe is best-known.
"As we've seen with Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter, bringing to the screen a literary fantasy classic, beloved by millions of readers, requires both a reverence for the original material and a rich imagination to create a realistic fictional world," offered Cary Granat, chief executive officer of Walden Media. "Andrew Adamson knows better than anyone how to create magic on-screen and tell a story which touches the heart of an audience. His expertise in visual effects, animation and live action will be critical to a fantasy work of this magnitude."
"Narnia was such a vivid and real world to me as a child, as it is to millions of other fans. I share Walden's excitement in giving those fans an epic theatrical experience worthy of their imaginations, and driving a new generation toward the works of C.S. Lewis," offered Adamson. "Making a film that crosses generations is a far easier task when the source material resonates such themes as truth, loyalty and belief in something greater than yourself."
Adamson achieved overnight acclaim with his first directing job on the DreamWorks animated fantasy "Shrek," featuring the vocal talents of Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy and Cameron Diaz. The film, which earned $470 million worldwide, was the first to win the new Academy Awards category Best Animated Feature, alongside a raft of other international awards and nominations. Adamson previously worked for PDI as visual effects supervisor for "Batman and Robin" and "Batman Forever" as well as "A Time To Kill," "Angels in the Outfield" and "Double Dragon." He also served as a visual effects artist on James Cameron's action hit "True Lies."
Peacock's adaptation of the beloved novel "A Lesson Before Dying," the story of a black man wrongly convicted of murder during the 1940s, earned her an Emmy Award (Outstanding Writing for A Miniseries Or Movie) and a Humanitas Prize. Her upcoming projects include "Country of My Skull," with John Boorman attached to direct and Sam Jackson, Juliette Binoche and Jon Voight to star; "On the Ropes" for director Brad Silberling; "Marines of Autumn" for Irwin Winkler; and "Star Time," with Joel Schumacher directing Will Smith.
The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, published in 1950, is the second and best-known novel in the seven-part Narnia series, which also includes The Magician's Nephew, The Horse and His Boy, Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the 'Dawn Treader', The Silver Chair and The Last Battle. The Chronicles of Narnia series has sold over 60 million copies and is currently published by HarperCollins. Clive Staples Lewis was born in Belfast, Ireland in 1898. As a child he was fascinated by the fairy tales, myths and ancient legends recounted to him by his Irish nurse. The image of a faun carrying parcels and an umbrella in a snowy wood came to him when he was sixteen. Many years later an evil queen and a magnificent lion joined the faun, and their story became The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe. The book tells the story of Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy, separated from their parents in London during the German Air Raids of World War 2. They are sent to the country for safety and it is here that they step into the magic wardrobe and discover the mystical world of Narnia. C.S. Lewis, a distinguished professor of English, died in 1963 at his home in Oxford.
Quote:
THE WALT DISNEY STUDIOS ENTERS INTO AGREEMENT WITH WALDEN MEDIA TO PRODUCE "THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE"
BURBANK, CA ( March 1, 2004) - The Walt Disney Studios has entered into an agreement with Walden Media to co-finance and distribute the long-awaited motion picture The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, the first book published in C.S. Lewis' famed series, it was announced today (3/1) by Dick Cook, chairman of The Walt Disney Studios, and Cary Granat, chief executive officer of Walden Media. The live-action film will be directed by Andrew Adamson (Shrek, Shrek 2) and is scheduled to be released Christmas, 2005, by Walt Disney Pictures. The agreement allows for the continuation of the partnership for future films in the series.
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, the first in an exciting series of films in the making and based on the phenomenal bestselling novels, concerns a war between good and evil, pitting the magnificent lion Aslan against the forces of darkness in the magical world of Narnia. A White Witch has used her dark powers to keep Narnia in winter for 100 years, but it is foretold that four humans will be able to help Aslan break the spell. When the Pevensie siblings - Lucy, Susan, Edmund, and Peter - discover the magic of Narnia by entering the enchanted world through a wardrobe, the stage is set for a classic battle of epic proportions.
Commenting on the announcement, Cook said, "With an exciting and meaningful plot and well-drawn, emotional characters, The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe has the potential to be just the start of an extraordinary series of films; the exceptional imagination present in the novels follows in the best Disney tradition. We're pleased to be partnered once again with Walden Media - I think this is just the kind of movie audiences are looking for, and we're thrilled to be able to bring it to the screen."
Cary Granat and Micheal Flaherty, co-founders of Walden Media, added, "Disney has been a great friend and partner, with our company, on Holes, Ghosts of the Abyss, and this summer's Around the World in 80 Days. The combination of C.S. Lewis' visionary Chronicles of Narnia with the incredible strength and uniqueness of the Walt Disney brand and organization makes this a true dream project for us. This is one of the most imaginative novels ever written, and to bring it to the screen requires a director of equal inventiveness, ingenuity, and spirit. Andrew Adamson is just the guy - he knows better than anyone how to create magic on-screen and tell a story that touches the audience's hearts. His expertise in visual effects, animation, and live-action will be critical to a fantasy work of this magnitude."
Adamson added, "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. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe tells an epic story of great heart, of a family torn apart by a war in our world, who are united in their struggle to save the magical land of Narnia. It's been a long time dream of mine to bring these classic stories to a new generation of moviegoers and readers."
Douglas Gresham, stepson of C.S. Lewis, said, "Fans of the series have been waiting for generations for a film that faithfully adapts the Narnia books for the screen. Disney and Walden are a perfect match for the magical world that C.S. Lewis created, and we're as excited to see the movie as everyone else is."
A classic series of seven novels that have sold over 85 million copies worldwide, C.S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia began with the publication of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe in 1950. Six more novels (including 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 ) would follow in the next six years. The final title in the series, The Last Battle, was awarded the highest mark of excellence in children's literature, the prestigious Carnegie Award.
Diehard Lewis fans might complain that the movies are being made out of order -- but Lewis did write The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardobe before writing the 'first' book of Narnia, The Magician's Newphew. Considering The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe has always been the best-known of the books, there's no shame in starting there. I liked A Horse and His Boy as well.
I was a little worried about Disney taking this project, but I've heard good things about some of the production team -- they did Holes and the upcomming Around the World in 80 Days. Add a little bit of 'Disney Magic' that made the PG-13 Pirates work so well, and this can actually be pulled off. The trick is -- will all the religious metaphors be retained?
I mean, no one complains nowadays about how Mary Poppins and Bedknobs and Broomsticks were soooooo different from the books.