The Chronicles of Narnia

Narnia DVD, Special Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Greg & Jenn Wright) — Sun, 09 Apr 2006 16:58:00 +0000

Yes, we realize that EVERYONE has review of the Special Editon DVD up. But we've got one, too, so check it out by following the link below. Here's a snip:

Narnia's extended footage is being pretty jealously guarded, still locked away in some editing room. This release contains very little hint of what may have been filmed but not included in the theatrical version. But the new featurettes produced for Disc 2 are indeed genuinely new. Even those who have been thoroughly saturated in Narnia's media hype will find things to enjoy and discover.

MORE HERE
Hollywood Jesus, 08.04.06

Child Stars on Caspian

noreply@blogger.com (Greg & Jenn Wright) — Sun, 09 Apr 2006 12:24:00 +0000

The four children who starred as the Pevensies in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe have been doing press interviews in support of last week's release of the movie on DVD. USA Today ran a great review of the DVD, and with it ran the following comments from the children regarding their involvement in Prince Caspian, scheduled for release at the end of next year:

"I found out the sequel (Prince Caspian) was happening through a teacher," says Skandar Keynes, 14, who portrays Edmund, one of the four Pevensie siblings in the film, which is new on DVD this week. He jokes, "She had the inside knowledge."
Adds Georgie Henley, 10, who plays Lucy: "My teacher did the same thing to me because she saw it in the newspaper that I said yes (I was going to be in the sequel). I haven't said no, but I haven't said yes."
As for their status on appearing in the second Narnia film, "to be honest, it's really a verbal contract," says William Moseley, 18, who plays Peter. "We have been told the sequel is happening, but we have no idea when, we don't know where and we have no idea how. We just have to sort of sit back and let the big guys work it
out."

MORE HERE
USA Today, 05.04.06

Beyond Narnia DVD Release

noreply@blogger.com (Greg & Jenn Wright) — Tue, 28 Mar 2006 15:24:00 +0000

Originally produced for Hallmark Channel and the BBC by Faith and Values Media, C. S. Lewis: Beyond Narnia is now available in a repackaged format on DVD. Read Jenn Wright's review of the DVD version by clicking on the link below!

MORE HERE
Hollywood Jesus, 28.03.06

New Exclusives at Narniafans

noreply@blogger.com (Greg & Jenn Wright) — Sun, 26 Mar 2006 22:19:00 +0000

First, Paul Martin records his notes from a discussion with Oscar-winning special effects man Howard Berger. Later in the week, Narniafans' moderator "Rogue" had a (very informal and non-snooty) talk with Skandar Keynes.

MORE HERE and HERE
Narniafans, 23-25.03.06

Mark Johnson on Sequels

noreply@blogger.com (Greg & Jenn Wright) — Tue, 21 Mar 2006 18:16:00 +0000

"You know, we have a tentative lineup. The question is, How soon do we start them? Do we do them — this going to sound wrong — in a factory assembly line sort of thing, sort of the way the Harry Potters are done? And I don't mean that in any critical sense. ... 'The problem with The Chronicles — it's both its strength and its problem — is that each book is so different from the other. And with the exception of Aslan, there's no one character who repeats in all of them."

MORE HERE
Entertainment Weekly, 17.03.06

March HJ Feature

noreply@blogger.com (Greg & Jenn Wright) — Thu, 09 Mar 2006 09:13:00 +0000

The March Hollywood Jesus Narnia Feature Article has been posted: " Cleaning Our Windows." TheOneRing.net contributor Maureen Stewart has graciously written a guest analysis for us, explaining how the supposed flaws that we might find in Andrew Adamson's The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe can help us gain a new appreciation for the things which Narnia represents.

Here's a snip:

It is, in fact a good thing that the children do not cease being children in a big scary battle. Our customary conventions for modern tales make men and women the primary movers of the plot. Heroism today is defined as effectiveness and superior power. But in this tale it is Magic at work moving the story and enlarging its characters, and a Magician behind it all (to borrow from Chesterton again).

Narnia Opens on Chinese Screens

noreply@blogger.com (Greg & Jenn Wright) — Thu, 09 Mar 2006 06:09:00 +0000

A Chinese website is carrying a report on the movie's opening in China, where it is expected to gross in the neighborhood of $8 million.

Oddly, the Chinese government last week outlawed the exhibition of films that mix animated characters with live action. I guess they didn't realize that Aslan is just really good-looking Roger Rabbit. Maybe it's just traditional animation that they find offensive...

MORE HERE
CRIEnglish.com, 08.03.06

Kiss and Makeup

noreply@blogger.com (Greg & Jenn Wright) — Mon, 06 Mar 2006 22:06:00 +0000

Well, Ted Baehr's Movieguide Faith and Values Awards followed the money and dished out the "Most Inspiring Movie" and "Best Family Movie" prizes to the Narnia film, which earned a $50,000 prize in the process for its producers. I guess they'll be able to buy a few more cigars with that!

Hollywood, on the other hand, failed to grant its top-grossing best-picture nominee the top award, giving the nod to Crash instead of Brokeback Mountain. The Narnia film picked up an Oscar for Best Makeup.

In other news, the Narnia flick opened to boffo boxoffice in Japan this last weekend, pushing the film back into the number one slot for international grosses.

MORE HERE
Cinematical, 03.03.06

A Lifetime of Narnia

noreply@blogger.com (Greg & Jenn Wright) — Fri, 03 Mar 2006 19:12:00 +0000

The franchise is not only real, it's taking over the world.

In a very interesting article, my colleague Terry Mattingly discusses the future of The Chronicles of Narnia on film. The piece includes some juicy details about production plans, based on an interview Mattingly did with Bob Beltz, "director of special media projects for the billionaire media entrepreneur Philip Anschutz" (the gentleman financier for Walden Media).

MORE HERE
Scripps Howard, 01.03.06

Narnia Wins Single BAFTA

noreply@blogger.com (Greg & Jenn Wright) — Mon, 20 Feb 2006 22:24:00 +0000

The final decisions for the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) awards have been announced. Nominated for three awards, the Narnia film's lone nod was for Hair and Makeup.

MORE HERE
Newswire, 20.02.06

New Word on Caspian (Sort of)

noreply@blogger.com (Greg & Jenn Wright) — Thu, 16 Feb 2006 16:53:00 +0000

The folks at IGN Film Force had lunch at an Oscars-related function the other day, and sat down to chat with the Narnia effects wizards (nominated for the upcoming awards). They basically said, "Well, we don't really know anything, but here's what we know." Nothing new, really, but you might find it interesting...

(UPDATE: SciFi Wire has some additional comments from the same session.)

MORE HERE and HERE
IFN Film Force, 15.02.06 and SciFi Wire, 16.02.06

Skandar Keynes Speaks

noreply@blogger.com (Greg & Jenn Wright) — Sun, 12 Feb 2006 17:53:00 +0000

Nancy Churnin at The Dallas Morning News scored what appears to be an old interview with Skandar Keynes, who plays Edmund in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. He responds to questions from another teen who played Edmund in a stage production last April in Arlington. So nothing new here, probably, but it's new to me—and might be to you, too!

MORE HERE
Kid News, 12.22.05
Obsolete Link: Monterey County Herald, 12.02.06

February HJ Feature

noreply@blogger.com (Greg & Jenn Wright) — Wed, 08 Feb 2006 15:48:00 +0000

The February Hollywood Jesus Narnia Feature Article has been posted: " The Case of the Missing Narrator: Narnia Without C. S. Lewis?." Author Sarah Arthur has graciously written a guest analysis for us, taking a look at what The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe perhaps sadly lost in translation from book to screen. "Getting it right," Sarah suggests, means more than just nailing the visuals, plot, symbolism and characterization.

Here's a snip:

...not only is your father reading the story, adding his own inflections, interpreting the personalities of the characters in his own unique way, but behind his voice—or rather, speaking through him—is another voice, the voice of the narrator, the one who is telling the story from the inside.

It’s the voice of every fairytale from the beginning of time: authoritative yet personal, succinct yet chatty, a touch gossipy, even conspiring with you on matters of taste and opinion. It’s the voice of the nursery, of bedtime, of tales told by the fire, establishing a relationship of trust between teller and hearer without which the form of fairytale comes apart at the seams and becomes mere plot, either bald and flat, or bald and terrifying.

To read the full story, click on the link above.

DVD News—Extended Edition?

noreply@blogger.com (Greg & Jenn Wright) — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 13:52:00 +0000

In a recent USA Today blurb about the upcoming DVD release of the Narnia film, director Andrew Adamson remarked that an extended version of the movie is in the works. The standard DVD is due out April 4 in two editions, a one-disc version and a two-disc set with 10 additional hours of bonus features.

MORE HERE
USA Today, 02.02.06

Ireland Makes Bid for Caspian

noreply@blogger.com (Greg & Jenn Wright) — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 13:44:00 +0000

The Irish governement just passed a new law doubling the usual tax break allowed to film production companies operating in Ireland—this as part of a major bid to lure the lucrative Narnia franchise back to C.S. Lewis' country of birth. Recent rumors about Disney location scouts in Ireland were undoubtedly the first salvo in the publicity push for that agenda. The Irish Independent now reports that Walden Media scouts have been on the scene, and that New Zealand and the Czech Republic are again (naturually) making bids to host the production.

MORE HERE
Irish Independent, 05.02.06

It's Official!! Caspian in Production

noreply@blogger.com (Greg & Jenn Wright) — Thu, 02 Feb 2006 16:45:00 +0000

This morning, Walt Disney Pictures issued a press release formally announcing that Disney and Walden Media will be working together once more to bring The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian to the screen.

Rumors had been circulating since last November that the project had been greenlighted. Most recently, Irish papers reported that Disney reps were scouting locations there for the sequel to The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

And less than a week ago, the reason for the protracted delay in making the announcement became clear. It wasn't that either company was disappointed in Lion's boxoffice text; rather, there were simply bigger fish for Disney to fry. Wrapping up the deal to acquire Pixar undoubtedly had Disney execs preoccupied for a while.

Prince Caspian is planned to go into production this fall with Andrew Adamson again at the helm and Anna Popplewell, William Mosely, Skandar Keynes and Georgie Henley again starring as the Pevensie children. The film is slated for a late 2007 release.

The Hollywood Reporter has some nice details you won't find in the official press release. Oh—and HecklerSpray gets the honors as the first media site to whine about these developments.

LWW Review at IslamOnline

noreply@blogger.com (Greg & Jenn Wright) — Thu, 02 Feb 2006 14:45:00 +0000

IslamOnline has posted a review of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by Muhammed Abdelmoteleb, a Muslim professor in Cairo. Not only is it interesting to read a Muslim reaction to the movie, it's a well-written review, too!

MORE HERE
IslamOnline, 02.02.06

Oscar Nominations

noreply@blogger.com (Greg & Jenn Wright) — Thu, 02 Feb 2006 13:50:00 +0000

In case you hadn't heard yet, the Oscar nominations are in and the Narnia film is up for three awards, all in the technical categories. The competition is pretty stiff, too: War of the Worlds and King Kong. Narnia just might get skunked!

MORE HERE
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, 31.01.06

Prince Caspian Rumors

noreply@blogger.com (Greg & Jenn Wright) — Sun, 15 Jan 2006 19:14:00 +0000

A January 9 article in Variety has fanned the flames of rumors about Prince Caspian getting the greenlight from Walden Media. First, there was a now-removed posting on one of the Walden Media message boards claiming that Adamson had signed a deal, and that has been followed by rumblings that Adamson is, in fact, out. Who knows?

Two curious things about this whole scenario: First, neither Disney nor Walden Media has issued any kind of press release about the status of a sequel to The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe—despite the fact that the film now stands a chance of becoming the studio's highest grossing live-action film in history, taking over that honor from The Sixth Sense. (Never mind that the Narnia film, heavy as it is in the special-effects department fits in some never-never land between animation and live-action, or the fact that the budget for The Sixth Sense was likely a tenth that of the Narnia film.)

Second, if Variety's quote from Walden co-head Cary Granat is accurate, Walden isn't even planning to start production on the movie until late this year at the earliest—so Prince Caspian couldn't possibly hit theatres before late in 2007.

Could they really be thinking that the enthusiasm for Narnia would bear up under a two-year hiatus?

MORE HERE
Variety, 09.01.06

January HJ Feature

noreply@blogger.com (Greg & Jenn Wright) — Sun, 15 Jan 2006 19:06:00 +0000

The January Hollywood Jesus Narnia Feature Article has been posted: "Blockbusted? Ask William Moseley's Fans." It's a look at the puzzling paradox of the enormous, yet coporately dissapointing, boxoffice take of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe—and at the wild success the film seems to be with girls between 8 and 16.

Here's a snip:

Given that another $200+ million would be necessary to produce and market the proposed Prince Caspian, this would consume the lion’s share of the boxoffice profits from the first film—leaving merchandising rights and video sales as the only real source of profit for the film’s producers.

Ultimately, that’s got to be pretty disappointing to Disney, considering the boxoffice potential for Andrew Adamson’s third directorial feature. Profit margins on both Shrek and Shrek 2 were much higher. Lion King-type figures are not in the cards.

Does that mean Prince Caspian is dead?

Not at all. Even before The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe debuted, the studios were talking to Adamson and his child stars about returning for Prince Caspian, and in the last couple of weeks rumors—but rumors only—have surfaced that deals have now in fact been inked, and the project greenlighted.

These rumors are likely true.

Disney, we must remember, is not at the helm of this franchise. Walden Media is... Adamson delivered a film that educators, pastors, librarians and booksellers love. It’s turned a profit, and has spawned additional millions in book sales.

What’s more, it has captured the fancy of schoolgirls, thanks to the performance of William Mosely as Peter Pevensie.

By far, the most vocal response to this film that Hollywood Jesus has received has come from girls aged eight to sixteen. The last time I saw anything like this was in 2003, with the release of another Walden Media film: Holes...

To read the full story, click on the link above.

Kong vs. Aslan

noreply@blogger.com (Greg & Jenn Wright) — Mon, 02 Jan 2006 03:31:00 +0000

Over the last several weeks, the big questions seems to have been: Which will emerge as the Big Winner at the boxoffice in December—King Kong or The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe?

And now the question seems to be: Why the heck are we so obsessed with WINNING?

As the last week has played out, it appears to be one of those both/and things rather than the typical (and more desirable?) either/or scenario. Both movies seem to have found an audience, and they appear to be largely different. The overall take is being split pretty evenly.

Naturally, each studio would have preferred that one of the two movies had dominated, since each was looking for a blockbuster—and it now appears that neither will be. Both will be solid earners, but—at least in the US—neither will reap the kind of profits that studios are looking for from such properties.

International trends are still the wild cards in the equation, though, so trends could change; but if the past performance trends of similar films are any indicator, that's increasingly unlikely.

What's particularly interesting is that early indicators show that the latest Potter installment will be more sucessful than either of these films, and that the Narnia film's chances are highly tied to its domestic success.

MORE HERE and HERE and HERE
Box Office Prophet, The Numbers, Box Office Mojo

Award Nominations

noreply@blogger.com (Greg & Jenn Wright) — Sat, 24 Dec 2005 03:34:00 +0000

The Narnia film has picked up one Oscar nomination, for Visual Effects. In the Golden Globe race, the movie picked up two nominations: one for Best Original Score and Best Original Song ("Wunderkind," Morissette).

MORE HERE and HERE
Oscars.org, 16.12.05 & HFPA News, 13.12.05

Narnia Hoax Propagated

noreply@blogger.com (Greg & Jenn Wright) — Sat, 24 Dec 2005 03:28:00 +0000

About a week ago, we ran across a report on Forbes.com of the "independent state of Narnia" walking out of World Trade Organization talks. The article was totally deadpan, and rather than passing the "story" along, we decided to sit on it while we checked our facts (and our sense of humor). We speculated that someone had hacked into Forbes and planted the bogus story.

It turns out that the story orignated from an obscure news agency in China, and was then picked up and replicated by other minor news agencies until it was finally reprinted by Forbes and reported as financial news.

Huh. And we thought these guys were smart. Do you really want them managing your money, or giving you advice?

MORE HERE
The London Evening Standard, 20.12.05

The Boxoffice Tango

noreply@blogger.com (Greg & Jenn Wright) — Sat, 24 Dec 2005 02:55:00 +0000

After kicking things off with a rather anemic Wednesday opening, King Kong managed, rather predictably, to oust The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe from the number one boxoffice spot last weekend. Interestingly, the Narnia film bounced back during this week as schools let out and the younger kids were looking for something to do with mommy and daddy's time...

So what will happen this weekend, as Christians focus on putting Christ back in Christmas? Will Narnia numbers sag again as fans of that other King go ape at the theaters?

One thing at least is clear. Though Narnia is doing well at the boxoffice, and the folks at Disney and Walden Media have got to be pretty happy with it's $200 million+ global take so far (and the news that China will allow the movie to be shown there next year), its boxoffice numbers are not tracking as well as the Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter franchises. Check out the latest Narnia figures at BoxOfficeMojo and compare with this graph of Rings performance at TheNumbers.

Will Narnia achieve blockbuster status, or will it merely be a solid hit? Our guess is the latter, and that it will settle in with about $240 million in the US, with only about $500 million total globally—maybe just barely enough to warrant a follow-up with a more modestly budgeted Prince Caspian. China boxoffice might just be the wildcard in this game.

(One footnote to this boxoffice tango. We know we promised we were done reporting on the "culture wars" angle to Narnia coverage, but we just can't resist referring readers to this very satirical response to Christian preoccupation with boxoffice numbers. Please understand—we're certainly not taking sides, but we do think this satire is not entirely misdirected...)

Mainstream Press Coverage

noreply@blogger.com (Greg & Jenn Wright) — Sat, 24 Dec 2005 02:46:00 +0000

A recent article here at Hollywood Jesus made the observation that, as of November at least, the mainstream press "couldn't be bothered" with covering the Narnia movie. Now that the December issues of most magazines are out (and they do, indeed give major coverage to the film), it appears that the strategy was deliberate on Disney's part: concede the big pre-December slots to King Kong and friends in favor of a one-two December punch.

First: a smash opening weekind pretty much guaranteed by its promotions to the Christian audience. Then, while the film is poised to do battle with King Kong for the balance of the month, follow up with the big front-page splashes in the major trades.

The intended effect? To get folks thinking, "What? This movie I haven't even read about yet is number one at the boxoffice, and it's already done $100 million? I've got to get out and see that!"

Crafty. Very crafty.

Of course, we could be totally misreading this stuff.

If you want to read some of the mainstream coverage, visit Premiere or Entertainment Weekly.