Disney Abandoning 'Narnia' for 'John Carter?'
Filed under: Classics, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Disney, RumorMonger, Family Films, Newsstand, Remakes and Sequels
You know, for the Happiest Place on Earth, Disney can be full of drama.
Jim Hill reports that Disney is growing very concerned about their Narnia franchise, and much hinges on Prince Caspian. If it doesn't do well, the studio may be pulling the plug on the rest of the series. It is likely they will still continue with The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, as it is already in pre-production. (That news cancels out my howl of disappointment. That's my favorite!) There's no solid reason as to why, although Disney is undoubtedly picking up on the lack of buzz Caspian is producing. I don't really know anyone who loved The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe; the response seemed to be an underwhelming "It was all right."
It's possible Disney also didn't know quite what it was getting in for -- the books following Dawn Treader are a long way from talking mice. The Silver Chair is downright terrifying, The Horse and His Boy skips back to when the Pevensie children were adult Narnia rulers -- which could probably be explained via a title card, but it would stick out terribly. The Magician's Nephew is a Narnia creation myth, and The Last Battle. . .well, let's not even go there. That will have the children sobbing in the aisles. Not exactly ideal for merchandising.
Instead, Disney seems to be turning their attention to another live action franchise -- John Carter of Mars. From the sound of it, this may even be beating Brad Bird's 1906 to the title of First Pixar Live Action. It is all speculation, but Hill has put together an impressive what-could-be timeline that John Carter fans should check out. There are certainly telling rumors (and domain names) afoot. There is definitely a sense of urgency over at Disney, and it is going to be very interesting to see how it all pans out.
UPDATE: According to a Disney rep, this report is "entirely false." No other information was revealed, though one would assume the Narnia franchise is just fine and continuing along as scheduled.
[via IESB.net]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
3-18-2008 @ 10:14AM
Jer said...
I don't believe this in the least. While they may be picking up, John Carter, I'd be extremely surprised if they dropped Narnia, it's still 2 months out, people have short attention spans, and I think when they realize it is out (or coming out) they will go see it. I guess there is one number to throw out here: $291,685,219 domesticbox office.
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3-18-2008 @ 10:47AM
The Pepto Pimp said...
Who do you actually "know?" Are you a young hipster blogger-aspiring-screen-writer type? Are all your friends just like you? I know a ton of families consisting of kids AND adults who loved The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Personally, I thought TL, TW & TW was kinda lame and predictable, but the Prince Caspian trailer looked fantastic on a big screen, I'll pay the premium ticket price just to experience those visuals on the big screen.
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3-18-2008 @ 2:34PM
Elisabeth said...
I'm not a hipster in the slightest. I'm just a geek.
The Narnia series were my *favorite* books as a kid, I must have read them a dozen times. I was really really excited for the movie and it just didn't meet my expectations. The first one I had ever seen was the BBC adaptation in the 80's -- and it had a level of terror that the Disney one never quite reached. I mean, it wasn't nightmare level (and shouldn't be) but I was really on the edge of my seat with the wolf police, and Aslan's sacrifice.
The elements were all THERE in the Disney one, it just lacked a certain spark to me. And it's not because I am an adult, because I can still be enthralled by anything Pixar or Harry Potter.
Admittedly, my circle lacks young children (the one family I know, parented by two medieval professors, loved it) so I am glad to know they liked it. Anything that turns kids on to the books is a success -- and if they're eager for the next one, hooray! Fantasy fans and future geeks.
But, all the adults I know who didn't care for it were all people who had grown up with the book and the BBC mini-series...and the movie just failed to capture them too. And I think that must be a fairly general consensus, because it isn't like there is LOTR or Harry Potter anticipation surrounding each installment. Think of the attention a HP casting announcement gets, and contrast that with the attention shown the young Caspian actor.
Anyway, like I said, even if the films haven't quite grabbed me, I'm excited for them to tackle Voyage of the Dawn Treader. It was my favorite of the series (I even had a pet mouse named Reepicheep) and if they pull the plug before it's made, I will be crushed. I'm not saying I support Disney's decision at all -- though I am genuinely perplexed as to how the heck they'll adapt something like The Magician's Nephew.
3-18-2008 @ 10:57AM
eugene said...
I didn't even find Wardrobe in the "it's all right" category. I didn't think the source material had enough story or plot to warrant a two hour movie and the visuals screamed of "oooh oooh, me too!", obviously trying very hard to be Lord of the Rings.
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3-18-2008 @ 11:42AM
CMart said...
The children's book series that they should have done (well, in a way, re-do) would be the The Chronicles of Prydain series by Lloyd Alexander. I say re-did because they did combine the first 2 books into the animated movie The Black Cauldron which, for many reasons, was not widely accepted. If they tried it again and followed closer to the books as written (one of the things they didn't really do in the animated version), I think they would have a very successful movie series.
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3-18-2008 @ 1:05PM
Rufus said...
::raises hand::
Okay, as a dad not cresting the hill of age nor going grey, I think I can vouch for my own a little and I loved the first 'Narnia flick. My wife was very excited to see it, my 5yr old (at the time) son was all buzzed about it and I have to admit I was ready to be there on the opening night.
It might not have been the perfect 'LotR' book-inspired franchise or single film but then I did not like LotR - non of them. They were made well, but too long did they drag out and by the fifth, six, seventh end to 'King I was done.
'Narnia was a perfect balance in regards to action, fantasy, humour and downright fun. Kids love watching, and associating, with other children (especially with special powers and/or Princes/Princesses), and it fit in that range even more so - for my family - than any of the 'Potter movies either.
Bring on 'Caspian, I'll be there in my hip Vans with a baby in a backpack.
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3-18-2008 @ 2:57PM
Moo said...
Replying to the two posts above:
1) I'd be surprised if they dropped Narnia, but it's certainly not outside the realm of possibility. You must remember that things have changed since Golden Compass (or the "Film That Destroyed a Studio"). When the writer says that Disney will be watching Caspian's totals closely, I think she is absolutely correct, and if it doesn't do well, there is a distinct chance things would end after Dawn Treader (from a story perspective that actually would be a logical end point in several ways if they were concerned about box office going forward). With respect to the dometic total you noted, it did very well. It'll be interesting to see how well Caspian does with a summer release. While Wardrobe did have to deal with Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and King Kong, there was a 3 week period between the HP and CoN releases, and King Kong didn't do as well as most projected. Here, Caspian faces off with Iron Man (released 2 weeks before), Speed Racer (released the week before and apparently courting the family viewers) and the buzzsaw that is Indiana Jones 6 days after Caspian's release. That's a tough lineup. Not saying that it can't do well...but word of mouth had better be decent.
2) Pepto- I know a ton of families who were underwhelmed by Narnia. Oh sure, the kids like it, talking lions and pretty colors, but a lot of the adults thought it was a reasonably shallow adaptation of a childhood favorite...as I did. It wasn't "bad"...just kinda "meh".
Sidenote: i'm tired of the LOTR comparisons. Neither the books nor the films are even in the same stratosphere. This is much closer to Golden Compass....which is probably what is freaking Disney out.
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3-18-2008 @ 3:12PM
Rufus said...
Well, you know, we all have our opinions and mine was merely that my child enjoyed it, as did my wife and myself and we did not enjoy the LotR franchise nor the HP one.
Just an opinion, it doesn't need a rebuttal to refute. But thanks for reading it ;)
3-18-2008 @ 3:03PM
Mark Sommer said...
Get serious. There is no way Disney is going let go of this goldmine.
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3-18-2008 @ 4:34PM
Ralph said...
Forget the "will Disney keep Narnia" point; holy crap, I've been waiting a long time for WARLORD OF MARS to come to the big screen, but recognized the effects just would disappoint. But when I saw the opening battle sequence in FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING, I knew Carter's time had come. I've been holding my breath for this one for years.
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3-19-2008 @ 12:05AM
rtms said...
Indeed they are going to watch it, and sadly watch it fail thanks to silly and fantasy scheduling. This should have been set back to it's Christmas time slot like the first. Putting it up against blockbusters Indiana Jones and Batman is like putting a gun to their head and begging to pull the trigger.This is just not nearly as popular as Harry Potter and therefore does not and will not have the legs to go the distance.
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3-19-2008 @ 2:32AM
Movie_Dearest said...
This is just the same "Disney doom and gloom" horn that Jim Hill has been blowing for years now ... nothing to see here, move along.
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3-19-2008 @ 12:19PM
Sarah Jane said...
"The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe" made huge bucks domestically and internationally. It was a grand film and everyone I know who saw it loved it. You might want to know that the "Prince Caspian" trailer that ran during the Superbowl had the most DVR replays than any of those infamous commercials, according to Nielsen. That says major buzz to me. This story's a crock.
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3-19-2008 @ 5:05PM
Brian Haley said...
The problem with the first movie was the music. period. it would have been 2x as good with the right score. I'm hoping whoever was the musical director/composer actualy completes a phrase properly in Caspian.
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