# First Narnia Movie to be Lion, Witch & Wardrobe **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 24, 2004, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-narnia-movie-to-be-lion-witch-wardrobe/225907 "2004-01-24T23:23:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Alzarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@Alzarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alzarian)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2004, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-narnia-movie-to-be-lion-witch-wardrobe/225907/21 "2004-03-03T20:13:56Z")
I’m surprised no one picked up on this, but yesterday’s USA Today (3/2/04) reported that Disney Studios has signed on to co-finance and distribute _The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe_, a live-action film based on C.S. Lewis’ book. Disney joins Walden Media (_Holes_) and director Andrew Adamson (_Shrek_) on _Narnia_, which is scheduled to be released at Christmas 2005. There was also a huge and beautiful two-page ad for the movie in the Life section. The text says: “There Are A Thousand Stories In The Land Of Narnia… The First Is About To Be Told.” Hmm, maybe those book publishers will go back to the original numbering after all… ---
**Author:** ![Aguecheek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a9adbd/32.png) [@Aguecheek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aguecheek)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2004, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-narnia-movie-to-be-lion-witch-wardrobe/225907/22 "2004-03-03T22:29:32Z")
> [@FriarTed](#): > > He scuttled a proposed LWW that would have set the kids in modern day California where they are sent from L.A. because of an earthquake into the countryside & the White Queen gives Edmund his fill of hamburgers & fries (I can see the McD’s tie-in! _gasp_) That’s simply horrifying! My mother and I were just discussing yesterday what horrible kinds of “modernisms/Americanisms” they might add to the film. Good for Mr. Gresham. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2004, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-narnia-movie-to-be-lion-witch-wardrobe/225907/23 "2004-03-03T23:24:42Z")
> [@Raygun99](#): > > Would James Earl Jones as the voice of Aslan be too obvious? > [@Chronos](#): > > Maybe not too obvious, but perhaps too ironic. I mean, Darth Vader – Aslan. It just doesn’t work. I wonder if they could borrow Robbie Coltrane. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-narnia-movie-to-be-lion-witch-wardrobe/225907/24 "2004-03-12T09:10:37Z")
Rumors have it that Nicole Kidman may be playing the White Witch- that’ll be great! I wouldn’t mind James Earl Jones as the voice of Aslan, but The Lion King parallel may be too much. Who else could do Aslan’s Voice? Could Christopher Lee sound Divine & Benevolent? ---
**Author:** ![Jennyrosity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/2bfe46/32.png) [@Jennyrosity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennyrosity)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-narnia-movie-to-be-lion-witch-wardrobe/225907/25 "2004-03-12T10:42:39Z")
> [@Jess](#): > > I mean, fat. That _fat_ little girl did NOT look like Lucy! Just _awful_ , wasn’t she? Sooooo annoying, too. I really, really wanted to give her a slap. ---
**Author:** ![SkeptiJess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@SkeptiJess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkeptiJess)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-narnia-movie-to-be-lion-witch-wardrobe/225907/26 "2004-03-12T17:35:50Z")
Yes! One of Lucy’s great qualities – in the books – was her likeability. But that little actress? Her great quality was that I want to whack her upside the head with a shovel. Pig-faced little bugger. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-narnia-movie-to-be-lion-witch-wardrobe/225907/27 "2004-03-12T18:25:53Z")
> [@FriarTed](#): > > Rumors have it that Nicole Kidman may be playing the White Witch- that’ll be great! > > I wouldn’t mind James Earl Jones as the voice of Aslan, but The Lion King parallel may be too much. Who else could do Aslan’s Voice? Could Christopher Lee sound Divine & Benevolent? Aslan HAS to have an English accent. God is, after all, an Englishman. 🙂 I don’t think Lee would be right, though… ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-narnia-movie-to-be-lion-witch-wardrobe/225907/28 "2004-03-12T18:33:05Z")
> [@Apos](#): > > When you come down to it, Lewis’ desire for allegory overwhelms the narratives, and they play out a lot more like predictable public service announcements acted out by moppets that are charmingly dull in ways only English characters can be. Compared to something like the Prydain Chronicles by Lloyd Alexander, Harry Potter, the Earthsea books, or other greats series for that age, and there’s just no comparison. Um… did you just say that _Harry Potter_ is a better series than Narnia? Nah, you couldn’t have said that. Nobody on the SDMB would say that. Would they? _walks away, shaking her head_ ---
**Author:** ![Priam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/77aa72/32.png) [@Priam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Priam)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-narnia-movie-to-be-lion-witch-wardrobe/225907/29 "2004-03-12T23:24:56Z")
> [@BrotherCadfael](#): > > Aslan HAS to have an English accent. God is, after all, an Englishman. 🙂 > > I don’t think Lee would be right, though… Well just to complete the circle then… Ian McKellen? ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-narnia-movie-to-be-lion-witch-wardrobe/225907/30 "2004-03-12T23:35:15Z")
When I read the books I always had an image of Aslan’s voice in my head. Then when Star trek V came out, The voice of God was exactly what I had imagined for Aslan, Booming yet breathy. ---
**Author:** ![Orual](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/779978/32.png) [@Orual](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orual)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-narnia-movie-to-be-lion-witch-wardrobe/225907/31 "2004-03-12T23:35:46Z")
I say Derek Jacobi would make the best voice for Aslan. Iam McKellin would be a better Professor Kirke (though I suspect he might be sick of the genre). Nicole Kidman would be a great Jadis. What about Mr. Tumnus? The Beavers? Giant Rumblebuffin? ---
**Author:** ![Talon\_Karrde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Talon\_Karrde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Talon_Karrde)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2004, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-narnia-movie-to-be-lion-witch-wardrobe/225907/32 "2004-03-13T01:58:36Z")
This is good news. I want to discuss Lewis’ other works, but I’ll start a different thread for that. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2004, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-narnia-movie-to-be-lion-witch-wardrobe/225907/33 "2004-03-13T02:09:22Z")
Danny DeVito and Rhea Pearlman as Mr. & Mrs. Beaver? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-narnia-movie-to-be-lion-witch-wardrobe/225907.md?page=1)