First Narnia Movie to be Lion, Witch & Wardrobe

[Alzarian]

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…

[Aguecheek]

@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.

[Skywatcher]

@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.

[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?

[Jennyrosity]

@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.

[SkeptiJess]

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.

[BrotherCadfael]

@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…

[Athena]

@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

[Priam]

@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?

[wolfman]

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.

[Orual]

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?

[Talon_Karrde]

This is good news.

I want to discuss Lewis’ other works, but I’ll start a different thread for that.

[Skywatcher]

Danny DeVito and Rhea Pearlman as Mr. & Mrs. Beaver?