From http://www.narniaweb.com/content.asp?id=2
Who is behind this production?
This film is being produced by Walden Media (Holes, Ghosts of the Abyss, Around The World In 80 Days) and distributed and co-financed by Walt Disney Studios. The production company is Frozen Lake Productions. The film has a reported $100 million budget ($170NZ) although Disney has not released the actual numbers that it is paying for this film. Andrew Adamson, co-director of Shrek and Shrek 2 will be directing. The script is written by Ann Peacock with assistance from Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. Peter Jackson's WETA Workshops has signed on to build much of the set. Computer graphics will be handled by Rhythm & Hues and Sony Imageworks. The score will be composed by the prolific Harry Gregson-Williams.
Is this going to be a secularized Hollywood version or will C.S. Lewis’ Christian themes stay intact?
It’s no secret that C.S. Lewis was an outspoken Christian and his faith was woven throughout everything he wrote. Narnia is no exception and much of the stories are allegorical in nature. Will Hollywood have its way and strip out Lewis’ spiritual messages? Not so, promises Douglas Gresham, co-producer and stepson of Lewis himself. A committed Christian, Gresham has vowed not to “change the words of the master.” Indeed, Walden Media itself has a track record of family-friendly films so it seems that the film will be in good hands. Many are concerned that Disney's influence will water down the Christian themes which run through the Narnia stories, but it's important to remember that Walden Media is ultimately in charge of the film, not Disney.
When will The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe be released?
The movie is scheduled for a December 2005 release date. Filming is taking place now in New Zealand and toward the end of the year the production will do some filming in the Czech Republic and London. That leaves one year for post-production, marketing, and, one would assume, work to begin on the the next film, probably Prince Caspian. We are getting some reports on the international release dates so here is a tentative list of the dates we have received:
- USA 9 December 2005
- France 14 December 2005
- Switzerland 14 December 2005 (French speaking region)
- Switzerland 15 December 2005 (German speaking region)
- Switzerland 23 December 2005 (Italian speaking region)
- Germany 22 December 2005
- United Kingdom 23 December 2005
- Belgium - 21 December 2005
- Holland - 22 December 2005
Will all the Narnia stories be produced or just the first?
There are plenty of rumors that the series will be shortened to five, but these are just rumors. Walden has never said there were just five movies planned, and in the end the number of films produced will depend almost entirely on how well they do. Walden has optioned the entire seven-part series for film development.
I heard that the name was being changed to The Hundred Years Winter. Is that true?
Goodness no! The Hundred Years Winter is the codename for the movie. It's a common Hollywood ploy to escape the attention of the crazed fans (like us) in the early stages of production. The film will be released under the full name The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. The filming name has actually been changed to "Paravel".
How can I get involved with this production?
We receive a lot of requests from Narnia-lovers who want to act in the film, be an extra, or just fetch water for Andrew Adamson. We do not have any current contact information for the adult casting director (in fact it is rumored there won't be one) or other crew members at this time, so don't bother sending email about it. Stay tuned and you'll be the first to know if we find anything out.
