Posted by: @jasmine_tarkheena

Isn't this going to be an interesting discussion, about what characters that could be expanded on- give us notion of what we already know and somehow have it flesh out?

In HHB, they could possibly do more with the Pevensies and in LB, they could possibly do more with the Seven Friends of Narnia.

That has been something I was thing about as well. As a writer I’m very open to exploring the possibilities on this subject and it is so much fun.  

We could have a scene of Edmund and Peter digging up the old rings from Magician’s Nephew. Would love to see a friendship between Lucy and Jill. I don’t think we would be getting any scenes of the Pevensie’s once Jill and Eustace are in Narnia because… well we all know.  

I'd love to see the Friends of Narnia getting woven into the ongoing story even earlier than LB, since it's implied they must have been getting together regularly since a fair while before the final story takes place. My "head canon" for this one is that during the events of VDT, Peter, who was staying with the Professor to be tutored by him in preparation for university, got to talking with the Professor, and told him how the four siblings got into Narnia again (in PC). The Professor in turn may have told Peter at least a little of his own story — as Digory in MN, of course — and encouraged him to bring Susan and Edmund and Lucy to see him again some time, and he'll introduce them to his dear friend Miss Plummer as well...

So when the Pevensies are together again, Lucy and Edmund have wonderful news — they've been to Narnia again, and Eustace went with them! — and Peter shares the Professor's invitation to get together... and Susan, back from her trip to America with their parents, is already looking uncomfortable at any mention of Narnia... (We know she must have gone along to at least some of the Friends of Narnia meetings, because Polly obviously knows Susan well enough to make the comments she does in LB, but it would be good if the films could show a little more of Susan increasingly pulling away, so her rejection of Narnia doesn't come across as such an abrupt revelation as it does in the book.)

I'd love for the films to include some of these "in between" scenes of the Friends getting together, so that we get a sense of the continuity going on in this world between those main characters — not just in LB, but from VDT onwards. Mind you, that would probably work better if the stories were each adapted as multi-episode serials, rather than as individual movies, but it's a thought. 

@courtenay why are you not helping Greta write scripts!? I really like your ideas.

Posted by: @coracle

@courtenay why are you not helping Greta write scripts!? I really like your ideas.

Ah, well, how do you know I'm not helping Greta write scripts, since, as you pointed out recently in another discussion, everyone involved in these things will be sworn to secrecy...???

(No, only kidding, seriously. Like probably most people here, I'd love to have some kind of input into the next screen adaptation of Narnia, but the opportunity has never come my way!) 

@courtenay Those are good ideas. I can see that being in episodes before I saw you mention it. It's worth it for the film team to look into. I'd love to see some of Susan's involvement in it as well.  

Well, I think that VDT is a pretty episodic book anyways. So if they're still on the route of Movies and Series, VDT may likely be a series.

Edmund and Lucy could be saying goodbye to their parents and Susan as they set off to America, then they say goodbye to Peter who goes to the Professor. We could see a bit of Peter with the Professor and a bit of Susan in America.

Then in LB (don't know if it will be a series or a movie or even a two-part movie), the Seven Friends of Narnia could be gathering together. Maybe even Polly, Lucy, and Jill could try to talk to Susan into coming, then she says, "What memories you have! You're still thinking of those games we used to play when we were children!"

HHB could even do some more with the Pevensies. The LOTR Film Trilogy moved the scene with Shelob from The Two Towers to The Return of the King, most likely to give Frodo and Sam more to do. In HHB, perhaps having Rabadash visit Cair Paravel where he seems like a nice guy. When Susan and Edmund visit Tashbaan, Edmund speaks with Rabadash, and his true nature is revealed. It would make a plot twist!

Here's an article I just found in my news feed that's relevant to this discussion topic. (It's from ScreenRant, which is not a particularly insightful or reliable website, but occasionally something comes up there that's worth at least thinking about.)

10 Minor Chronicles Of Narnia Characters Greta Gerwig's Remake Can Finally Expand On

The characters suggested in the article are Uncle Andrew; Mrs Pevensie; Fledge; Glozelle; King Caspian IX; Ramandu's daughter (the article insists on calling her Lilliandil, as if that were canon 🙄); Coriakin; Roonwit; Bacchus (!); and the Lady of the Green Kirtle (inevitably bringing up the spurious theory that she's a reincarnation of the White Witch).

Any thoughts from others on these? I wouldn't mind seeing at least some of them expanded on a little, if it's done in ways that are consistent with what we already know of those characters, and as long as it doesn't seriously detract from the main plot.

@courtenay I didn't read the article because I'm not a big fan of ScreenRant but I'm dubious about most of those possibilities. A lot of those characters, such as Fledge and Bacchus, appear in only a small portion of the story and you couldn't give them more screentime without totally restructuring it. Mrs. Pevensie, by whom I assume they mean Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy's mother, doesn't appear in the books at all unless you count the distant glimpse of her and her husband we get at the end of The Last Battle. That doesn't mean adaptations shouldn't show her per se. I'm fine with seeing her bid farewell to her children at the beginnings of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Prince Caspian and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. But even that would get boring if they did it for each one. Making her a major character would change the feel of the stories, making them about parent-child relationships which really wasn't C. S. Lewis's intention. You could maybe have Ramandu's Daughter accompany the Dawn Treader crew for the last stretch of their voyage but remember that's a slow part of the story and added scenes developing her character would just make it slower. 

@col-klink Fair point — the article itself doesn't have a huge amount of substance to it, so you're not missing that much. I just remembered, when I saw it, that there's a thread here on expanding the stories of minor characters, so I figured that as it suggests some characters that haven't been covered here before, this could stimulate some further discussion, which after all is what we're here for. 

@courtenay 

I remember that the Walden's PC made Glozelle a bit more sympathetic and conflicted. Though it would be idea to expand his role a bit, seeing Miraz instructing him and Sospesian to beg him to become king. Then we learn that those two aren't all that loyal to Miraz.

I don't think any of us would have thought of Roonwit. We could possibly see a glimpse of what is happening at Cair Paravel. It would be a touching moment to hear Roonwit say his last words "Noble death is a treasure that no one Is too poor to buy" to Farsight.

It's all really interesting. Though it should probably be done in a way so that is not to make it too distracting.

@courtenay for my part, I'm sorry if I sounded like I was trying to shut down discussion. My intent was to add to it. 

I did probably make it sound like I'm more opposed to expanding on characters than I actually am. It's just that I feel like that'd be better in a miniseries adaptation. There is already so much plot in each Narnia book that I fear you couldn't add scenes exploring supporting characters without cutting other stuff to balance it out. 

Posted by: @col-klink

@courtenay for my part, I'm sorry if I sounded like I was trying to shut down discussion.

No, not at all — I wasn't reading it that way.

I did probably make it sound like I'm more opposed to expanding on characters than I actually am. It's just that I feel like that'd be better in a miniseries adaptation. There is already so much plot in each Narnia book that I fear you couldn't add scenes exploring supporting characters without cutting other stuff to balance it out. 

Agreed. I was disappointed to hear that Greta Gerwig is supposed to be working on two Narnia "movies" — I'd much rather see each book adapted as a miniseries, with at least three hours in total (broken up into 1-hour or 1/2-hour episodes) devoted to each book. (Like the BBC TV version, though hopefully better quality. ) That gives room to do each individual story justice and to expand on a few aspects here and there — rather than, as you say, risking losing significant parts of the plot just to add extra scenes, in a movie that probably won't be much over 2 hours long.

@courtenay 

Well, given that Greta Gerwig is directing Narnia movies, it could end up being movies and series. Well, depending on what they end up doing, some characters could still be expanded on a bit.

I don't believe anyone has mentioned the Hermit of the Southern March on here. I don't know if they'll expand his role. Though it might be something to hear of his 109 years, possibly see it in a flashback.

Posted by: @jasmine_tarkheena

I don't believe anyone has mentioned the Hermit of the Southern March on here. I don't know if they'll expand his role. Though it might be something to hear of his 109 years, possibly see it in a flashback.

That could be interesting, and yet one of my main concerns about expanding minor characters' roles is that there are some characters in Narnia who are pretty much meant to be mysterious, and that adds to the enjoyment of them, really. The Hermit is one of those, and I would say Coriakin is another — especially later on in the book, when we learn from Ramandu that Coriakin is a star in exile for some kind of misdemeanour that mere mortals aren't entitled to know about (and quite possibly wouldn't understand). The very fact that we don't know much about some of these characters adds an extra air of "magical-ness" that might be spoiled by giving them too much backstory, especially if it's not relevant to the plot. (Which it obviously isn't in the case of the original stories, or Lewis would have told us more about them out of necessity.) 

Posted by: @courtenay

That could be interesting, and yet one of my main concerns about expanding minor characters' roles is that there are some characters in Narnia who are pretty much meant to be mysterious, and that adds to the enjoyment of them, really. The Hermit is one of those, and I would say Coriakin is another — especially later on in the book, when we learn from Ramandu that Coriakin is a star in exile for some kind of misdemeanour that mere mortals aren't entitled to know about (and quite possibly wouldn't understand). The very fact that we don't know much about some of these characters adds an extra air of "magical-ness" that might be spoiled by giving them too much backstory, especially if it's not relevant to the plot. (Which it obviously isn't in the case of the original stories, or Lewis would have told us more about them out of necessity.) 

There is that, too. Probably best not to spend too much time on a backstory of a minor character.

Sometimes mysterious characters are best to be kept mysterious.