I just noticed the reboot poll on the main page - and rebooting the series seems to be very unpopular. So I hope that Fox or Walden aren't seriously considering one.

I'm against a rebooting idea. It's far too soon. A reboot to me is just filmmakers running out of story ideas, so they just redo old films (and not even the bad ones at that. I still can't understand why you would remake a good film).

One good reason for this: I can bet on the idea of doing the Narnia stories in a modern setting (and it would kill me to see the "hot dog and hamburger craving of Edmund over Turkish Delight and the family escaping a natural disaster"- was it the earthquakes in California?- It pains me to just think about it). Ordinarily, there's not anything too wrong with a modern story re-telling, but 1940s Narnia just suits the stories. Not to mention the fact that what's at the core relates to generations, not just in one specific era.

I go with no on a reboot. They'll have to wait until I die if they're going to start over.

The Dreamworks folks are observant Jewish though, that's why their religious movies are taken from the Torah. While not anti-Christian per se, I suspect they would balk at the idea of making a movie with an obvious Jesus-figure.

lol, I'm not really sure what you're implying here. A movie business is a business. They won't care to make religious films as long as it makes money. They get the greens and they won't give a whack about the Christian symbolism.

For my part, I don't want Narnia to be a LOTR copy-cat. Tolkein described battles and fights in nit-picking detail, whereas Lewis tended to give fights short shrift in the narrative, almost as if they were beside the point. Unlike LotR, in Narnia, violence is not what makes a hero a hero.

As for the fighting in PC being cool and fun, I think that's a matter of opinion. I was bored with it pretty quickly. Also, in the battle we see a number of humans die, and, in the duel Peter suffers an excruciating injury. If that's your idea of fun, well . . . I'll let that train of thought leave without me.

Neither do I but war is war no matter whether it's LOTR or Narnia. I'm not asking for bloody battles in the likes of 300 etc but to rid the franchise of the clean, sterile tone of warfare. Lewis himself knew of the dangers and tragedies of war and in the books, he graphically describes the battle (the beheading of the Calormenes in HHB come into mind etc) These portrayal of war in Narnia is even more dangerous to children than some of the more violent films of our days as it shows violence and war as something heroic and clean. This tone must be consistent rather than having an abrupt stop where a particular scene needs to emphasis on pain and injury and then switching to hero mode where Peter is all better and screaming "FOOOR NAAARNNIIIA", becoming the killer machine he is.

You said you felt bored by the battle is more than enough proof to show that the filmmaker's failed to give the impression of a fierce conflict that's more than a scene of little kids' playing at war.

Also what do you mean by violence makes a hero a hero in LOTR? I assumed you watched the films and know better than that. Aragorn wasn't a hero because of his prowess in battle.

I voted for a prequel or sequel of the current series, but reboot would be even good. Now it's like LWW is perfect and the next two are dumb. It's not true. LWW had not much action, rather characters were good. Reboot of LWW would be rather 40s-like, few differences from the book and action sequences, but not too much. Reboot of PC wouldn't be that bad. There must be a feeling that they can't do it alone. Reboot of VDT can be. I like how Walden gave us the feeling that though they shouldn't already stick to Narnia, they do and are children in their hearts. It was an excellent movie, though the Witch tempted Edmund rather not convincionally. I'd like to see a reboot made when the Walden versions won't be so popular. After all, it still doesn't mean that they must be completely thrown out, like BBC.

Personally I find people need to calm down with their reboots. Yes many of you disliked the movies, but there are also many that loved the movies. As previous posters said, one cannot compare Narnia with Spider-Man!

As for VDT, I liked the movie very much! But if we want to "upgrade" it, it doesn't need to reboot the whole movie, but rather shoot many new scenes, reshoot some of the existing scenes (so they can fit better with each other.) and mix it with the rest of the film so they can be divided into episodes so we can have a high quality television series instead. I get a feeling that VDT was not meant to be a movie in the first place, but rather a high-budget television series like Band of Brothers.

The 2005 LWW was pretty near perfect for me. If they just start from where they are now trying to make better Narnia movies it would be far better than rebooting them. And staying as faithful to the remaining books as possible--a must!

I agree 100%.
I loved LWW, very near perfect to me too. PC was different, but it was great. I like VDT, but do admit they changed too much, and included the green mist which I don't like at all. However, the movies with the Pevensie Children are done, (HHB and LB aside- and those are rather different for them). I think they could do just fine continuing the series with the four remaining books. Only thing is, they need to remember LWW was great because it was not only a good quality movie but because it was faithful to the book- so they should do the others as best they can.

^But sadly, today's audience needs high-paced action with loads of top notch CGI and half-naked underwear model to draw them in. Just look at Transformers 2 and 3. Those movies are garbage! But it made more money than all three Narnia movies combined! Sad but true =(

Rebooting the franchise is a terrible idea. There is no point in readapting a story which for the most part is loyal to the source (minus VDT). The only way a reboot would work is if they do something drastically different for example, changing the "Caspian Trilogy" from a high fantasy setting to a steampunk setting to reflect the passage of time and to show human technology suppressing the whimsical fairytale of the old Narnia. As interesting as it may be (at least to me) stuff like that should just stay in fanfiction. Seeing how book fans reacted to a kiss, completely revamping a series is a death wish.

Recently, I was on YouTube and I found a comment from a person who could contribute to this conversation.

"It was actually written for The Chronicles of Narnia, for those who don't know. It was rejected for being too confusing/dark. Such a shame, as it's an amazing song. Also, Narnia should have been a LOT darker, but alas- they made it to be a kid's/family movie."

I think if there were a Narnia reboot, they would definitely try to make it more of a teenage oriented series. A lot of people my age who have heard of the movies think they are just for little kids and nobody else. But I think they need to read the books. Since when are the books, except LB, very dark and violent? I think people who say that need to read the books again.

If there was a Narnia reboot, I would still give it the depth of the book, but gear it toward a younger audience. I would make the film easy enough for all ages to understand(probably five years old at the youngest), but make some parts of it with so much emotional depth, the children would not notice it until they were much older.

Not sure what else to say right now, but still thinking.

If "reboot" means "redo," I don't want LWW and PC rebooted. The Disney films are far superior to the BBC ones. They're good enough for me, and for a lot of other people. Disney's LWW is almost a classic! And most of the casting was just plain perfect. It's Fox's VDT that needs rebooting...

They won't care to make religious films as long as it makes money. They get the greens and they won't give a whack about the Christian symbolism.

This is my fear with Walden, Disney, Fox, the Lewis Estate [whoever's responsible]. They won't get the religious symbolism of the books just right if all they care about is getting the green stuff - just like Ed and Caspian at Goldwater Island!

These portrayal of war in Narnia is even more dangerous to children than some of the more violent films of our days as it shows violence and war as something heroic and clean. This tone must be consistent rather than having an abrupt stop where a particular scene needs to emphasis on pain and injury and then switching to hero mode where Peter is all better and screaming "FOOOR NAAARNNIIIA", becoming the killer machine he is.

You said you felt bored by the battle is more than enough proof to show that the filmmaker's failed to give the impression of a fierce conflict that's more than a scene of little kids' playing at war.

Well, I thought the LWW and PC battles bloody enough. This music video makes the LWW battle seem almost epic, thanks to Two Steps from Hell.

I don't know how to make VDT, and the franchise, different/better. I just want this book done right on screen. The BBC version went strictly by the book, but without a clear plotline and without any real movie magic/life. SC is my favorite of the BBC films. Disney's VDT had more "magic" but still felt episodic and lifeless - even with a clear temptation plotline that I thought fit the book. I want another VDT to combine the best of these two versions, still being faithful to the book. That's possible, isn't it?

Reboot the franchise: MN? SC? HHB? I don't know...

"It was actually written for The Chronicles of Narnia, for those who don't know. It was rejected for being too confusing/dark. Such a shame, as it's an amazing song. Also, Narnia should have been a LOT darker, but alas- they made it to be a kid's/family movie."

I'd like to know what video this comment is from. Which song is the person talking about? And which film? "Narnia" is too generic.

If there was a Narnia reboot, I would still give it the depth of the book, but gear it toward a younger audience. I would make the film easy enough for all ages to understand(probably five years old at the youngest), but make some parts of it with so much emotional depth, the children would not notice it until they were much older.

Funny, because this is just what Skandar said about VDT in an interview with a Lebanese journalist [on his website].

How do you assess the film? And do you think it is directed at kids only?
I was really happy with the final product the first time I saw it and think that everybody did a great job in bringing this film together, especially after we had so many problems along the way with Disney pulling out at one point. I do think that fundamentally this is a children's film but I don't think that has to mean that only kids can enjoy it. It's meant for the whole family and the child inside all of us. If an adult approaches it as a children's film and a bit of fun there's no reason why they can't enjoy it too. With that said, there are also many undercurrants throughout the film and the whole series that are aimed more at adults and which the kids won't pick up.

This is my fear with Walden, Disney, Fox, the Lewis Estate [whoever's responsible]. They won't get the religious symbolism of the books just right if all they care about is getting the green stuff - just like Ed and Caspian at Goldwater Island!

Normally, you would be right but I think the studio executive have realized just how important these religious symbolism are for the current targeted audience for Narnia. So to them, religious symbolism needs to be there but siphoned out in a measure that won't drive non-religious people. It's a delicate balance and one that the studios have failed to do.

Well, I thought the LWW and PC battles bloody enough. This music video makes the LWW battle seem almost epic, thanks to Two Steps from Hell.

Bloody? I think the word you're think is intense not bloody, seeing how Narnia had zero blood in the films. And that video, just further proves my point. The battles in Narnia are portrayed as big epic gloryfests rather than actual warfare. It's silly and totally unlike Lewis' personal perspective of war.

Here's how you handle the religious symbolism: Don't handle it. Just tell the story.

Don't include the symbols for the sake of including them. Include them because they work for the story.

For example, don't include Aslan's death because it mirrors Jesus' death. Include it because it's a very powerful moment in the story. Don't worry about trying to make it like Jesus. Just worry about trying to make it moving.
Edmund is recovered, and it seems like all is well...and then the rug is pulled out from under your feet. Aslan, the hope for Narnia, the one we all supposed was invincible, is killed in a brutal and humiliating way. You don't need to be a theology professor to see that's powerful story-telling. On the other hand, "Oh...I get it...that's kind of like Jesus" is really shallow.

In VDT, they included the line "there I have another name" for the sake of including it. They forgot to properly develop Aslan's character, and to build up the emotion of the scene to that moment. So there was little point in including that line at all.

Here's how you handle the religious symbolism: Don't handle it. Just tell the story.

Don't include the symbols for the sake of including them. Include them because they work for the story.

Exactly. This is something that the studios and most religious filmmakers haven't really gotten yet. The key to a good movie is subtlety. Tell a good story and the rest will come out. The current studios have more or less tacked on the religious symbolism in Narnia for a quick buck from the religious audience rather than let it organically develop like in the books. It's tacked on and an obvious ploy that ends up backfiring.

Recently, I was on YouTube and I found a comment from a person who could contribute to this conversation.

"It was actually written for The Chronicles of Narnia, for those who don't know. It was rejected for being too confusing/dark. Such a shame, as it's an amazing song. Also, Narnia should have been a LOT darker, but alas- they made it to be a kid's/family movie."

If I may ask, just what song is that for?

I agree that rebooting the series is a terrible idea. The Disney movies are already good enough, and far superior to the BBC adaptations of both LWW and PC. Even redoing VDT differently now would still only be rehashing old ground, since BBC has also already made their own adaptation of VDT. Besides, there are some really good aspects of Fox's VDT which could not be easily surpassed or duplicated in a new movie without ruining it. The ship, itself, for instance, or some of the scenery.

Even if someone else was to start the series all over again, the same problems with filming this series would still remain. It is my belief that Magician's Nephew couuld really have been done first without any major dramas, and then there would not be the debate we have at this point in time. Besides most people who have read the story would not have worried much about meeting the lantern, the Witch, the Lion and the Wardrobe before seeing LWW.

But the filmmakers wanted to do LWW, the classic, iconic story of the series first, even if it is the umpteenth interpretation, that has been 'done' in animation, as a television series or two, and now in a feature film. They worried about losing the 'surprise' element of Lucy in the wood the first time, for example. And the fame of LWW surely was an irresistible drawcard for the likes of Disney.

Once LWW has been cast, to make the best use of the actors who play the Pevensies, it is mandatory to do PC and VDT next. But another version of PC will still meet the problem that fully a third of the book is exposition, that both the two versions already made have left out much of the romp sequence to liberate Narnia, and that as a consequence, Susan and Lucy are left with little to do in this story.

I loved VDT as a book, and the BBC version with Samuel West was an okay series for television. But for much of my life I saw the story as the summer sea voyage which compensated for Susan being lucky enough to go to America. All the book seemed to be was a series of episodic and random adventures linked by the voyage itself.

Even before any movie was made, I wondered why Eustace, Lucy and Edmund really needed to be in the picture. Surely Caspian could have found out about the lords by himself without these awkward fellow travellers along to get themselves dragonned and undragonned, to argue with him unnecessarily and to be tempted by beauty and eavesdropping spells.

Even though it is a good story, VDT, unlike just about every other of the Narnia books, doesn't seem have a good reason for the younger Pevensies to be where they are. They aren't fighting the White Witch as in MN or LWW. They aren't restoring Caspian to the throne, as in PC, finding his missing son, as in SC, trying to save Narnia from the Calormene takeover, as in LB or even taking their place as Narnia's rightful sovereigns responding to invasion as in HHB.

Here's how you handle the religious symbolism: Don't handle it. Just tell the story.

I think you are right. Never mind getting the stories bogged down in the religious meanings. Best to move on and do the next four movies, three of which would be breaking new ground. Hopefully all these movies will turn out to be more appealing and marketable than VDT appeared to be at first sight.