sweet! this is amazing!!!!! oh, I can't wait for the movie!

Interesting article. I dislike hearing Apted keep saying stuff about adding elements from Silver Chair. I mean, there's a chance that it will work and be fine... but it doesn't sit well with me. Is he trying to say that the LotGK is somehow using the Dark Island's "malevolent mist" to kidnap the earthmen out of Bism? That makes, like, zero sense... but I guess we'll find out.

Then again, we don't even know for sure if Michael Apted would return to do Silver Chair; they may choose another director if they continue the series, or go back to Adamson. Anything's possible. I don't think he's truly set anything up for the next movie in a concrete way; they probably just have a few ideas and such. I'm not going to get too worried about statements like these, because honestly I don't think there's as much Silver Chair in Dawn Treader as Apted makes it sound.

A few things that bugged me:

"'Prince Caspian is much more earthbound- it's really about human characters, and it's less about magic and beauty and poetry of Narnia, which hopefully we were able to convey in the first film.'"
Yes, the book had less magic and beauty because of the oppression of the Telmarines, but that, in itself, is poetic. The idea of magic and beauty being thrown away in favour of practicality is tragic, but tragically beautiful in it's own way. It's like Jesus, the most innocent man who ever lived, dying for us vile sinners. They're both tragically beautiful. And like Jesus, the magic of Narnia is resureccted gloriously. I find the book just as dreamy and poetic as any of the others.

"'...Prince Caspian was a darker book, dealing with themes like a guy having to deal with the fact that his father was murdered by his uncle, and I believe once or twice that's been done before.'"
This nearly makes my blood boil. Mark Johnson (I could be wrong) seems to be sarcastically saying that Lewis' idea of Caspian having to come to grips with his uncle murdering his father is a cliche. C.S. Lewis did not write about that! There's one line in the book where Caspian says he wants to fight Miraz to avenge his father, Peter says 'no' and Caspian accepts it. That's it. The whole, "Did you kill my father" deal was exclusive to the films.

One more.
"'...Prince Caspian is more political whereas this film is more magical.'"
Again, I didn't find the book to be very political at all. There were some politics, but saying it is about politics is going way too far. The film-makers brought it on themselves.

And of course all the talk about connecting the stories together. I'm sorry, Mark Johnson, but you have no case to call C.S. Lewis unoriginal. One positive is that the article talks about the connection not being one that will pre-empt The Silver Chair. I guess that's good, but I still wish they'd just let the stories stand on their own. It works so much better.

Sorry for the negativity, but that article got me pretty riled up.

"The fourth book, The Silver Chair, is about the Green Witch underground kidnapping armies of people to invade the upper ground, which is Narnia," Apted says.

?

No it isn't! Where did he get THAT idea? The witch puts a spell over the gnomes, yes, but kidnapping? That quote makes it seem like she kidnapped lots of aboveground people. She just kidnapped Rilian!

But you go straight from Dawn Treader into that story so there's no preamble of the begining of kidnapping people and bringing them to a dark place to prepare an army to attack Narnia.

I'm a little confused. Is he saying that no time passes, or that Lewis chose not to mention how the LoTGK prepared to invade Narnia, and instead brought in Jill and Eustace when Rilian had already been captured for a while? Because if it's the former, I'm REALLY confused.

"The fourth book, The Silver Chair, is about the Green Witch underground kidnapping armies of people to invade the upper ground, which is Narnia," Apted says.

?

No it isn't! Where did he get THAT idea? The witch puts a spell over the gnomes, yes, but kidnapping? That quote makes it seem like she kidnapped lots of aboveground people. She just kidnapped Rilian!

Not exactly. Remember how Caspian had sent severa soldiers and men to search for Rillian and that none returned? I think it was implied that the Emerald Witch either kidnapped or killed them.

Interesting, do a lot of movies usually get this much publicity or is it just that this is the third movie in a popular series?

icarus wrote: "The fourth book, The Silver Chair, is about the Green Witch underground kidnapping armies of people to invade the upper ground, which is Narnia," Apted says.

?

No it isn't! Where did he get THAT idea? The witch puts a spell over the gnomes, yes, but kidnapping? That quote makes it seem like she kidnapped lots of aboveground people. She just kidnapped Rilian!

I wouldn't worry too much about this since it is basicly the way it is in the book. Putting a spell on someone and making them come with you when they wouldn't do it if they had a choice counts as kidnapping. And gnomes and talking animals are people.

"The fourth book, The Silver Chair, is about the Green Witch underground kidnapping armies of people to invade the upper ground, which is Narnia," Apted says.

No it isn't! Where did he get THAT idea? The witch puts a spell over the gnomes, yes, but kidnapping? That quote makes it seem like she kidnapped lots of aboveground people. She just kidnapped Rilian!

I think some other people have said this already, but my personal opinion is that there really isn't much of a difference between how the Gnomes and Rilian came to be in the LotGK's service. Both were taken from their homes, enchanted, and forced to do her bidding against their will. I can see where he gets 'kidnapping.' Maybe he should have said 'gnomenapping' instead.

Soo wait a minute! Does this mean SC was greenlit? I'm confused. I just hope they keep Will as Eustace... His portrayal is Amazing!

No, SC is NOT greenlit. In fact, they're still debating about which one to do next (though SC is handily winning from my understanding... good!). We should hear an announcement a month or so after the box office numbers are in.

What about this?

"Interestingly, Apted is already pencilled in for the fourth installment, The Silver Chair, due in 2012."

I know this isn't a press release so it can't be considered 100% official, but that sounds like there are two things that are very possible to expect. A, The Silver Chair will be next and B, Michael Apted will direct. Again, I know this isn't straight from Fox or Walden, so I'll take it with a grain of salt- but a fairly small one.

I'm not sure at this point how I'd feel about Michael Apted returning...

I have to say I like all this talk about SC coming to life as a film, but I'm waiting for the box office results of VDT and an official green-light.

Um, yeah, this whole business of kidnapping people for an underground army? Um, I haven't read SC in awhile, but I don't recall this factor at all. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't see or recall a connection there. I can see where you would argue the point of Rillian and those going to find him, but the Lady of the Green Kirtle doesn't fight with an army of people, it's an army of those from Bism (which would be even further below her world, not sucking people down from the top surface). I know it's way super early, but I'm defintiely a bit on pins and needles.

And Repicheep775, I have to agree with all your points.

The LOTGK puts a spell on the gnomes so they will work for her and attack overworld when the tunnel was finished. Gnomes and talking animals count as people

Yeah, I'm definitely waiting to watch VDT before I give Apted a thumbs up. I'm sure he'll want to direct The Silver Chair so he can continue on with HIS little story he has going. Seriously, it seems like he's talked so much about this kidnapping souls business that he's almost convinced himself that it is an idea that came from the book.