Very interesting, Wagga. Thanks for the history lesson.
The Chronicles of Narnia were all completed between 1949-1954 (MN last of all). I wonder why they took so long to publish? I certainly want Rilian's character to be further explored whilst he's imprisoned underground.

I've had thoughts about how they would adapt The Silver Chair for our modern times. With all of the previous discussion about how to adapt the film to fit Will Poulter's aging I started having thoughts about how they would adapt it not only with an older teenaged Eustace and Jill but also if they changed the milieu to today's 2011 instead of the WWII era. They've modernized some classics like Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice and Emma so I wonder what a modern SC would be like. Thoughts?

It's an interesting thought. I would say yes and no to a modernized SC. No to a modernized Walden SC, as a part of the current series. They have already established that the series is taking place in the 1940s, to jump forward to modern times would be weird and incongruous.

However, if they were to re-do the series, say 20 years down the road, I think it would be interesting to have a modernized version. Lewis wrote these books for an audience of "modern" children. Since he started writing LWW during the blitz (it took him a long time to finish), LWW was set during the blitz. He wrote the other books much later, and most of them don't make any mention of war or peace in England. It fact, it's quite clear from the introductory part of VDT that he completely forgot there was supposed to be a war going on. He wrote that book for children of the late 40s early 50s. Doing a Chronicles of Narnia series with a modern-day "earth" setting would not only open all sorts of creative possibilities, but it would be perfectly in line with Lewis' vision of the series.

Now they would have to create a different premise for the beginning of LWW, but other than that most of the events that happen could happen nowadays, children leaving for boarding school, parents going on a business trip to America and leaving the kids with a relative, weird fads in education, school bullying, train rides . . .

The children's language would need to be modernized in some cases. They would probably talk more like Harry or Hermione from the HP series. Also, MN would be set in the 60s, rather than the turn of the century. . . . Funny thought, instead of Letty thinking that Jadis is from a carnival, she can think that she's a hippy in the throes of a really bad trip. And the baffled Londoners can think that she's protesting something.

Btw, I don't remember a modernized version of Pride and Prejudice coming out.

I really hope that Jillstace does not come into play in any film both SC and LB, no way. They are like brother and sister in my eyes.

I do hope that they have some Telmarine girl in the story who is a friend to Rilian and has always loved him but Rilian couldn't see this because of his enchanted love for LOGK and I hope to see that over the years this Telmarine girl still loved him and when Rilian comes back home he sees her after his coronation and fathers funeral. I hope that after everthing that has happened to him he can go back to someone who was also waiting for him. I think it would make a lovely romantic storyline for Silver Chair.

However, if they were to re-do the series, say 20 years down the road, I think it would be interesting to have a modernized version. Lewis wrote these books for an audience of "modern" children....Doing a Chronicles of Narnia series with a modern-day "earth" setting would not only open all sorts of creative possibilities, but it would be perfectly in line with Lewis' vision of the series.

That's what I was thinking of...a much later Fox and Walden-less reboot. Making it modern but not deviating into any romance between Eustace and Jill. There would be a modern update of Experiment House, etc. Though I truly personally prefer the book made in its original time period---it would be interesting to see what could be done with it as an update, provided it was done properly.

Also, MN would be set in the 60s, rather than the turn of the century. . . . Funny thought, instead of Letty thinking that Jadis is from a carnival, she can think that she's a hippy in the throes of a really bad trip.

LOL green mist...yes.

BTW, I don't remember a modernized version of Pride and Prejudice coming out.

I guess I'm thinking about the Bollywoodish * "re-invention" Bride and Prejudice with Aish Rai and an indie remake, Pride and Prejudice: A Latter-Day Comedy (the characters are Mormons).

*Edited

Huh . . . show's how much I know. I thought Bride and Prejudice was just an album (I have some of the music on my mp3 player).

@Rilians Queen: I'm worried that a love interest with Rilian might distract from the central plot. Bandido and I were kicking around the idea of the relationship between Caspian and Liliandil as the love story of SC. A flashback sequence of their marriage could fit nicely at the beginning, and she could be waiting for him in Aslan's country at the end. I also think that Caspian should be the one to discover her dead. We don't want to reveal Rilian's appearance at first, because that way it will be a surprise when the audience discover that the foppish Black Knight is actually Rilian under a spell. In the BBC version they gave him a mask, but I think that would interfere with the acting.

Although . . . they could have Rilian's love interest be Drinian's daughter, who grew up with Rilian, and was one of his best friends from childhood. When the owls retell the story, she is the one whom Rilian introduces to the Green Lady, and she and Drinian tell Caspian about it. Then, when Rilian returns to court, he realizes that he loved her all along.
I still don't think it would fit in the story nicely, though.

The Caspian/Lilliandil flashbacks and other ideas sound so great and i hope they do that as well in the film. I just always felt sorry for Rilian for going back home and his father dies and suddenly becomes a lonely king. I just hope that there is a person waiting for him as much as he is waiting for someone so we can get a sense that he's not alone.

Very interesting, Wagga. Thanks for the history lesson.
The Chronicles of Narnia were all completed between 1949-1954 (MN last of all). I wonder why they took so long to publish? I certainly want Rilian's character to be further explored whilst he's imprisoned underground.

So do I. I was thinking Stockholm Syndrome, myself, which is where a prisoner, being dependent on his/her captor, falls in love with the captor. Or the love-hate of drug and alcohol abuse, especially the temptation to drown one's grief and depresssion.

I don't think of this needing to be more than PG either, when you think of so many families where these are very real issues. Children need this sort of explanation of why these things happen as well, since they are often the innocent victims of such issues.

Although . . . they could have Rilian's love interest be Drinian's daughter, who grew up with Rilian, and was one of his best friends from childhood. When the owls retell the story, she is the one whom Rilian introduces to the Green Lady, and she and Drinian tell Caspian about it. Then, when Rilian returns to court, he realizes that he loved her all along.

No, sorry, the Narnia stories, in and of themselves, weren't meant to be romances, unlike Pride and Prejudice, or Jane Austen's other stories. And I remain unconvinced by Bride and Prejudice etc even though just as in Jane Austen's Regency era, in Indian and maybe possibly Mormon society, marriages and romantic relationships are usually arranged and developed with income and social class in mind. That is the problem with modernising both the Narnia books and Pride and Prejudice: in both cases although it looks vaguely workable, the authors were very much part of the commentary and ethos of their own times.

Though when in LB Tirian tells Jill and Eustace he is the seventh in descent from Rilian the Disenchanted, it is clear that he did eventually find someone else, in what we hope was a far healthier relationship for himself and for Narnia. I also agree that Caspian's grief for his wife would be an understandable and valid part of their romance to be mentioned in a flashback, even if only briefly. For example, I wonder at that stage if there hadn't been a bit of a estrangement between father and son, perhaps blaming each other for the death of Lilliandil. If you stick to the book there must already be a lot of pain in letting your wife and son go off to what was an innocent picnic day, only to see her dead body return.

No, Stockholm syndrome doesn't make sense as an explanation of Rilian's love for the Green Lady. First of all, the book clearly states that his blind love for her is the result of the magical enchantment that she placed on him. Second of all, this mad infatuation starts before his imprisonment, not during. Thirdly, he snaps out of it right away, the second he is released from his enchantment. A person doesn't snap out of a long-standing psychologically-based problem in a matter of minutes.

Rilian's suffering is the result of the fact that his enchantment turns him into someone he despises. It's a horrifying thought, being robbed of your ability to make your own decisions, forced to romance a woman you hate, plotting to become an evil dictator, becoming someone completely devoid of courage, nobility, and compassion. This makes his liberation from the spell that much more powerful. Jill, Eustace, and Puddleglum don't just free him from a physical prison; they free his soul.

Yeah, Stockholm syndrome is incredibly interesting but I don't think it's relevant here. For me, Rilian's imprisonment is both psychological and spiritual but more spiritual.

Ok, I know this is the costume area, but bear with me:
I am thinking
Classroom: the back of the class room, wide shot moving forward to jill down the aisle, and the teacher is writing on the chalk board, a screwed up note is tossed at her head, and she turns away from the camera picks up the note
(meanwhile the camera is now beside her, slightly infront) she turns back round with the note and, reads it and looks up. you THEN see her face, which is looking worried.

class leaves and she walks outside, and down a corridor, looking around and obviously trying to hide.
camera is in front of her and as she walks past a wall, you see a group of people ("them, only boys") they call out to her, then after a short time she runs away and they chase her

chase scene, etc

she runs into the girls bath room and into the end cubicle, cut to "them" standing outside saying, go get the girls

jill sits on the toilet lid thingo, and then (being on the second floor) opens a window, climbs on toilet and out the window onto roof

[i justify this by saying that it shows that she is a good climber, not just randomly her walking along the edge of a cliff)

climbs along roof, then eventually jumps down and falls and crawls to behind the gym

starts to cry, then the story goes on...
ideas??

Nice, I like it and it means that the story wont start quite so quickly so there is more development! plus it shows the bullying you don't just have to take Jills word for it (Not that i think she was lying, just that this way we see WHY she's crying...so character development again...), O.K i'm rambling, I like it!

Not bad Jill but I'm not sure progressive schools work like that, it seems too structured and conservative. Progressive schools are more about children "learning through doing as they please".

OK... so the gremlins decided to attack again and caused half of these posts (including some of my own) to pop up as unread on my computer... Therefore I'm afraid I've no idea as to what we are talking about now as I've yet to locate where the first unread post actually is... however I would like to metion a topic that was brought up 10-20 pages ago about Stan Winston's dinosaurs in JP and an animatronic Aslan.

It is my personal experience that a furred animatronic animal is hard to make look realistic do to the way the hairs stand... although they did manage some of the Stone Table scenes as there was no movement, I believe however that I'd much prefer a CGI Aslan in SC. The serpent however might actually look better if it was animatronic (especially if they use digital cameras again ) If they did do this, I'd severely hope they get Stan Winston Studios to do it, as they've already proven quite capable of making realisic reptilian skin.

EDIT!!!

For clarity I am refering to Clive Staples Sibelius' post here: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=2953&start=192#p137057
and the discussion that followed. I'll join in on the current topic once I figure out just what the current topic is

I love Jill Pole's idea for a bullying scene, although I'd also like the movie to start in Narnia and reintroduce Will as a Narnian folk hero. Earlier I proposed that they have a montage of scenes from Caspian and Liliandil's married life during the credits, ending with a scene where Caspian is reading young Rilian a picture book about Eustace's exploits.

I'm thinking that Rilian can ask Caspian a question or two about the great hero Eustace before the camera focuses on a picture in the book of Eustace looking brave and resolute. Then, the picture can fade into a shot of present-day Eustace looking bravely and resolutely at a problem that the teacher is writing on the board. Then the camera moves it's focus to the girl, Jill, sitting behind him. From there the scene can progress as you described, except that Jill can also bump into Eustace while she's rushing through the hall.

I really like your ideas Anhun and Jill_Pole. I would love to see Ben in SC
It would also be a great was to show how bad the school is. Like you could have someone sleepinf in class and someone else throwing earasers (or whatever).