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Now there's a new adaptation of Narnia coming from Netflix. Other than that Matthew Aldrich is in charge of the project, we still don't know a whole lot about it. Since we're not certain of what direction Netflix will take Narnia in, it would good time to talk about what our hopes and fears are. In other words, it's saying like, "Don't do this, this is not a good idea" as well as "We're hoping you do this." There are certain traps that filmmakers tend to fall into, I think all three of the Walden movies kind of fell into.
Here are my list of what I hope to see-
3. The Wood Between The Worlds in The Magician's Nephew- It would be great how the Wood Between Worlds is visualized, which I think it would be hard to do so. It could also be a good opportunity for sound design, where Digory and Polly are in this wood where is peaceful and quiet.. perhaps a orchestral strings playing. So how are they going to come up with woods between the worlds, it will be interesting. So it would be great how are they going to come up with the Woods Between The Worlds. We might even see the pool that leads to Charn dried up. I think the Woods Between The Worlds would be so hard to visualized. I think there could be a string of music and beautiful scenery of the woods itself. So opportunity to visualize something that would otherwise be difficult to do.
2. The Unwelcome Fellow Traveler in The Horse And His Boy- What is like for Shasta to walk side by side with Aslan as he travels across the great desert from Calormen to Archenland? It'd be an idea to extend on this. And it doesn't have to be too epic, with a helicopter shot. It could be where the close up shot of Shasta's expression. This could be a good opportunity that it doesn't need to be a helicopter shot, like previous adaptations has done. Then Aslan reveal himself to Shasta, how he's been working behind the scenes. That's the theme of The Horse and His Boy, how Aslan has been working behind the scenes. I am hoping to see how this will be played out.
1. Emeth's encounter with Aslan in The Last Battle- I could almost see this getting cut out in the movie. The difficulty with that in The Last Battle, you deal with multiple endings. It's a common problem with movies. Lord of the Rings: Return of the King struggled with multiple endings. Hey, I think the scene where Tirian and the seven friends of Narnia could easily be another 15-20 minutes. But it is such a memorable scene. All his life, Emeth had been serving Tash out of love and devotion. His encounter with Aslan could be like, where we learn of his humility. In the book, the dwarfs refer to the Calormenes as "Darkies", which is the negative aspect as racism. Emeth doesn't have a very big role, but he is an important one, and he is my favorite character in the whole series. I think there is potential to keep this in. I would love to see Aslan from Emeth's perspective. I would love to see what was like for Emeth, who had been serving Tash, has actually been serving Aslan without knowing it.
Some honorable mentions are Caspian's resurrection in The Silver Chair, Charn in The Magician's Nephew, Aravis and Lasarleen in Tashbaan in The Horse and His Boy, and the reunion of Lucy and Mr. Tumnus in The Last Battle.
Now here is a list I don't want-
3. The plot taken too far from the original source- Now in all fairness, I expect changes to be made. I mean, that's what adaption does. I just don't want Netflix to make unnecessary changes. It is a hard task to turn a book over to a movie. So with that said, please don't make the plots about saving the world. For example, while The Horse and His Boy is kind of a saving the world story, please make it about Shasta making this journey to Narnia and the North to learn more about himself. Let it be about how he's discovering where he truly belongs. In The Silver Chair, it should be about Jill learning to trust Aslan and the signs as well as about whether Caspian is going to die without an heir. The Magician's Nephew should be about Digory hoping to save the life of his dying mother. Besides, the world of Narnia is coming to an end in The Last Battle, so what is the point of being about "saving the world"? So please, don't take the plot too far from the original source.
2. Big Epic Climatic Battle- Fantasy was on the trend when Lord of the Rings Trilogy came out. Each had a well done battle scene near the end. For Narnia, it works better for The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe, Prince Caspian, The Horse and His Boy, and The Last Battle than it does in Voyage of the Dawn Treader, The Silver Chair, and The Magician's Nephew. Though they should not be about saving the world. Narnia was on the line in The Silver Chair that somehow the Green Lady was going to use Prince Rilian and an army of gnomes to break out into Narnia. Her ultimate goal was to become Queen of Narnia; it's more of an afterthought in the book. The climax is where are they going to trust Aslan's signs to free Rilian out of the chair or when the Green Lady walks in and tries to convince them that Narnia never existed, are they going to fall for that? In The Magician's Nephew, the climax is where Jadis is tempting Digory in the Garden of Youth. Should he give in to steal the apple for himself or should he obey Aslan's instructions to bring back the apple to plant a tree of protection? So Netflix, no big giant battle to save the world. While there is the Battle of Stable Hill in The Last Battle, I think the real drama comes from are their loyalties with the real Aslan or Tash or do they "only have an eye for their own profit" like Ginger says in the book? A big battle is pretty easy commercial thing to do, but it doesn't always work if it is departing from the original source. So no big epic climatic battle.
1. The White And The Lady of the Green Kirtle being the same person- for some reason, the White Witch was in all three of the Walden adaptation. In BBC adaptation, the White Witch and the Lady of the Green Kirtle was played by the same actress (it may have been for budgetary reason, though). Netflix could go in the direction of making the White Witch and the Lady of the Green Kirtle the same person, which they are not. Netflix needs to make it clear that they're not, kind of like, "Oh why aren't Prince Rabadash and Rishda Tarkaan the same person? Do I need to list the reasons?" A prophecy stated in The Lion, The Witch, And The Wardrobe that the fulfilling of the four thrones would mark the end of the White Witch's reign and of her life. What else? Aslan killed her at the battle and he meant it! It even states in The Silver Chair that while the White Witch and the Green Lady are of the same crew, they're not the same person. It would be an easy commercial thing to do, "How can we bring back the White Witch in The Silver Chair? Oh, what if the White Witch and the Green Lady the same person?" Netflix should make new things. So, let the Green Lady be her own villain. You can totally have two Northern witches in Narnia history but they don't have to the same one.
Now here are my fears-
2. Romance- this is kind of the thing for Hollywood. Movie makers tend to go in this direction whether it's between two main characters or a love triangle or a villainous crush. Eustace and Jill in The Silver Chair, Shasta and Aravis in The Horse and His Boy (though they do end up getting married), Digory and Polly in The Magician's Nephew, and a love triangle with Tirian, Eustace, and Jill in The Last Battle. The Lady of the Green Kirtle planned to marry Prince Rilian so she could have access to the throne of Narnia (more like an afterthought, though). Netflix might find a way to play that out. Then Prince Rabadash wanting to marry Susan in The Horse and His Boy could be played out as well. Then there could be an idea where Rishda wants to be with Jill, but she doesn't want to be with him, giving him reason to throw her into the stable. It's not very often we see a guy and girl with a close friendship in Hollywood productions, and that's it. They do it for the purpose of marketing often times. Now I am not saying that every filmmaker is like this, but quite a few are into shipping. I can almost see it happening in Narnia. I'm hoping romance of any won't happen, but I fear it might.
1. History repeats itself- the previous adaptations added a lot of action scenes. There's a possibility Netflix could go in that direction again. There's not really a lot of action scenes in The Magician's Nephew, other than where Jadis is rampaging London. They could extend on that. Even in The Silver Chair, where Eustace, Jill, and Puddleglum are going to Harfang. Puddleglum say, "We need to stay the night" and Eustace and Jill snap, "We're cold!" The Last Battle has plenty of action scenes. They could have where Tirian, Eustace, and Jill are going to the tower, and the Calormenes chase after them. I think in The Last Battle, I'm not saying they should keep the "what's inside the stable" mysterious, but if they actually show Rishda placing the Calormene soldier in there (we learn later in the book he did that to kill any Narnian who went in there), it can create a lot of tension. And when Shift tells the Narnians at the midnight meeting, "Oh, anyone can see Tashlan, but he's not coming out. You have to go in and see him. Oh, you have to go in one at a time", it will want you to go like, "Stop! Stop! Don't go in there!" I could even almost see The Last Battle having multiple endings, much like Lord of the Rings: Return of the King did. I'm hoping history doesn't repeat itself, but I fear it might.
So what are your hopes and fears for Narnia movies?
"And this is the marvel of marvels, that he called me beloved."
(Emeth, The Last Battle)
Topic starter
Posted : October 4, 2021 5:51 pm
Emeth's encounter with Aslan in The Last Battle. I could almost see this getting cut out in the movie
I'm not too worried about this. The negative portrayal of the Calormenes is a controversial aspect of The Last Battle, so I imagine the adapters will want to emphasize whatever positive examples of them there are. This part of the book is also somewhat offensive to Evangelical Christians and since many in the artistic community hate those people, they might want to include it simply out of spite. The only reason I can think of for cutting would be for time. Which if they make a movie instead of a TV series is admittedly a possibility. 
But I'm still pretty optimistic they'll want to include it.
The White Witch and The Lady of the Green Kirtle being the same person.
I'm actually reasonably confident they won't. The BBC miniseries reused multiple actors in different roles. And while the Walden Media movies kept bringing Jadis back, it was always for merely a brief cameo. And anyway, I'm not expecting Netflix to bend over backwards to emulate either of previous versions of Narnia. Maybe if the White Witch ended up being a really popular villain, this might be something to worry about.
Romance- this is kind of the thing for Hollywood.
Yeah, this I'm dreading. 
I could even almost see The Last Battle having multiple endings like Lord of the Rings: Return of the King did.
I...actually think that'd be good. 
I'd argue the book, like The Return of the King, does have multiple endings. Or at least an ending that consists of many scenes that are part of the end and don't have any kind of dramatic tension that needs to be resolved. (Unless maybe they want the Friends of Narnia worrying about being sent back home to be an ongoing tension.) By your own description, the scene with Emeth could be cut while still making sense, but as fans of the story, you and I want it to be included. If they were to stay true to the slow paced nature of the finale, with all its memorable vignettes, I'd be relieved and delighted!
This post was modified 3 years ago by Col Klink
For better or worse-for who knows what may unfold from a chrysalis?-hope was left behind.
-The God Beneath the Sea by Leon Garfield & Edward Blishen check out my new blog!
Posted by: @col-klink
The negative portrayal of the Calormenes is a controversial aspect of The Last Battle, so I imagine the adapters will want to emphasize whatever positive examples of them there are.
I think we get too focused on their negative characters, like Prince Rabadash and Rishda, so with Emeth, there could be opportunity to see the positive aspect. I want it to be included because it is such a memorable scene.
Posted by: @col-klink
Maybe if the White Witch ended up being a really popular villain, this might be something to worry about.
I kind of have a feeling she will. She would be undoubtedly be on the number #1 spot of the top ten Narnia villains (if any list exists). I only have a top 3 favorite Narnia villains, and she is #1. She and the Lady of the Green Kirtle are both witches, and they have the same motives. I don't think they'll make them the same person, but it is still something to be fearful of.
Posted by: @col-klink
Yeah, this I'm dreading.
I think we all are dreading romantic relations. I guess because as Narnia fans, we weren't prepared for the Caspian and Susan romance. I kind of get that's the direction movie makers tend to go in in order to make a big commercial movie or series. I don't think any romantic relations is going to happen, but it's still something to be fearful of.
Posted by: @col-klink
I...actually think that'd be good.
I think the book does have multiple endings. It's so hard to try to include all of these endings. Any of those endings could easily get cut out, but I'm sure as Narnia fans, we want them all to be included.
Yes, I want to the scene with Emeth to be included. It would leave such an impact that there is hope, not just for the Narnians, but for the Calormenes as well.
"And this is the marvel of marvels, that he called me beloved."
(Emeth, The Last Battle)
Topic starter
Posted : October 4, 2021 8:48 pm
Courtenay liked
Maybe a slightly unpopular opinion, but I'd like to see Tash gradually get built up as a villain throughout the series (whether onscreen or just references in passing), since he's the true Satan figure/mastermind, and the final confrontation in the Last Battle is against him.
This would also alleviate any temptations to keep bringing Jadis back outside of MN/LWW.
This is the journey
This is the trial
For the hero inside us all
I can hear adventure call
Here we go
Posted : November 17, 2021 5:19 pm
Maybe a slightly unpopular opinion, but I'd like to see Tash gradually get built up as a villain throughout the series (whether onscreen or just references in passing), since he's the true Satan figure/mastermind, and the final confrontation in the Last Battle is against him.
This would also alleviate any temptations to keep bringing Jadis back outside of MN/LWW.
I don't think they'll put the White Witch in every Narnia movie, like Walden put her in all three Narnia movies, kind of like they put the Scarecrow in all three of the Dark Knight trilogy. Though it is still something to be fearful of. Tash only has one line in the series-
"Thou hast called me into Narnia, Rishda Tarkaan. Here I am. What hast thou to say?"
They could decide not to have Tash say that... just have him show up and take Rishda away. I haven't mentioned this, but I would like to see Rishda's reaction when Tash shows up. (I guess I could also put it on my honorable mentions list).
"And this is the marvel of marvels, that he called me beloved."
(Emeth, The Last Battle)
Topic starter
Posted : November 17, 2021 5:31 pm
the final confrontation in the Last Battle is against (Tash.)
How so? The only thing that could be called a "confrontation" between Tash and the heroes is Peter telling him to take his prey and begone. If that's supposed to be "the last battle," it was pretty anticlimactic. 
I see the climax, if there is one, as being the battle between the heroes and the Calormene forces.
For better or worse-for who knows what may unfold from a chrysalis?-hope was left behind.
-The God Beneath the Sea by Leon Garfield & Edward Blishen check out my new blog!
Posted : November 17, 2021 6:12 pm
Courtenay liked
The only thing that could be called a "confrontation" between Tash and the heroes is Peter telling him to take his prey and begone. If that's supposed to be "the last battle," it was pretty anticlimactic.
That's what I was referring to, and I stand by it 
It was admittedly an anti climactic final confrontation, but the final confrontation nonetheless (especially with Rishda finally getting "his").
Netflix might change this, and I probably wouldn't be too bothered if Tash put up more of a fight at the end.
This is the journey
This is the trial
For the hero inside us all
I can hear adventure call
Here we go
Posted : November 17, 2021 7:51 pm
Maybe a slightly unpopular opinion, but I'd like to see Tash gradually get built up as a villain throughout the series (whether onscreen or just references in passing), since he's the true Satan figure/mastermind, and the final confrontation in the Last Battle is against him.
This would also alleviate any temptations to keep bringing Jadis back outside of MN/LWW.
[edit: this may seem a bit brusque, so I apologise - a couple of days later]
I disagree with your idea and description of Tash. He is not like Satan, but is only an evil demon who has succeeded in being identified as a god by the Calormene nation. In our world this is more like the Baals and Ashteroths worshipped by the nations around Israel, and copied by Israelites - and denounced by Old Testament prophets. None of them (if they were real) were of the level that Satan is shown to have in the Bible.
Even if this were not the case It would be inappropriate to bring in a character who Lewis did not write until he wrote The Horse And His Boy (published 1954). Tash had nothing to do with most of the stories, and he had no more to do with Prince Caspian than Coriakin did, or to do with Voyage of the Dawn Treader than The Lady of the Green Kirtle did!
(It would also be dangerous to build up an 'equal evil character' to rival Aslan, because it would go against the Christian worldview and teachings that Lewis reflected in his books. Suggesting that the devil is an equal and opposite force to God or Christ is not Biblical teaching, and is only found in cults that have veered well away from basic Christianity.)
There, shining in the sunrise, larger than they had seen him before, shaking his mane (for it had apparently grown again) stood Aslan himself.
"...when a willing victim who had committed no treachery was killed in a traitor's stead, the Table would crack and Death itself would start working backwards."
Posted : November 18, 2021 1:17 am
Courtenay liked
In our world this is more like the Baals and Ashteroths worshipped by the nations around Israel, and copied by Israelites - and denounced by Old Testament prophets. None of them (if they were real) were of the level that Satan is shown to have in the Bible.
Tash is real though....I don't think Lewis ever meant for there to be a hard and fast dichotomy between our world and Narnia (other than Aslan being Jesus, obviously).
Even if this were not the case It would be inappropriate to bring in a character who Lewis did not write until he wrote The Horse And His Boy (published 1954). Tash had nothing to do with most of the stories, and he had no more to do with Prince Caspian than Coriakin did, or to do with Voyage of the Dawn Treader than The Lady of the Green Kirtle did!
That's if we're going purely by publication order. He was incredibly integral to the endgame of the Last Battle to the point of having Tash's county, opposite Aslan's country. I only thought that this kind of character with this kind of power would benefit from being built up somewhat (especially in a context of translating from paper to screen).
(It would also be dangerous to build up an 'equal evil character' to rival Aslan, because it would go against the Christian worldview and teachings that Lewis reflected in his books. Suggesting that the devil is an equal and opposite force to God or Christ is not Biblical teaching, and is only found in cults that have veered well away from basic Christianity.)
I never said that Tash was equal to Aslan, nor did I imply that the Devil is equal to God. I think Peter having the power to drive him away proves that.
Either way, you clearly have the theology of this well thought out in a way I did not. Respect for that (and I mean it ).
This is the journey
This is the trial
For the hero inside us all
I can hear adventure call
Here we go
Posted : November 18, 2021 2:03 am
coracle liked
He was incredibly integral to the endgame of the Last Battle
Meh, I really don't see this. It's the true that "Tashlan" is integral to the story since the villains use it to manipulate the Narnian population. But you could rewrite the story so Shift just says he's speaking for Aslan without mentioning Tash at all. (Though I wouldn't want an adaptation to do this!) His main role is to kill Rishda and you could easily have Tirian do this. (I wouldn't want that either!) Maybe our (minor) disagreement stems from me not interpreting the end of the world of Narnia as being caused by the country of Narnia's fall.
You might rally more fans to your idea if you explained what exactly Tash would be doing in the other stories while being built up. I'm not sure how you could do it without reimagining all the plots, which I don't want. If he only had pointless cameos, I think people would be annoyed when his big appearance in The Last Battle also turned out to be a cameo. ("All that buildup for that?") Unless you want to reimagine the plot of The Last Battle, which I don't want.
For better or worse-for who knows what may unfold from a chrysalis?-hope was left behind.
-The God Beneath the Sea by Leon Garfield & Edward Blishen check out my new blog!
Posted : November 18, 2021 7:08 am
Courtenay liked
He was incredibly integral to the endgame of the Last Battle
Meh, I really don't see this. It's the true that "Tashlan" is integral to the story since the villains use it to manipulate the Narnian population. But you could rewrite the story so Shift just says he's speaking for Aslan without mentioning Tash at all. (Though I wouldn't want an adaptation to do this!) His main role is to kill Rishda and you could easily have Tirian do this. (I wouldn't want that either!) Maybe our (minor) disagreement stems from me not interpreting the end of the world of Narnia as being caused by the country of Narnia's fall.
Yeah, "Tashlan" is a big part of my reasoning, as is Tash's country at the end. So, our disagreement is either minor or we're not even actually disagreeing.
You might rally more fans to your idea if you explained what exactly Tash would be doing in the other stories while being built up. I'm not sure how you could do it without reimagining all the plots, which I don't want. If he only had pointless cameos, I think people would be annoyed when his big appearance in The Last Battle also turned out to be a cameo. ("All that buildup for that?") Unless you want to reimagine the plot of The Last Battle, which I don't want.
Okay, that's fair. I knew this would be an unpopular opinion, and I do want to stress that I expected pushback. That's perfectly fine! And, what Tash would be doing is something that I would also welcome feedback on, in that I hadn't completely thought that through before I suggested it. Maybe I should have.
If there truly is no way this suggestion of mine works, then I respectfully bow out. NarniaWeb would be a very boring place if we all agreed on everything.
This is the journey
This is the trial
For the hero inside us all
I can hear adventure call
Here we go
Posted : November 18, 2021 10:03 am
Oh, we never said that we agree on everything. I don't think they'll have Tirian killing Rishda. They are already dueling near the stable doorway, and Tirian tells Rishda,
"Come in, and meet Tash yourself!'
Plus, Tirian is already killing a lot of Calormenes at the Battle of Stable Hill. You could create tension between Tirian and Rishda, though.
You could cut out Ginger if you want to, and just have Rishda taking over when Shift takes to drinking. Rishda would be like, "Step aside, Lord Shift. It's time for the high-class Tarkaan to take over." (It sounds pretty pointless, though). Plus, Emeth could be the first to volunteer to go into the stable.
You could even make Rishda the main villain instead of Shift if you want to. Shift could be working for Rishda all this time. (Not saying I'd hate it. Rishda is one of my favorite Narnia villains, but I don't know how I'd feel if they've made him the main villain instead of Shift. I'm sure a lot of you might feel the same way).
I think changes will be made in all of the adaptation of the Narnia books, because movie makers make changes all the time. Although changes for the wrong reasons is something to be fearful.
"And this is the marvel of marvels, that he called me beloved."
(Emeth, The Last Battle)
Topic starter
Posted : November 18, 2021 10:07 am
Glenwit liked
Yeah, "Tashlan" is a big part of my reasoning, as is Tash's country at the end.
Feel perfectly free to push back against me too, but isn't Tash's "own place" just mentioned in one sentence?
For better or worse-for who knows what may unfold from a chrysalis?-hope was left behind.
-The God Beneath the Sea by Leon Garfield & Edward Blishen check out my new blog!
Posted : November 18, 2021 2:47 pm
@col-klink I actually haven't thought about that. In the book, Peter says,
"Begone, Monster, and take your lawful prey to your own place: in the name of Aslan and Aslan's great Father, the Emperor-over-sea."
Did Peter actually only meant Rishda or could he referring to anyone as Tash's lawful prey? It would seem that Tash has his own country. How will Netflix play it out?
I guess you could create a poster something like this-
or this-
"And this is the marvel of marvels, that he called me beloved."
(Emeth, The Last Battle)
Topic starter
Posted : November 18, 2021 3:22 pm
That's if we're going purely by publication order. He was incredibly integral to the endgame of the Last Battle to the point of having Tash's county, opposite Aslan's country.
Just wondering, what's this about "Tash's country, opposite Aslan's country"? I may be forgetting something — I don't think I've read or even dipped into The Last Battle as many times as the other books — but I honestly can't think of any place where it's indicated that Tash has a country of his own and it's opposite, or the opposite of, Aslan's country.
The closest we get, as far as I can remember, is Peter commanding Tash: "Begone, Monster, and take your lawful prey to your own place" — not "your own country". Tash's "own place" could mean a range of things, probably implicitly hell, but we're not given any further details (just as, some pages later, we're deliberately not given any idea of what happens to the creatures who disappear into Aslan's shadow at the final judgment). And I just don't see any implication that Tash rules over hell in the same way that Aslan rules over heaven. He really is not, in any way, built up as the Narnian universe's equivalent or embodiment of Satan — and as @coracle says, that would contradict Lewis's Christian theology, to make Tash anything like a genuine rival of Aslan. I really hope Netflix won't decide to do that.
"Now you are a lioness," said Aslan. "And now all Narnia will be renewed."
(Prince Caspian)
Posted : November 19, 2021 5:13 pm
coracle liked
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