Continuing the Chronicles

Definitly in my top 5 works of fiction is The Chronicles of Narnia by C S Lewis. If you watch my LibraryThing long enough you'll see them pop up. I came to them late in life; no one read them to me when I was a kid. But they captured my imagination once I found them and I've read through all 7 of them at least 5 times. We also read them out loud to our children, which I suppose counts as another read through.

When the movie versions started coming out (The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe and Prince Caspian) we were very excited, and particularly the first one did not disappoint, even though they did add a few scenes that weren't in the book. Caspian was missing something -- mainly the relationship between Lucy and Aslan the lion, I think, which was almost entirely cut out -- but it was still an excellent movie. We are really looking forward to the next book, a smashing adventure story called The Voyage of the Dawn Treader that includes some of Lewis' most indelible images, in my opinion.

So I was very disappointed to hear in December that Disney, who had bankrolled the first 2 films, was pulling out of the project. Walden Media, the driving force behind putting Narnia on the screen, probably could not afford to make the remaining 5 movies on their own.

But now news has emerged that 20th Century Fox will will fund Dawn Treader, and if it's a hit, the remaining books as well. Phew, that's a relief.

I just hope they stay true to the heart of the books -- the relationship of Aslan the Lion with Narnia and the children who come there. Aslan "The True King" is the star of all the Narnia stories, even when he's not there in person.