Why I Am Not Looking Forward to 'The Silver Chair' Movie

The Chronicles of Narnia series are my favorite films of all time, and I’m positive that no other film or franchise will ever replace them. They sparked my interest in the film industry and an interest in acting which eventually directly lead to an interest in directing. I saw each of the three films multiple times in theaters and bought the DVDs on the release dates. I seriously considered skipping a school dance so I could see Prince Caspian on opening night (but saw it the next day instead). For me, no other films come closer to my heart. Having eagerly awaited a Narnia 4 for over seven years, you’d think I’d be very excited that an adaptation The Silver Chair is in the works. But I’m not. In fact, I almost wish it wouldn’t happen, at least the way it is. The problem is that The Silver Chair film is planned as a complete and total reboot, with no connection to the film franchise that I’ve grown to love even more than I ever have or ever will love the books. Joe Johnston, whose work I admire, is the director of the upcoming film. answered a bunch of fan questions in May 2017. I stopped reading after the first question about whether it was going to be a reboot. I had lost all interest at that moment, was disappointed to hear it. I lamented the fact that The Silver Chair would not be the next chapter of my favorite film series. Now it was just an ordinary film, just like any other. I always cry at the end of Narnia 3, because it’s sad enough as it is. But I probably cry the most when Aslan tells Eustace “Narnia may yet have need of you,” because I want that to happen so much. Like millions of other Narnia fans, I had looked forward to seeing the same actors, the same logo, the same general aesthetic, and hear the same beautiful themes. I want to see the series that already exists continue. Since Ben Barnes was twice the age Caspian was supposed to be when he played the part, an argument can be made for giving Will Poulter the opportunity to reprise his role as Eustace. But even if he can’t, inviting Ben Barnes, Peter Dinklage, Gary Sweet, and Liam Neeson to reprise their roles would add a strong sense of continuity to this new adventure. Simon Pegg replaced Eddie Izzard as Reepicheep for The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. The MCU has replaced at least two actors and has done fine with them. Also, from a marketing standpoint, the move doesn’t make much sense. First of all, having no connection to the previous films may alienate some fans who love the movies the most and are expecting a continuation of the existing cinematic story. Secondly, rebooting a series in the middle of a series seems unwise since The Silver Chair references the other stories. It also makes it very hard to market, and will probably confuse potential audience members and hurt the box office. Other franchises with a complete reboot in the middle of the story include the Divergent series, which is currently being rebooted on TV, and the Amazing Spider-Man films, which were not as successful as the originals. All the Narnia films were financially successful, especially the first one. Although Narnia 3 wasn’t as successful, as the 12th highest grossing film of 2010, it wasn’t a failure. I’ll also admit that Narnia 3 could have been better marketed since it seemed to come and go without much fanfare. The only reporting I’ve seen for The Silver Chair outside of the Narnia news sites is the fact that it’s being rebooted, but nothing else. No one seems to care or discuss it. But if it were a soft reboot and had some connections to the original trilogy, that would create more buzz. The current wave of nostalgia in Hollywood has propelled the success of several sequels and long-awaited returns to franchises. It’s been over seven years now since Narnia 3 was released and over 12 since the first film. Kids who saw the first film and are now adults and will want to take their own children. And faith-based material has drawn a faithful audience, which translates to positive box office numbers. While the fourth film of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise did great at the box office, it’s considered the least favorite by most fans, having the lowest audience score of the series on Rotten Tomatoes, precisely because it is the least connected to with the original trilogy. While Dead Men Tell No Tales wasn’t quite as financially successful, but was still the eleventh-highest grossing film of 2017, it was much more accepted by fans because it connected to the original trilogy. From the moment the film began with the Flying Dutchman appearing, I knew the film was off to a better track, and I got to be excited about the franchise again. I haven’t freaked out in a movie theater more than I did when (Spoiler Alert!) Will and Elizabeth reunited on screen. If anything, Pirates of the Caribbean is proof that it’s better to connect to the previous films. Joe Johnston has said that The Silver Chair will be his last film, but he wants to start a new trilogy. Yet the three remaining unadapted books all include characters from the previous films, and fans (and some of the actors) want to see them return. Starting over makes no sense for a film that’s second-to-last chronologically. Besides, why limit to a trilogy? Four books remain to adapt, not three, and they’re not even chronological like the first three films, so they couldn’t be considered a traditional trilogy anyway. Also, the next films to make would be The Magician’s Nephew and The Horse and His Boy, which both connect strongly with The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the most successful film of the franchise. One of the most satisfying parts of The Last Battle is being reunited with characters who have already been introduced on film. Logically, a reboot does not make much sense, both creatively and financially. Creating a sequel is hard, but it also can be slightly easier because some of the hard work has already been done. And the fans want to return to that cinematic world, not a new version of it. And breaking the continuity will make it harder for whoever directs the remaining films. Judging simply from his work on October Sky and Captain America: The First Avenger, the only films of his that I’ve seen, it is clear that Mr. Johnson is a talented director, capable of directing moving and poignant narrative film. While Star Wars and Star Trek fans hold the highest bar in fanaticism for their franchises, Narnia fans are just as devoted and passionate about their love for the franchise. I am pleased to count myself among that number and consider Narnia the equivalent of Star Wars for me. For the record, I have never seen the BBC version of The Silver Chair. I told myself I wouldn’t until the film version comes out. Honestly, I will probably still see The Silver Chair anyway when it’s released. But if it remains a reboot, I won’t rush to see it opening weekend, nor view it four to five times in theaters. I want Narnia to do well, to thrive and prosper. But I also don’t want to remain silent when the chance remains for the Narnia fan community to at least make this voices heard on this issue, which is why four days ago, on the anniversary of Narnia 1's DVD release, I launched a petition, asking for a comprise, which is a soft reboot. And I am publishing this blog post on the seventh anniversary of Narnia 3's DVD release. A soft reboot offers the filmmakers plenty of creative freedom that probably wouldn’t involve any script changes or planned direction, but keeps things like the logo, a few of the actors, and some of the music. A few concessions for the fan base will pay off and continuing a formula that worked in the past will help with marketing as well. Even if you don’t fully agree with me, please sign the petition to encourage the producers to make The Silver Chair the Narnia 4 we’ve been waiting for, one that will please all fans: https://www.change.org/p/c-s-lewis-company-please-make-the-chronicles-of-narnia-the-silver-chair-a-soft-but-not-complete-reboot?recruiter=867763922&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=share_twitter_responsive. Also, there’s another petition for a really cool idea for celebrating The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’s fifteenth anniversary that you can check out here: https://www.change.org/p/sony-get-the-narnia-cast-back-together. When C.S. Lewis wrote The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, he considered it to be the end of the series. While the book does mark the end of the era - the end of the Pevensies in Narnia (until The Last Battle) doesn’t mean it should conclude the Narnia cinematic universe. And if C.S. Lewis were still alive, I’d hope he agree not to reboot since the films changed people’s lives just as much as his books. Because at the end of the day, they are more than just movies.

For Narnia and for Aslan!