Anfinwen wrote:If the Pevinsies are recast, HHB has to come before LB. If SC really is rebooting the series with all new faces, then audiences really need a reminder of who the Pevinsies are, and why they all of a sudden appear in LB when they weren't in any of the other remaining books (except HHB). HHB would be a great way to remind the audience of the backstory of Narnia without remaking LWW. The book even mentions Lucy telling the tale of the wardrobe to the guests at Anvard (this could be expanded a little). The white witch and the long winter are mentioned, and Mr Tumnus is another returning character.
Those are great points! I was thinking the other day about how much power a familiar face can have... the Pevensies in LB needed to be familiar faces, IMO, even if that just means that they are new actors that we've met previously in HHB. I can also imagine some sort of opening sequence in HHB that gives the audience the run-down of what's going on in Narnia at the time the story is set, maybe including some extra imagery that's evocative of LWW. (Maybe baby Cor is kidnapped during an Archenlander celebration to honor the new monarchy in Narnia, since the birth of the twins seems to be about the same time as when the Pevensies began to rule?)
I'm also quite convinced that LB must at least be the last film, whether HHB or MN comes next or not. SC, HHB and MN should all be fairly easy to adapt to film, but LB is something of a headache and will probably require an artistic, visionary approach. That sort of thing can be hit and miss in terms of box office success. It's also likely to be less popular than the other films because it's a bit more theologically heavy. I think mainstream audiences are going to have a harder time knowing what to do with that story, even if fans are extremely pleased with the film adaptation.
It seems to be Douglas Gresham's dream to see all of the books made into film and since they won't want to risk going with a film that might not be a box office success before all the others are made, I'm pretty sure they should wait and release LB last. That may cause difficulties with the aging of the children who play Eustace and Jill, but hopefully that can be avoided with careful casting and avoiding unnecessary delays with filming. (Of course, SC needs to be a financial success to begin with!)
waggawerewolf27 wrote:It is not only Pevensies that are a problem in continuity. What about the Professor? Jim Broadbent, who played a number of roles in other movies, including Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, played him in LWW, but the Professor only appears in a couple of the other books. Would he still be up to playing a sizeable role as the Professor in LB, if and when it is filmed, given the lengthy break between movies so far?
One possible way to solve this problem is to go ahead and shoot the LB scenes in England as soon as possible after filming HHB (which may be another reason to make HHB next). Then, in the Aslan's Country scenes in LB, the actors that played young Digory and Polly can reprise their roles there if Jim Broadbent and the actress who played elderly Polly aren't up for further filming. I would expect their younger selves to make at least some appearance in LB anyway, but I don't know if the director would take an artsy approach and have them revert back and forth from youthful to old, depending on the scene, once in Aslan's Country.