OCT. 3, 2005
UPDATED MAY 6, 2008

FILM
‘Prince Caspian’: another Narnia blockbuster?

Disney and Christian-backed Walden Media will release Prince Caspian, the second of its film adaptations of the Chronicles of Narnia, on May 16, 2008.The first film, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, (2005) scored big successes – and generated big debates.

The film won an Oscar for makeup and was named the best spiritual film of 2006 by Beliefnet. It grossed almost $300 million in U.S. theaters and almost $750 million worldwide, and benefited from the kind of faith-based marketing strategies that earned The Passion of the Christ blockbuster status. It was the best-selling DVD in North America in 2006. And Narnia’s commercial success included spinoff toys, books, games and more.

The first Narnia film also inspired debates about whether the film was true to the religious sensibilities of the book’s author, Christian theologian C.S. Lewis – and whether all the commercialism was appropriate. Many are expecting another Narnia success with Caspian and looking ahead; the next Narnia film, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, is scheduled to be released in 2010.

Angles for reporters
• Have more moviegoers read the Narnia books before seeing the film this time around? Have the movies inspired people to explore more of Lewis’ writings?
• Are churches planning group screenings, movie trips or discussion groups?
• What are literary aficionados saying about the film’s interpretation of Prince Caspian’s story?

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International sources

• Walter Hooper, who lives in Oxford, England, was a secretary and companion to Lewis. Hooper is the literary adviser to the C.S. Lewis estate and one of the world's leading authorities on Lewis. Hooper's books include, as author, C.S. Lewis: A Complete Guide to His Life & Works (HarperSanFrancisco, 1998) and C.S. Lewis: A Companion and Guide (HarperCollins, 1996). He also has edited numerous anthologies of Lewis' work. Contact ClarettheMeek@aol.com.
• Douglas Gresham of Dublin, Ireland, is Lewis' stepson and a co-producer of the upcoming film. He wrote Jack's Life: The Life Story of C.S. Lewis (Broadman & Holman, October 2005) and Lenten Lands: My Childhood With Joy Davidman and C.S. Lewis (HarperSanFrancisco, 1994). Gresham works full time for the C.S. Lewis Co. and, with his wife, Merrie, runs Rathvinden Ministries outside of Dublin. Contact dhg@iol.ie.
• Colin Duriez of Keswick, England, is the author of numerous books on Lewis, including The C.S. Lewis Chronicles: The Indispensable Biography of the Creator of Narnia Full of Little-Known Facts, Events and Miscellany (Bluebridge, September 2005), A Field Guide to Narnia (InterVarsity Press, 2004), Tolkien and C.S. Lewis: The Gift of Friendship (Paulist Press, 2003) and The C. S. Lewis Encyclopedia: A Complete Guide to His Life, Thought and Writings (Crossway Books, 2000). Duriez says he looks forward to the film, hoping it will keep to the spirit of the book as Peter Jackson's movies keep to the spirit of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. Contact 01900 828855, colinduriez@btinternet.com.
• Michael Ward is former president of the Oxford University C.S. Lewis Society; chaplain of Peterhouse, the oldest college at Cambridge University; and an important English authority on Narnia. Ward is former curator of Lewis' home, and lectures and teaches widely on Lewis. His doctorate focused on Lewis' theological imagination.

 

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National sources

• Devin Brown is the author of Inside Prince Caspian: A Guide to Exploring the Return to Narnia (2008) and Inside Narnia: A Guide to Exploring The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and is an English professor at Asbury College in Wilmore, Ky. Read an interview with him about the Prince Caspian film at CBN.com. Contact by email via his Web page.
• The Rev. Gary Olsen of Rolling Hills Community Church of Lago Vista, Texas, taught a workshop called “Crowning ‘Prince Caspian’: An Evangelism and Discipleship Growth Opportunity” for clergy and lay people. It was sponsored by the Richard and Julia Wilke Institute for Discipleship. Contact 512-267-2942.
• Paul Ford, a professor of systematic theology and liturgy at St. John's Seminary in Camarillo, Calif., is an internationally recognized authority on Lewis. Ford is author of Companion to Narnia: A Complete Guide to the Magical World of C.S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia (HarperSanFrancisco July 2005). He founded the Southern California C. S. Lewis Society. Contact (805) 482-2755, x. 1066, paulfford@stjohnsem.edu.
• Christopher Mitchell is curator of the Marion E. Wade Center at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Ill. The Wade Center has the world's largest holding of Lewis materials, including his family wardrobe. Read a 1999 Christian Science Monitor article about the center. Mitchell is assistant professor of theological studies at Wheaton. Contact 630-752-5908, Christopher.Mitchell@wheaton.edu.
• Marjorie Lamp Mead is the associate director of the Marion E. Wade Center, Wheaton College, Illinois. She co-authored A Reader's Guide Through the Wardrobe: Exploring C.S. Lewis's Classic Story (InterVarsity Press, September 2005) and co-edited C. S. Lewis: Letters to Children (Simon & Schuster, 1998). Mead is managing editor of Seven: An Anglo-American Literary Review. Contact 630-752-5908, Marjorie.L.Mead@wheaton.edu.
• James Como is a professor of rhetoric and public communication at York College of the City University of New York and is one of the foremost U.S. authorities on Lewis. Como wrote Branches to Heaven: The Geniuses of C. S. Lewis (Spence Publishing, 1998) and edited Remembering C.S. Lewis: Recollection of Those Who Knew Him (Ignatius Press, forthcoming fall 2005). He is a founder of the New York C.S. Lewis Society. Contact 718-262-2406, como@york.cuny.edu.
• Peter J. Schakel is a professor of English at Hope College in Holland, Mich., and specializes in Lewis. Schakel's books on Lewis include, as author, The Way Into Narnia: A Reader's Guide (Eerdmans, July 2005) and Imagination and the Arts in C. S. Lewis: Journeying to Narnia and Other Worlds (University of Missouri Press, 2002). Contact 616-395-7611, schakel@hope.edu.
• Bruce Edwards is professor of English at Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio, and specializes in Lewis. His books on Lewis include Not a Tame Lion: The Spiritual World of Narnia (Tyndale, September 2005) and Further Up and Further In: Understanding C.S. Lewis' The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Broadman and Holman, September 2005). Edwards maintains the C.S. Lewis & Inklings web site. Contact 419-372-7302, edwards@bgnet.bgsu.edu.
• Ted Baehr of Camarillo, Calif., is founder and publisher of MovieGuide and chairman of the Christian Film & Television Commission. He and James Baehr, his son, wrote Narnia Beckons: C.S. Lewis's The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe-and Beyond (Broadman & Holman, October 2005). Contact appointment secretary Sandra Bell at 770-886-8598, ted@tedbaehr.com.
•Barbara Nicolosi is founder and chair of the board of directors of Act One Inc., a nonprofit that trains Christians for careers in mainstream film and television. Contact 323-464-0815, info@actoneprogram.com.
• The Rev. Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church in California, lectured at the C.S. Lewis Institute in Oxford and Cambridge, England, in summer 2005. He says C.S. Lewis is the most quoted author in The Purpose-Driven Life. Contact 949-836-2263, rick@saddleback.net.

Background

WEB SITES
• HarperCollins publishes all Lewis' books in the United States. See the official site for the Narnia books.
• Narnia Web tracks news about the Disney movie.

Several C.S. Lewis fans have web sites where they track news about the film:
• Into the Wardrobe includes a section with news about the movie.
• Narniafans.com
• The Stone Table

ARTICLES
• Read “Is Caspian Really C.S. Lewis?” an April 22, 2008, posting in Christianity Today Movies.
• Read a Nov. 24, 2003, New York Times article about Lewis, "A Mind That Grasped Both Heaven and Hell," posted by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life.
• Read "The Chronicles of Walt Disney: Producing C.S. Lewis Film May Buff Entertainment Giant's Tarnished Image With Christian Audience," an Orlando Sentinel article about Disney marketing the Narnia movie to evangelicals; The Washington Post published the article April 2, 2005.