The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader Review Thread (Spoilers)

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Mark Johnson Talks Third Narnia

ComingSoon.net recently got a chance to talk to producer Mark Johnson about the third installment in the "Narnia" franchise, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, which Fox Walden will release in theaters on December 10, 2010 release.

"Andrew Adamson, who wrote and directed the first two, is a producer on it with me and Michael Apted is directing," said Johnson. "It's a whole new franchise, I think it's really benefiting from it. It's a slightly different look. This one is different from the others, it's in that ['Seventh Voyage of Sinbad,' old Harryhausen films] league and they go from island to island having adventures. I'm very excited about it."

He added that "Adamson said something that was so smart early on. I had just re-read the book and he said, I don't want to make a film based on 'The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe,' I want to make a movie based on my recollection of it. He took a 9-year-old boy's imagination. He saw things that are not even in the book. Lewis left, sometimes major battles, on a single page, so Adamson just re-imagined it."

In the third film, Edmund and Lucy Pevensie, along with their pesky cousin Eustace Scrubb, find themselves swallowed into a painting and on to a fantastic Narnian ship headed for the very edges of the world.

Joining forces once again with their royal friend Prince Caspian and the warrior mouse Reepicheep, they are whisked away on a mysterious mission to the Lone Islands, and beyond. On this bewitching voyage that will test their hearts and spirits, the trio will face magical Dufflepuds, sinister slave traders, roaring dragons and enchanted merfolk. Only an entirely uncharted journey to Aslan's Country – a voyage of destiny and transformation for each of those aboard the Dawn Treader – can save Narnia, and all the astonishing creatures in it, from an unfathomable fate.

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The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Trader is having troubles moving forward. Due to the box office disappointment of Prince Caspian, Trader may be scaled back or delayed. I've already posted that they've been resigned to film in Mexico, here's a little more on the story. The movie has not been green lit as of yet.

Disney and Walden Media are still reportedly moving forward with the third installment in the franchise, and director Michael Apted has been monitoring "Dawn Treader's" development since June 2007. Actors have been cast ("Son of Rambow" star Will Poulter has been hired to play Pevensie cousin Eustace Scrubb), and studio space has been lined up (at Baja Studios in Rosarito Beach) for a four-to-five month-long shoot, which is allegedly slated to begin in late January.

But Disney hasn't actually green-lighted production of "Voyage of the Dawn Treader." Given that Disney and Walden Media executives are concerned that the new movie may earn even less than "Prince Caspian" did, strict cost-control measures have now been put into place.

The original plans to shoot "Dawn Treader" on location in Malta, Iceland and Prague have been dropped. Two-thirds of this film will be shot in Mexico in the huge water tank that James Cameron used for "Titanic."

The site added that Walden Media reportedly wants Disney to fund half of a $140 million production. But given that Disney is contractually obligated to cover the costs of all prints and advertising on the Narnia movies, Disney is supposedly pushing for a $100 million version instead. It's also likely that a release date will be pushed back to 2011.

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