Notable Genre Anniversaries in 2023, Part 2 of 3

“But you can’t make people listen. They have to come round in their own time, wondering what happened and why the world blew up around them. It can’t last.” — Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451

It has been over a month since I put out Part 1, and I’m finally able to return for Part 2. More fun, not to mention “iconic”, stuff to review. (Well, I’m not sure if the dystopic entry can really be considered “fun”, but then I haven’t read it….)

Connery, Moore, Craig, Dalton, Brosnan, Lazenby

James Bond (1953): 70 years

Sheesh! How does one give a short summary of the origin, history, and impact of James Bond? Well, given my self-imposed limits, I’ll try to keep it “manageable”.

While serving in Britain’s Naval Intelligence Division during World War II, Ian Fleming decided he wanted to write a spy novel, but he never really had the time. (He did, however, demonstrate some writing skill.) He was demobilized from active service in May 1945 and became foreign manager in the Kemsley newspaper group. On February 17, 1952, he began writing Casino Royale as a distraction from his pending nuptials to his pregnant, long-time girlfriend (even when she was married to someone else), Ann Charteris. Both Fleming and publishing house Jonathan Cape were less than enthusiastic about the final manuscript. But, with urging from Fleming’s brother Peter, a travel writer whose books they managed, Jonathan Cape published Casino Royale as a hardback the following April. “It was a success and three print runs were needed to cope with the demand.”

The character of James Bond, aka ‘007’, was inspired by several individuals Fleming came across during his Naval career, including (but not limited to) Conrad O’Brien-ffrench, Patrick Dalzel-Job, Bill “Biffy” Dunderdale, and Duško Popov. In physical appearance, Bond was supposedly a combination of Fleming himself and popular American singer/songwriter Hoagy Carmichael. The name “James Bond” was borrowed from a famed ornithologist, because it sounded both masculine and extremely dull, which is how Fleming originally conceived of the character. Beyond that, Fleming gave Bond many of his own traits and life experiences, from a love of golf and gambling to using names of his own friends and relatives, lovers and acquaintances.

Following the Casino Royale novel, Fleming (via Jonathan Cape in the UK) published eleven more novels and two short-story collections. The last two books — The Man with the Golden Gun (1965) and Octopussy and The Living Daylights (1966) — came out posthumously, since Fleming passed away in 1964. Subsequently, roughly three dozen Bond novels (plus assorted short stories) have been published by various publishers and written by Kingsley Amis (as Robert Markham), Christopher Wood, John Gardner, Raymond Benson, Sebastian Faulks, Jeffery Deaver, William Boyd, Charlie Higson, and Anthony Horowitz. Higson also wrote five ‘Young Bond’ novels and one short-story, then Steve Cole continued the series with four more novels. Other related books include a fictional Bond autobiography, a ‘Double 0’ series (focused on other MI6 agents), and The Moneypenny Diaries (a series about M’s personal secretary, Miss Moneypenny).

Sketch of Bond based on Fleming’s instruction

At current count, there have been twenty-seven films produced in the James Bond franchise, though they were not done in the same order as Fleming’s books. For example, Dr. No was the sixth novel (1958) but the first film (1962; starring Sean Connery). But, that wasn’t Bond’s first appearance on screen. That distinction goes to a 1954 episode of the “Climax!” TV anthology series that adapted “Casino Royale” and starred Barry Nelson as an Americanized Bond. Twenty-five of the Bond films have been produced by Eon Productions, with Bond being played by Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig. The first silver-screen adaptation of Casino Royale was not the 2006 version that was Craig’s debut. Rather, it was a 1967 spy parody, produced by Charles K. Feldman and starring David Niven. Another legal dispute resulted in a second adaptation of Thunderball, titled Never Say Never Again (1983), which was produced by Kevin McClory and Taliafilm and starred Sean Connery (who hadn’t played the role since 1971’s Diamonds Are Forever).

As per Wikipedia,

“With a combined gross of $7.8 billion to date, it is the fifth-highest-grossing film series in nominal terms. Adjusting for inflation, the series has earned over $19.2 billion in 2022 dollars from box-office receipts alone, with non-Eon entries pushing this inflation-adjusted figure to a grand total in excess of $20 billion.”

There have been other adaptations, of course. For example, an American “James Bond Jr.” (1991) cartoon series about Bond’s young nephew. There have been radio dramatizations, a comic strip, comic books, video games, and a role-playing game. Certainly, there has been a plethora of other Bond merchandise, both for kids and grown-ups, thanks to “Bondmania”. A few of the more adult-oriented include keychains, model cars, pistol display stands (and other gun-related stuff), wall art, wine glasses, playing cards, postage stamps. There is also a futuristic James Bond museum atop Gaislachkogl Mountain in the Austrian Alps.

It must also be acknowledged that the Bond film soundtracks have had amazing success almost on their own (if that makes any sense). The instrumental “James Bond Theme” is one of the most recognized around the world, and the individual films’ themes — performed by well-known popular singers — are always hits. Several have been nominated for Academy Awards for Original Song and three have won.

The Dr. No film kicked off a number of spy film series, including both “serious” (e.g., “Matt Helm”, “Flint”, The Man from U.N.C.L.E.) and parody (e.g., Johhny English, Austin Powers). The line “Bond… James Bond” became internationally known in record time. “In 2001, it was voted as the “best-loved one-liner in cinema” by British cinema goers, and in 2005, it was honoured as the 22nd greatest quotation in cinema history by the American Film Institute as part of their 100 Years Series. [That same year, the] ‘100 Years’ series recognised the character of James Bond himself as the third greatest film hero. He was also placed at number 11 on a similar list by Empire and as the fifth greatest movie character of all time by Premiere.”

Despite criticisms of violence, sexism, and misogyny, the Bond franchise has survived everything thrown at it. We shall see what happens in the revamped, post-Craig era….

1st ed. cover

Fahrenheit 451 (1953): 70 years

Like it’s predecessors, Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World (1932) and George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949), Fahrenheit 451 is famous for being a dystopian sci-fi novel that has become disturbingly prescient about certain modern technologies, government policies, and societal developments. Themes of censorship, government interference, and the dangers of mass media, were all inspired by contemporary, real-world events and personal experiences (e.g., Nazi book-burning, ideological repression in the Soviet Union, McCarthyism in America, the “Golden Ages” of radio and TV). Author Ray Bradbury was quite concerned about these things and first addressed some of them in a couple of short stories (“Bright Phoenix” (written 1947/1948, though not published until 1963), “The Pedestrian” (1951)), followed by a novella, “The Fireman” (1951), published in Galaxy Science Fiction magazine. At the urging of Ballantine Books, this last was expanded and rewritten into the novel Fahrenheit 451 (1953).

The novel was first published in paperback, followed shortly by a hardback edition, then a limited edition hardcover bound in asbestos. It was a critical success, though it did have its negative critics as well. It was also serialized in Playboy magazine in 1954. Ironically enough, the book was censored — from blacked-out words to banning and, yes, actual book-burning — in apartheid South Africa and some schools in America. Even Ballantine Books decided in 1967 to put out an “expurgated” version for high-schoolers — i.e., any words or situations deemed “offensive” were replaced with more acceptable verbiage. This is known as the “Revised Bal-Hi” edition. When Bradbury was eventually informed of this in 1979, he demanded that the expurgated version no longer be published and the original version be printed once again. Ballantine acquiesced.

As per Wikipedia, “In 1954, Fahrenheit 451 won the American Academy of Arts and Letters Award in Literature and the Commonwealth Club of California Gold Medal. It later won the Prometheus ‘Hall of Fame’ Award in 1984 and a ‘Retro’ Hugo Award in 2004. Bradbury was honored with a Spoken Word Grammy nomination for his 1976 audiobook version.” There have been adaptations made for film, theater (including one by Bradbury himself), radio, video games, audiobooks, e-book, and a graphic novel. The novel has also inspired a documentary (Fahrenheit 9/11), a real-time strategy game hero (in Starcraft), and the Internet Engineering Steering Group made ‘451’ the status code returned when a website is forced to block resources for legal reasons. Oh, yeah, a new wave band (Scortilla) titled a song Fahrenheit 451 in honor of Bradbury and the film by F. Truffaut.

The Fahrenheit 451 novel is ranked seventh on the list of “Top Check Outs OF ALL TIME” by the New York Public Library.

1st ed. cover

“The Space Trilogy” (1938, OotSP): 85 years

Author and lay theologian C.S. Lewis is perhaps best known for his theological and apologetics works (e.g., Mere Christianity, The Problem of Pain), as well as for the wonderful children’s fantasy series collectively titled “The Chronicles of Narnia”. But, many fans also love his sci-fi fantasy work known as “The Space Trilogy”, consisting of Out of the Silent Planet (1938), Perelandra (1943), and That Hideous Strength (1945). (I still haven’t read that last one!) Wikipedia has a nice summary:

“The Space Trilogy (also called the Cosmic Trilogy or Ransom Trilogy) dealt with what Lewis saw as the dehumanizing trends in contemporary science fiction. The first book, Out of the Silent Planet, was apparently written following a [1937] conversation with his friend J.R.R. Tolkien about these trends. Lewis agreed to write a ‘space travel’ story and Tolkien a ‘time travel’ one, but Tolkien never completed ‘The Lost Road’, linking his Middle-earth to the modern world. Lewis’s main character Elwin Ransom is based in part on Tolkien, a fact to which Tolkien alludes in his letters.

The second novel, Perelandra, depicts a new Garden of Eden on the planet Venus, a new Adam and Eve, and a new ‘serpent figure’ to tempt Eve. The story can be seen as an account of what might have happened if the terrestrial Adam had defeated the serpent and avoided the Fall of Man, with Ransom intervening in the novel to ‘ransom’ the new Adam and Eve from the deceptions of the enemy. The third novel, That Hideous Strength, develops the theme of nihilistic science threatening traditional human values, embodied in Arthurian legend.

Many ideas in the trilogy, particularly opposition to dehumanization as portrayed in the third book, are presented more formally in The Abolition of Man, based on a series of lectures by Lewis at Durham University in 1943.”

Not only Christians find the Space Trilogy a good read. Besides the theological/philosophical aspect (which does make you think), Lewis created several races, languages (reflecting Tolkien’s “Elvish” influence), and in fact an alternate cosmology which readers find fascinating. As with Tolkien, much of it is analogous to some degree with biblical concepts. There is, of course, the sci-fi technological stuff, too, but Lewis doesn’t spend much time on it. So, the books “in many ways read like fantasy adventures combined with themes of biblical history and classical mythology.”

Regarding the trilogy’s inspiration, it was a combination of literary and scientific sources. Lewis once stated,

“The real father of my planet books is David Lindsay’s A Voyage to Arcturus…. [I]t was Lindsay who first gave me the idea that the ‘scientifiction’ appeal could be combined with the ‘supernatural’ appeal.”

C.S. Lewis

Elsewhere, he wrote,

“What immediately spurred me to write was Olaf Stapledon’s Last and First Men… and an essay in J.B.S. Haldane’s Possible Worlds both of wh[ich] seemed to take the idea of such [space] travel seriously and to have the desperately immoral outlook wh[ich] I try to pillory in Weston. I like the whole interplanetary ideas as a mythology and simply wished to conquer for my own (Christian) p[oin]t of view what has always hitherto been used by the opposite side. I think H.G. Wells’s First Men in the Moon the best of the sort I have read….”

The trilogy has been published in multiple editions (including omnibus), by various publishers, and in a variety of languages. Formats include paperback, hardcover, trade paperback, sound recording (on vinyl), and ebook. Also, Avon published an abridged edition of the third novel (the unabridged of which is larger than the first two combined) entitled The Tortured Planet (1958). Unfortunately, none of the Space Trilogy — of course, they’d need to begin with the first book — has yet been adapted for the screen. This is probably why there hasn’t been much in the way of merchandise made for fans of the books. Similarly, though they have a smaller fan-base than either his Narnia books or his non-fiction, the Space Trilogy books are recognized by those who have read them as pieces of literature that are wonderful on many levels. As such, they have contributed to Lewis’ fame and fandom.

Whew! Thus endeth Part 2 of 2023’s anniversary celebrants. Expect Part 3 in about a month…

The First Sci-Fi/Fantasy Books I Read

“Fantasy remains a human right: we make in our measure and in our derivative mode, because we are made: and not only made, but made in the image and likeness of a Maker.” — J.R.R. Tolkien

You all know how I like to wax nostalgic at times, right? Well, I’ve been thinking about how I got into sci-fi/fantasy, action/adventure, and related stuff. Sure, there were all the comic books, which were in turn related to the “Superfriends” and other superhero shows I watched Saturday mornings as a kid. Later, there were TV shows like “Star Trek”, “Batman”, “The Six Million Dollar Man”, and some cop shows. But, besides comics and TV shows, what sorts of books did I first read in those genres?

Well, as a pre-teen in middle school, the earliest ones I can think of were the “Sugar Creek Gang” series by Paul Hutchens. Those were really more in the mystery genre within Christian children’s literature. They were about a small “gang” (really just a group of friends) of teen & pre-teen boys in a midwestern town who investigated local mysteries and such. Good stories, good lessons, etc. Naturally, reading those led to the “Hardy Boys Mystery Stories” created by Edward Stratemeyer and written by Franklin W. Dixon (actually a pseudonym for various ghostwriters). They had a similar format, in which amateur detectives Frank and Joe Hardy — usually with an assist by a couple or so friends — investigated mysteries and got into dangerous situations. Quite a thrill!

I never got into the “Nancy Drew Mysteries”. But, I discovered yet another series created by Stratemeyer that I thought was really cool — namely, the “Tom Swift” books by Victor Appleton (yet another collective pseudonym). Since I was reading these in the 1970s (and maybe early 1980s), they would have been from the second (and maybe third) such series. (There have been six series of TS adventures.) So, the actual hero was Tom Swift, Jr., son of the original protagonist, who was created by Harriet Adams and written by “Victor Appleton II”. Young Tom, of course, got into various situations and investigated mysteries, etc. What made him different, though, was that he was an inventor with innate gifts in science, math, and engineering. He was always experimenting and building cool stuff based “on scientific fact and probability,” whereas his father’s were mostly “adventure stories mixed with pseudo-science”. He developed things like a diving seacopter and a nuclear-powered flying lab, while looking into extraterrestrials and helping to defeat America’s Cold War enemies.

By the time I got to high school, I was reading Star Trek novels. First, there were the novelizations of various TOS episodes by James Blish and TAS (i.e., The Animated Series) episodes by Alan Dean Foster. Then, I expanded into the original novels by Blish and others that had begun being published in the 1970s and early 1980s. Those were a lot of fun, and I remember discussing them with a couple other students. In later years, I read many more of the numbered (and some non-numbered) ST novels.

At some point in there, I was introduced to C.S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia and The Space Trilogy. I know I read some of the Chronicles, but I don’t think I ever finished them. I read the first two books in the Space Trilogy but couldn’t get into the third. I may have mentioned in another post that I recently re-read those first two from the trilogy, and I am determined to read the final book, That Hideous Strength, next year.

I believe it was also during high school that I discovered and was transported away by The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy. I remember having book-of-the-month club editions of the trilogy with boring covers and no illustrations, much like the omnibus I had of Asimov’s original Foundation trilogy. Yet, as much as I enjoyed the Tolkien books, I don’t remember ever reading them a second time, and certainly not a third. Strange. I intend to remedy that, however, since I now have a nice set of the hardcovers (with beautiful Alan Lee paintings) of all four Tolkien books. Eventually, I’ll have to give The Silmarillion another shot, too, and various other Middle Earth-oriented tales.

I read a few other sci-fi/fantasy novels in those years, as well. I’m not sure, but I may have been introduced to some works by Asimov, Clarke, Pohl, Farmer, Niven, et al. But, the one other series I am positive belongs in my “early years” collection is Anne McCaffrey’s The Dragonriders of Pern. If you are unfamiliar, it takes place on another planet (i.e., Pern) in a sort of “medieval” setting that includes dragons and swords but no sorcery. I first came across it when in my mid-teens. My family was visiting relatives at their part-time orchard farm, and I was bored, so I started looking through their bookcase. I found and began reading Dragonquest — second in one of the trilogies within the overall series — and was hooked. I later bought that trilogy and would get up an hour or more earlier than necessary so I had time to read it before school. I read several more Pern books I found in the library, but there are many Pern books by McCaffrey and/or her son that I have never read, so that’s another mountain I’d like to tackle… some time.

That’s about it from me. If you’d like to share your first SF/F books (or other genre), feel free to do so in the comments below!

Notable Genre Anniversaries in 2020, Part 1 of 3

“You’re gonna need a bigger boat….” — Chief Brody (an ad-libbing Roy Scheider), Jaws

In 2018 and 2019, I did series (serieses?) of posts celebrating certain iconic characters and stories in the sci-fi/fantasy and action/adventure genre(s) (with a little bleed over into horror) that were having significant anniversaries — i.e., those in some multiple of 5 — in those years. It’s that time of year again, so I have another batch for you, beginning with…

The Empire Strikes Back (1980): 40 years

Normally, I wouldn’t include a sequel in these anniversary lists, since the characters and the universe they exist in have already been introduced. But, I haven’t done Star Wars (1977), yet, since the timing hasn’t been right; and, I did do Return of the Jedi and the Star Trek spinoff “Deep Space Nine” earlier. So, I’m going to make an exception for this sequel, too, because certain events and revelations made in it are themselves iconic….

The Empire Strikes Back was the second film in the Star Wars film franchise, following up the surprise hit Star Wars, but it was “episode 5” (or ‘V’) chronologically speaking. Creator/producer George Lucas hired Leigh Brackett, the “Queen of Space Opera”, to write the screenplay for the sequel based on Lucas’ story outline. She passed away in 1978, but her completed first draft is said to have included versions of “all of the big moments we’d eventually see on screen.” (These moments include things like the Battle of Hoth, a wise old Jedi Master, a cloud city, a love triangle, betrayals, and a climactic Luke/Vader duel.) Lucas then wrote two drafts of his own before handing it to Lawrence Kasdan to rework some dialogues. While significant changes had been made by Lucas, Brackett and Kasdan were given credit for the final screenplay.

TESB continued the Skywalker saga, while expanding the Star Wars universe and adding in a couple new and beloved characters — Master Yoda and Lando Calrissian. Directed by Lucas’ former professor, Irvin Kershner, the film encountered a few production problems — e.g., actor injuries, a set fire, fines from the Writers and Directors Guilds of America — and a budget that ballooned from $18 million to $33 million. Despite initially divided reviews, it became the highest-grossing film of 1980 and has grossed over $547 million worldwide from its original run and several re-releases. It is considered one of the greatest films ever made and has the honor of being preserved in the United States’ National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”.

Jaws (1975): 45 years

Okay, okay, I know. Technically, I should have done this entry last year, since the Jaws novel by Peter Benchley was published in 1974. But,… I didn’t realize my oversight until long after I finished the 2019 anniversaries. Rather than wait until 2024 to do it, I opted to included it under the film’s premiere year.

As we all know, the story is about an oversized great white shark that terrorizes a small resort town and the trio of men who are trying to kill it. Despite mixed reviews, an effective marketing campaign helped make the novel a terrific success. A pre-publication copy got into the hands of movie producers Richard D. Zanuck and David Brown, who snapped up the film rights and hired young Steven Spielberg to direct. Admittedly a rather stripped-down and further-tweaked version of the story, the film adaptation became the very first summer blockbuster. Much of the credit there goes to the talented Mr. Spielberg and his stellar cast, including Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss, and Robert Shaw — oh, and a fleet of mechanical sharks named ‘Bruce’ — and a memorably suspenseful score by John Williams. Cinematographer Bill Butler also came up with a creative underwater camera rig.

It was a troubled production, though, beginning with some near-last-minute casting. There were lots of last-minute script rewrites, malfunctioning prop sharks for a number of reasons, various issues from shooting at sea, seasick actors, overworked and exhausted cast & crew, and one binge-drinking actor who was not only jealous of his co-star but kept running off to Canada due to tax problems. Principal photography took nearly three times as long as planned, which Spielberg was convinced would sink his career, and the budget swelled from $4 million to $9 million. On the plus side, the multitude of problems forced some very creative approaches. As Spielberg later said, “The film went from a Japanese Saturday matinee horror flick to more of a Hitchcock, the less-you-see-the-more-you-get thriller.”

The film was a critical and commercial hit. It set multiple earnings records both domestically and internationally. It is one of the highest-grossing movies of all time and spawned three sequels. Tons of Jaws-inspired merchandise has been produced over the years, ranging from books and clothes and games to sharktooth necklaces, iron-transfers, plastic tumblers, etc. Jaws won three Academy Awards (though none for directing), as well as a Grammy, BAFTA, and Golden Globe. It (and those associated) have been nominated, and in some cases chosen, for several others awards (e.g., by People’s Choice, Directors Guild of America, Writers Guild of America). It is recognized as one of the greatest films of all time and appears on a number of Top 50 and Top 100 lists. And, yes, it is preserved in the National Film Registry as a landmark horror film and the first “summer movie”.

Dune covers over the years

Dune (1965): 55 years

When some people think of “Dune”, they think of the David Lynch-directed movie (1984) starring Kyle MacLachlan, Virginia Madsen, and Sting. (And Patrick Stewart, of course.) But, die-hard fans and other sci-fi adepts know that the first novel of spice and sandworms was actually published in 1965. Technically, though, Dune was initially serialized in Analog magazine in two separate sequences — the three-part “Dune World” in 1963/64, followed by the five-part “The Prophet of Dune” in 1965. Author Frank Herbert expanded and reworked the serialized material into a novel, which was submitted to 20+ publishers before Chilton Books finally accepted and published it. The result would be a sci-fi phenomenon.

Herbert explored ideas ranging from ecology & environmentalism to mystically-based (super)heroism, from the decline of empires to the blending of multiple religions, not to mention gender dynamics. This “unique” tale has been lauded by critics, fans, and fellow-authors alike (including Robert Heinlein and Arthur C. Clarke). The original Dune novel tied with Roger Zelazny’s This Immortal for the Hugo Award in 1966 and won the inaugural Nebula Award for Best Novel. The multi-layered story became “the world’s best-selling science fiction novel,” as well as one of the most influential. Furthermore, it has since been translated into dozens of languages and sold almost 20 million copies.

Herbert went on to write five sequels, and various prequels and sequels have since been co-written by Kevin J. Anderson and the author’s son, Brian Herbert. Besides the aformentioned 1984 movie, two miniseries were produced by Sci Fi: Frank Herbert’s Dune (2000) and Frank Herbert’s Children of Dune (2003) (which combines the events of Herbert’s 2nd & 3rd novels, Dune Messiah and Children of Dune). A new film adaptation is scheduled for a Dec. 2020 release. The Dune saga has also inspired a number of games (both board and computer) and songs, along with a variety of merchandise.

TLtWatW (1st ed., art by Pauline Baynes)

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (1950): 70 years

One of the most beloved series of fantasy books is C.S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia, which began with the 1950 publication of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Inspired by a mental picture he’d imagined as a teen of “a Faun carrying an umbrella and parcels in a snowy wood,” he got the idea roughly 25 years later to flesh it out into a story for his goddaughter. He finished the manuscript by the end of March 1949, and by the time it was published (by Geoffrey Bles in London) in mid-Oct. 1950, he had already written three more for the series he’d never planned on writing.

Fantasy and fairy tales were out of vogue at the time of Lion‘s publication and considered potentially harmful to older children. Concern particular to Lewis’s work included that it was too frightening, overtly moralistic, or Christian indoctrination. Somehow, Lion and its successors not only survived but became quite popular with young readers — a phenomenon that only grew over time. Lion is the most well-known of the seven installments in the Chronicles of Narnia. Enthusiastic readers of all ages, critics, and educators (e.g., U.S. National Education Association, School Library Journal, University of Worcester) have given Lion and the Chronicles many high accolades, and they show up in many Top 100 lists and surveys. According to Wikipedia:

“TIME magazine included the novel in its “All-TIME 100 Novels” (best English-language novels from 1923 to 2005). In 2003, the novel was listed at number 9 on the BBC’s survey The Big Read. It has also been published in 47 foreign languages.”

TLtWatW (from 1970 boxed set, art by Roger Hane)

Influences on Lewis and his Narnian creation include ancient Celtic literature, pagan mythology and cosmology, the writings of George MacDonald, Edmund Spenser, and E. Nesbit. In turn, the influence of Lewis’s writing can be seen in the works of J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter…), Philip Pullman (His Dark Materials, an atheist response to Lewis’ spiritual themes), Bill Willingham (Fables), Lev Grossman (The Magicians), and others. Homages to Lewis and Narnia have even cropped up in everything from the “Lost” TV series to “Saturday Night Live” to Digimon.

There have been three TV adaptations of Lion: a 10-part serial by ABC (1967), an Emmy-winning animated TV movie (1979), and a live/animatronic/animated BBC adaptation (1988). (That last was the first of a series of four Narnia adaptations over three seasons, nominated for 14 Emmys and several BAFTAs.) There have been radio dramatizations, many theater productions, and film adaptations of the first three books came out in 2005, 2008, & 2010, respectively. Netflix is currently developing the Chronicles for an entire live-action series. And, of course, tons of books (including academic analyses), clothing, toys, games, etc., have been based on or inspired by Lion and the rest of the Chronicles.

I’ll have four more notable genre anniversaries for you next month, so keep a lookout….

That’s Narnia Business

“Narnia is one of those rare properties that spans multiple generations and geographies. We cannot wait to get started on the multiple productions we hope to undertake.” — Mark Gordon, President and Chief Content Officer of Film, Television and Digital of Entertainment One (aka eOne)

The rumors began a few months ago, before being confirmed in early October. In a move sure to please many C.S. Lewis fans while simultaneously giving others a case of anxiety, Netflix announced that they had indeed acquired the keys to Narnia.

The Chronicles of Narnia

The streaming service “signed a multi-year deal with the C.S. Lewis Company to produce multiple movies and television shows based on ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’…. Mark Gordon, Douglas Gresham, and Vincent Sieber will executive produce the new films and produce all upcoming shows.” It is also notable that this is the first time the rights to all seven books of the ‘Chronicles’ have been held by one company.

We really don’t have many details at this point. For example, it isn’t clear if all productions will be straight adaptations of the books, or if they have license to mine the source material to create peripheral stories and characters. Nothing has been said, afaik, about the degree to which the Christian allegorical elements will be retained from the novels. There has also been no news about a certain film project already underway….

Long-time readers of this blog might remember a post from Sep. 2016, in which I reported the planned reboot of the Narnia film franchise, beginning with The Silver Chair. As per Jax Motes over at ScienceFiction.com:

“Last year, Joe Johnson was announced to be directing and he stated that he expected to begin filming in late 2018. It’s unknown if that is still the case, but the Mark Gordon Company [now fully owned by eOne] is still attached, and has already spent a great deal of time and money developing ‘The Silver Chair’. Therefore, it might be smart to keep things going as they stand, rather than retooling everything.”

As usual, I am cautiously optimistic about such deals. What gives me some encouragement is the fact that The C.S. Lewis Company is still involved in these projects, as is Lewis’ stepson and co-owner of the Lewis Estate, Douglas Gresham. Gresham had the following to say about the Netflix deal:

“It is wonderful to know that folks from all over are looking forward to seeing more of Narnia, and that the advances in production and distribution technology have made it possible for us to make Narnian adventures come to life all over the world. Netflix seems to be the very best medium with which to achieve this aim, and I am looking forward to working with them towards this goal.”

I hope that all concerned treat these properties with care and respect for their creator. Do “Jack” proud, guys!

Second, Third, or Fourth Chance, part 2: 3 More Reboots & Remakes In Development

Continuing from last week…

John Krasinski in *13 Hours* (Christian Black/Paramount Pictures via AP)

Jack Ryan: Paramount Pictures has been trying for some time to hit its stride with the Tom Clancy novel adaptations, but the results have been uneven. It doesn’t help that the primary character, Jack Ryan, has already been played by four different actors. Alec Baldwin played Ryan in the terrific The Hunt for Red October (1990), then Harrison Ford took over for the enjoyable Patriot Games (1992) and Clear and Present Danger (1994). An attempted reboot starred Ben Affleck in the 2002 prequel, The Sum of All Fears. Most recently, Chris Pine took on the role for Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014). I haven’t seen that last one, but I understand it was somewhat disappointing, too.

Now, Paramount (with Skydance) is trying something different, partnering with Michael Bay’s Platinum Dunes to make a small-screen “Jack Ryan” for Amazon. Showrunners will be Carlton Cuse and Graham Roland. Though the series hasn’t officially been greenlit, the somewhat surprising news is that they already have their new star signed on — John Krasinski. Not quite as classically handsome as his “Ryan” predecessors, and most known for his comedic role in “The Office”, Krasinski has gained some serious attention (and packed on the muscle) for his performance in 13 Hours. He also has a sci-fi thriller, God Particle, coming out.

This latest take on Jack Ryan will follow him mid-career as a CIA analyst/operative, using the novels as a guide but apparently not following them very closely. As per People.com, the 10-episode series will begin with him “on a dangerous field assignment after discovering a terrorist plot that could spark global destruction.” Sounds practically ripped out of the headlines… that is, if the headline writers were privy to what professional spies were up to.

Narnia: For you fantasy fans, it looks like the powers-that-be are going to take another stab at continuing to adapt the Chronicles of Narnia books. If you haven’t been keeping score, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (2005) was a quite enchanting (though not perfect) adaptation of the beloved classic by C.S. Lewis. It was followed by Prince Caspian (2008) and Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010), which were also enjoyable. I can’t remember all the reasons that Fox and Walden stopped putting them out, but I know a lot of fans were quite bummed out.

I think I only read half of the Chronicles, tbh, so I’m not as invested in them as some hard-core fans. Nevertheless, I think the entire series deserves to be done, and adapted as faithfully to the source material as is reasonably possible. So, I was pleased to read that a reboot is underway, with The Silver Chair being next in line. However, there are a few changes, with The C.S. Lewis Company and The Mark Gordon Company replacing Fox 2000 Pictures and Walden Media as the production companies. Also, TriStar Pictures and Entertainment One will be handling worldwide distribution. David Magee (The Life of Pi, Finding Neverland) will be screenwriter. (In fact, he completed his first draft last year.) Also, according to Gordon, the reboot will essentially be a “brand-new franchise… [with] different directors, and an entire new team.” There’s going to have to be some re-casting, too, of course.

If that’s what it takes to breathe new life into a great fantasy franchise, then I’m totally fine with it. Beyond my usual concerns about casting, my other primary concerns are for quality of special F/X and that the stories maintain the clearly Christian themes and messages from the novels. These were Lewis’ reasons for writing them, after all. The fact that The C.S. Lewis Company (who took over the rights from The Walden Group back in 2013) is more directly involved this time gives me hope that they will ensure the integrity of the adaptation.

[Note to self: Put the Chronicles on your reading list, for Pete’s sake!]

Battlestar Galactica: Yep, that’s right. Another version of BSG is in the works. I was one of those who watched and enjoyed the original BSG as a kid back in 1978/9. (Recently watched the original movie — first time in decades — for a nostalgic thrill.) I even watched the short-lived spin-off/sequel, “Galactica 1980”. I also enjoyed the SyFy reboot/re-imagining that began with the 2003 TV mini-series and continued with a well-executed and highly-acclaimed series from 2005-2009. (Yes, I watched the “Caprica” prequel, too.) While I thought that both BSG series ended weakly, and I wasn’t thrilled that the latter series changed Starbuck and Boomer into women (though I enjoyed their characters), I still thought they were both great. So, you know I’m a fan.

Since even before the SyFy series launched, Universal has been trying to get a new BSG project going, with various people (e.g., Bryan Singer, Jack Paglen) attached at one time or another. In February of this year, the studios announced that they have Bluegrass Films (Scott Stuber and Dylan Clark) teaming with producer Michael De Luca (Moneyball, Dracula Untold) to breathe new life into the franchise with a big-budget, big-screen movie. The most recent news came in June, proclaiming that Lisa Joy (Westworld) is set to write the film and Francis Lawrence (Hunger Games) was in discussions to take the director’s chair. If Lawrence comes on, I suspect they’ll be able to move forward with casting and pre-production.

As per Collider,

“This new version of the property at one point was said to not be related to the critically acclaimed series that aired on the Syfy network between 2003 and 2009. However, a report from The Wrap says the filmmakers are, in fact, taking into account the popular series.”

To be honest, I’m a bit conflicted on this one. On the one hand, it’s a terrific concept, and I’m intrigued with what this new take on it might look & feel like. On the other hand, I think it’s way too soon for another reboot. (The last one ended just 7 1/2 years ago!) If they’re planning an actual reboot from the beginning of the story, they need to wait another 10-15 years before trying another go at it. (Babylon 5, other other hand, is coming up on 20 years since the finale and a reboot may be worth considering. Hint, hint.) However, if it is somehow connected to, or even integrated with, the SyFy series, it might be justifiable.

BONUS!

The Crow: The original, black-and-white comic series by James O’Barr was quite popular once upon a time. I never got into it myself, but I remember that it had sort of a cult following (no pun intended). I also never watched the acclaimed The Crow (1994) film adaptation, starring the late Brandon Lee, or its lackluster sequels (The Crow: City of Angels (1996), The Crow: Salvation (2000), The Crow: Wicked Prayer (2005)), or the “The Crow: Stairway to Heaven” (1998-99) TV series. So, I really don’t have much interest in this particular project. (I may check out the original flick, though.)

The project in question is the long-awaited, big-screen reboot, which is now set to begin filming in January 2017. Relativity acquired the rights to the property five years ago but have had financial issues (which they have apparently resolved) and worked their way through a number of actors and directors. Popular genre actor Jason Momoa is now attached to play the original murder-victim-turned-avenging-Crow, Eric Draven, which gives it a bit of star power. Corin Hardy is currently set to direct.

O’Barr, who is heavily involved in the production, had this to say last year:

“The new movie is not a remake of the Brandon Lee film. It’s going right back to the book; it’s like a literal page-for-page adaptation of the book. The trains, the horses, the talking bird, all the visual metaphors. The death figures throughout the thing…. [I]t’s going to be closer to Taxi Driver than to John Woo. The violence is supposed to be ugly, you know? I’m very happy with everything.”

This should make Crow fans very happy, too.

—

Sounds like some fun stuff coming down the pipeline! What are you most looking forward to? Or, most dreading?