Co-Screenwriters blog on adapting "Prince Caspian"
Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely (Co-Screenwriters)
It's rare for a screenwriter to have the opportunity to deal with characters in more than one movie. Actually, let's rephrase that -- it's rare for a screenwriter to have the opportunity to deal with characters in even one movie. The odds against a story making it from screen to camera to multiplex are wildly high. The odds against making that trip two or even three times are frankly just silly. But that's where we find ourselves, in an uncommon position and feeling very lucky to be here.
And that's where again? Oh, yes. Narnia. But hardly the same Narnia the Pevensies left at the end of the last film. Thirteen-hundred years have passed, and they haven't necessarily been pleasant. Prince Caspian sets us down in a torn and troubled land where new villains stalk the battlefield and entire races find themselves on the brink of extinction.
As writers, the biggest challenge we faced was connecting the Pevensies' story to that of Prince Caspian. In C. S. Lewis' book, they're essentially two separate narratives which only come together near the end. While this is perfectly entertaining to read, it makes for a strangely structured movie where your favorite characters are absent for long stretches at a time.
Consequently, we decided to weave the two plots together early, bringing the Pevensies into Narnia near the start and giving them a greater role in Caspian's journey. This not only helped on a structural level, it also allowed us to take advantage of the alliances and antagonisms that would evolve when we tossed three kings and two queens together into the same room -- or underground chamber, as the case may be.
Another intriguing thing for us in revisiting these characters has been exploring the effects their experiences in the first film might've had on them. It's an area Lewis leaves mostly untouched. He memorably examines what it would be like for a 1940's schoolkid to become King of Narnia. However, he doesn't much consider what it would be like for a King of Narnia to return to being a 1940's schoolkid.
That year back in London must have been awkward at best. Imagine going from giving orders...to taking them. From fighting wars and throwing royal balls...to doing homework. Given their different personalities, each Pevensie handles the situation with varying levels of success. Some are resigned, others frustrated, and their sudden return to Narnia should push different buttons in each.
Those are just a few of the things on our mind as we wind down the writing end of things on this film. What's next? It's hard to say. Who can know the future? Perhaps a nice, long ocean voyage...
BIO
CHRISTOPHER MARKUS and STEPHEN McFEELY (co-screenwriters) return to the land of Narnia having co-written the adaptation of the first project, the global box office hit, "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe." Their work on that film earned them nominations for the Saturn, Hugo and Humanitas Awards.
Markus and McFeely, born in Buffalo and San Francisco, respectively, have been writing together since 1995. Chris (Rutgers University) and Steve (University of Notre Dame) met while attending the Graduate Writing Program at UC Davis.
Prior to their success with the C.S. Lewis project, Markus and McFeely penned the original screenplay for the critically acclaimed HBO feature, "The Life and Death of Peter Sellers," starring Academy Award winner Geoffrey Rush. Their first produced film premiered in competition at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival and went on to earn numerous honors, including nine Emmy Awards. Markus and McFeely themselves won the Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or Dramatic Special, as well as a Writers Guild Award.
The pair's next feature, IFC Film's "You Kill Me" (their very first screenplay), directed by John Dahl, will be released this year.
It's rare for a screenwriter to have the opportunity to deal with characters in more than one movie. Actually, let's rephrase that -- it's rare for a screenwriter to have the opportunity to deal with characters in even one movie. The odds against a story making it from screen to camera to multiplex are wildly high. The odds against making that trip two or even three times are frankly just silly. But that's where we find ourselves, in an uncommon position and feeling very lucky to be here.
And that's where again? Oh, yes. Narnia. But hardly the same Narnia the Pevensies left at the end of the last film. Thirteen-hundred years have passed, and they haven't necessarily been pleasant. Prince Caspian sets us down in a torn and troubled land where new villains stalk the battlefield and entire races find themselves on the brink of extinction.
As writers, the biggest challenge we faced was connecting the Pevensies' story to that of Prince Caspian. In C. S. Lewis' book, they're essentially two separate narratives which only come together near the end. While this is perfectly entertaining to read, it makes for a strangely structured movie where your favorite characters are absent for long stretches at a time.
Consequently, we decided to weave the two plots together early, bringing the Pevensies into Narnia near the start and giving them a greater role in Caspian's journey. This not only helped on a structural level, it also allowed us to take advantage of the alliances and antagonisms that would evolve when we tossed three kings and two queens together into the same room -- or underground chamber, as the case may be.
Another intriguing thing for us in revisiting these characters has been exploring the effects their experiences in the first film might've had on them. It's an area Lewis leaves mostly untouched. He memorably examines what it would be like for a 1940's schoolkid to become King of Narnia. However, he doesn't much consider what it would be like for a King of Narnia to return to being a 1940's schoolkid.
That year back in London must have been awkward at best. Imagine going from giving orders...to taking them. From fighting wars and throwing royal balls...to doing homework. Given their different personalities, each Pevensie handles the situation with varying levels of success. Some are resigned, others frustrated, and their sudden return to Narnia should push different buttons in each.
Those are just a few of the things on our mind as we wind down the writing end of things on this film. What's next? It's hard to say. Who can know the future? Perhaps a nice, long ocean voyage...
BIO
CHRISTOPHER MARKUS and STEPHEN McFEELY (co-screenwriters) return to the land of Narnia having co-written the adaptation of the first project, the global box office hit, "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe." Their work on that film earned them nominations for the Saturn, Hugo and Humanitas Awards.
Markus and McFeely, born in Buffalo and San Francisco, respectively, have been writing together since 1995. Chris (Rutgers University) and Steve (University of Notre Dame) met while attending the Graduate Writing Program at UC Davis.
Prior to their success with the C.S. Lewis project, Markus and McFeely penned the original screenplay for the critically acclaimed HBO feature, "The Life and Death of Peter Sellers," starring Academy Award winner Geoffrey Rush. Their first produced film premiered in competition at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival and went on to earn numerous honors, including nine Emmy Awards. Markus and McFeely themselves won the Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or Dramatic Special, as well as a Writers Guild Award.
The pair's next feature, IFC Film's "You Kill Me" (their very first screenplay), directed by John Dahl, will be released this year.
Labels: christopher markus, prince caspian, screenwriters, stephen mcfeely
posted by Lucy_Pevensie at 3:21 PM
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