While on both fronts the news is admittedly sketchy at best, there are hopes more details will be forthcoming.

IN A NUTSHELL

On the Narnia films the wait will be longer than expected…possibly nothing until 2018 at the earliest (details as to why below). As for The Lion Awakes, the progress continues to be slow, but moving ahead. I’ve been assured I’d get an interview as soon as very specific details are ironed out. This past Saturday (May 19th) it was announced they had “secured the first million dollars to move The Lion Awakes into the next phase of production.”

DETAILS  WE KNOW
(without the devil?)

So,what details are known about Narnia? It all started when The Lion’s Call first reported Douglas Gresham (C.S. Lewis’s stepson) had recently given a talk in Oxford that included comments about the Narnia movies. A seven year moratorium was spoken of, a length longer than previously understood. As NarniaWeb.com shared the news they underscored the fact that it’s unclear when that moratorium began, but it was likely started after the release of the last movie, making the next film no sooner than 2018. NarniaFans.com also shared the story and explained the reasoning behind moratoriums.

Which book would be done next and with whom? In the talk Gresham is reported as saying the films might be done independently and he’s most interested in The Silver Chair next. Finally, his focus appears to be more directed towards getting The Screwtape Letters adapted to the big screen in the meantime.

Each of the above mentioned sites, along with Aslan’s Country.com have reports on the story and comments from readers you might enjoy. Of course, feel free to leave comments here on this site!.

This is the first of a two-part essay chat on “Fern-seed and Elephants” with Reggie Gates. Reggie runs another podcast website called “All About C.S. Lewis.” This essay is best found in Christian Reflections. In this part three of the four major points by Lewis are explored.

Listen to Fern-seed and Elephants pt.1 CHAT

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• Purchase Christian Reflections

• Visit All About C.S. Lewis (Reggie’s site)
  

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Reminder:

Interviews and other audio specials, with some exceptions, have been MOVED to another site…All About Jack: A C.S. Lewis Podcast.

However, the latest interview posting that is done there on Mondays, will be mentioned here on Tuesdays. Also on Thursdays an “essay chat” is posted here.

Minutes are posted each Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

    Listen to as PODCAST: LM049 – Giants 

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What’s tall, lacking in good looks and usually on the low end of the intelligence scale?

I’m sure you know the answer is a Giant…and they are often found in the Narnia stories. For obvious reasons they are useful as allies if you have to go to battle. In The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Rumblebuffin is on the good side and helpful during the First Battle of Beruna.

There are, however, some giants you want to avoid. In The Silver Chair we find those living in Harfang can seem nice, but if you are human you especially want to avoid them during their great autumn feast. Marsh-wiggles should also heed this caution. The giants at Ettinsmoor are also best avoided, as you might be hit by one of the stones they often throw at one another!

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Learn More:

• Purchase The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
• Purchase The Silver Chair

The following is a conversation I had with Dr. Pamela Jordan-Long from Taylor University mainly about the 2012 C.S. Lewis Colloquium being held on campus May 31-June 2. She also gives some details about their C.S. Lewis Center which has a wide range of books from him and several other authors.

Listen to Lewis Colloquium Interview

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• Link to The Center for the Study of C.S. Lewis & Friends

• Link to 2012 Colloquium in May

• Details on Charlie Starr’s Book: Light

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Reminder:

Interviews and other audio specials, with some exceptions, have been MOVED to another site…All About Jack: A C.S. Lewis Podcast.

As a reminder, the latest interview posting that is done there on Mondays, will be mentioned here on Tuesdays. Also, the new feature “Essay Chat” is post there and here every Thursday!

Minutes are now posted each Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

    Listen to as PODCAST: LMr17 – Letter Writer 

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C.S. Lewis was obviously a writer, yet few people realize how much he personally wrote to others!

In the bygone days your parents or grandparents (so they say) had to walk miles to school uphill…both ways! Also in that generation they claimed to do something else really odd…they wrote letters to each other. C.S. Lewis was no stranger to this practice that’s considered rare today.

Despite writing 41 books before he died and working full-time as a professor, Lewis responded to anyone that wrote to him…and when they would write back, he would reply again! In fact, there are those who wrote to him first as fans who later became friends…he even married one. He wrote so many letters, in fact, that a three volume published set each contains over 1,000 pages!

If you’ve read any of Lewis’s letter tell me your favorites by leaving a comment below!

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Learn More:

• The Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis (volumes 1 & 2)
• The Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis, Volume 3

    Listen to as PODCAST: LMr16 – Cair Paravel 

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There are many interesting places to visit if you ever make it to Narnia. High up on the list has to be Cair Paravel.

If you are really good with your Narnian geography you know a reason to visit Cair Paravel is because it is the capital of the famous land. If your place of entry is from what Mr. Tumnus calls “the far land of Spare Oom” you will likely pass the Fords of Beruna on your way.

If you happen to make it during the Golden Age of Narnia you might get to see any of the Pevensie children as they are the rulers during this time. Arriving about a thousand years later, however, might be more than a little disappointing. As you may recall this is settling of Prince Caspian, when the place is sadly in ruins.

What places would you like to visit in Narnia? Let me know by leaving a comment below!

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Learn More:

• A Field Guide to Narnia
• Companion to Narnia

This next essay in my series of chats is “Myth Became Fact.” I had the pleasure of catching up with Dr. Michael Ward, author of The Narnia Code and other books for this discussion. Note that we had some recording problems and the audio quality unfortunately  didn’t come out as well as hoped. The essay is best found in God in the Dock.

Listen to Myth Became Fact CHAT

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• Purchase God in the Dock
  

• Visit The Narnia Code Site
  

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Reminder:

Interviews and other audio specials, with some exceptions, have been MOVED to another site…All About Jack: A C.S. Lewis Podcast.

However, the latest interview posting that is done there on Mondays, will be mentioned here on Tuesdays. Also on Thursdays an “essay chat” is posted here.

Minutes are posted each Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

    Listen to as PODCAST: LM048 – Owen Barfield 

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C.S. Lewis called this man the “wisest and best of my unofficial teachers” even though this member of the Inklings is someone he rarely could agree with!

Owen Barfield was a person Lewis knew before the Inklings started meeting. In the 1920′s they exchanged a long series of letters where each freely expressed their differences. Despite this they remained friends and the first Narnia book was even dedicated to Barfield’s daughter.

Barfield was born the same year as Lewis, but he lived much longer; until he was almost a hundred. During his life he closely studied the works of Rudolf Steiner and wrote many books. They included some dealing with philosophy and others related to poetry.

Is there an Inkling you want to know more about? Let me know by leaving a comment below!

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Learn More:

• Wikipedia Entry on Owen Barfield
• Previous Minute on Inklings

Listen to 2nd Dr. Downing Interview

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• Purchase The Most Reluctant Convert
• Dr. Downing Author’s Page
• 2012 C.S. Lewis Colloquium at Taylor University
  

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Reminder:

Interviews and other audio specials, with some exceptions, have been MOVED to another site…All About Jack: A C.S. Lewis Podcast.

As a reminder, the latest interview posting that is done there on Mondays, will be mentioned here on Tuesdays. Also, the new feature “Essay Chat” is post there and here every Thursday!

Minutes are now posted each Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

    Listen to as PODCAST: LM047 – Last Famous Centaur 

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In the original Narnia books only three centaurs are mentioned by name. Do you remember the one from The Last Battle?

Glenstorm and Cloudbirth are centaurs from the earlier stories in Narnia. Like Glenstorm, Roonwit, from The Last Battle, could read the stars to discern what is going on in the land, or predict what may soon happen.

 Roonwit warns King Tirian of the coming danger early in the story. He notes that some great evil hangs over the land and that Aslan has not yet returned despite reports of his appearance. A wise centaur, Roonwit advises Tirian not to act rashly in anger. Yet, because he is also loyal, he follows the king’s orders to quick action.

Who are some your favorite minor characters from Narnia? Let me know by leaving a comment below!

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Learn More:

• Purchase The Last Battle