Rock and Roll Narnia?
Also a spoiler-free review of “War of the Rohirrim”
The Door Jam is a place to squeeze in relevant articles written about C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, their work, adaptations of their fantasy worlds, news from other franchises, and interesting articles. Unless otherwise stated, I’m not necessarily endorsing (or criticizing) any of these but merely sharing them with you.
The top stories this week are all the craziness surrounding Greta Gerwig’s Narnia adaptation this week (going from potentially canceled to having a filming date with an “interesting” take) and a brief review of The Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim.
Top Stories
What’s happening with Narnia?
It’s been quite the stretch for Netflix’s Narnia movies. First, rumors began circulating that Gerwig was trying to get out of the project after a potential deal with IMAX reportedly fell through. Some were even suggesting the adaptation was “DOA.”
I have no insider knowledge or sources, but much of the reporting seemed to have elements of clickbait designed to make things seem worse than they were. Many outlets reporting on the rumors included Gerwig saying she was terrified about the project and having nightmares.
It’s true she said those words, but it’s clear from the videos that she was being lighthearted. She wanted to express the esteem she has for Lewis and Narnia and her desire to “get it right.”
No sooner had that rumor begun to die down than a Deadline interview of Amy Pascal, former head of Sony Pictures and producer of Gerwig’s Narnia, was released. She spoke about much of her work in Hollywood. Toward the end, she revealed filming for Narnia will begin in July 2025. She also said it would be a “very new take. It’s all about rock and roll.”
Of course, this led to some preemptive (and performative) outrage. But there’s a wide interpretive range for Pascal’s comments from perfectly literal to full-on sarcastic. I’m not sure how to take her words, but based on Gerwig’s previous comments, I remain cautiously optimistic (until given substantive reasons to doubt). Maybe Aslan’s song to create Narnia will have some sweet guitar riffs (I hope not).
The Hollywood Reporter said Gerwig is in preproduction for Narnia and has also developed an idea for a Barbie sequel, though spokespeople for her and the studio denied the Barbie reporting.
Spoiler-free War of the Rohirrim review
Being the Tolkien fan I am with a 12-year-old daughter who is an anime fan, I thought she and I could both enjoy the War of the Rohirrim anime adaptation of a brief story from the history of Rohan.
Overall, we both appreciated the movie from our two fan vantage points. The story is a mostly faithful adaptation of a two-page story contained in “The House of Eorl” section of Appendix A of The Lord of the Rings.1 While Tolkien’s version focuses on King Helm Hammerhand and his successor, the film version elevates Helm’s unnamed daughter.
In the book, all we read is: “To one of these councils Freca rode with many men, and he asked the hand of Helm’s daughter for his son Wulf.” The proposal was rejected and sparked a bloody war between the two families. The War of the Rohirrim names the daughter Hera and retells the story from her perspective.
The film evokes Peter Jackson’s trilogy through the familiar score and Miranda Otto, who portrayed Éowyn, serving as narrator. Since this is the age of outrage, I should note that the elevation of Hera’s character shouldn’t concern anyone. It felt in line with Éowyn and other strong women in Tolkien’s legendarium.
Unfortunately, the story and characters are fairly basic and follow numerous fantasy tropes, though Tolkien essentially invented some of them, so they weren’t tropes when he did it.
It often felt, however, as if the movie wanted to retell the Battle of Helm’s Deep from The Two Towers instead of the battle that gave Helm’s Deep its name. Going beyond simple homages to the more famous battle encourages viewers to actively compare the two. That comparison does not bode well for War of the Rohirrim.
While some of the anime shots felt grand and expansive, others, especially scenes with large groups of people in the background, felt a bit sloppy and half-finished. This falls in line with Warner Bros. saying they rushed the film to theaters to maintain The Lord of the Rings movie rights.
If you enjoy The Lord of the Rings, particularly Jackson’s movies, you will find things to appreciate in The War of the Rohirrim. Both my daughter and I enjoyed the movie. But due to the lack of polish on the animation and story, I’d recommend waiting until the movie comes to streaming.
Not Safe But Good
C.S. Lewis quote of the week
“If the Divine call does not make us better, it will make us very much worse. Of all bad men religious bad men are the worst. Of all created beings the wickedest is one who originally stood in the immediate presence of God.”
Tumnus’ bookshelf
A book by or about C.S. Lewis
I will never stop recommending God in the Dock. It is the best, most comprehensive collection of Lewis’ essays, but it is also seasonally appropriate this time of the year. The book includes several essays related to Lewis’ thoughts on Christmas, including “Xmas and Christmas,” “What Christmas Means to Me,” and “Delinquents in the Snow.”
From the archives
An article published previously at The Wardrobe Door
Below for paid subscribers will be other news and articles related to C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and more, including information about an unfinished Lewis work that would have been an angelic counterpoint to The Screwtape Letters, comparing the fantasy worlds of Lewis and Tolkien, a Tolkien family member made a surprise cameo in The Lord of the Rings films, and news of some other fantastical film franchises.
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