Sony Pictures Entertainment announced on Tuesday its TriStar Pictures literary-focused division has teamed up with The Mark Gordon Company, The C.S. Lewis Company, and Entertainment One (eOne) to continue The Chronicles of Narnia film series with the adaptation of The Silver Chair.
TriStar, eOne, and The Mark Gordon Company will finance the fourth Narnia picture, while Sony and eOne will distribute. The C.S. Lewis Company owns the film rights to the Narnia movies. C.S. Lewis wrote The Chronicles of Narnia novels, which have sold over 100 million copies worldwide.
In July 2014, the official Narnia website launched a contest in which fans suggest names for the Lady of the Green Kirtle, the main antagonist in The Silver Chair. Mark Gordon and David Magee will select and include the winning name in the movie.
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader was Chronicles of Narnia’s latest movie
The series follows the adventures of the Pevensie siblings in the world of Narnia. Aslan, a speaking lion who’s the real king of Narnia, guides the children. The White Witch, also known as Jadis, is the main antagonist.
From the seven novels, there have been three film adaptations so far. First came ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’ in 2005, followed by ‘Prince Caspian’ in 2008 and ‘The Voyage of the Dawn Treader’ was the last one in 2010. Together they have cashed in nearly $1.6 billion at the box office worldwide.
Andrew Adamson directed the first two installments, while Michael Apted directed the third film. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader was the first to be released in RealD 3D. The Silver Chair, the fourth entry in the series, has been in the works since 2013.
The Silver Chair is a sequel, not a reboot
In October 2013, The C.S. Lewis Company stated to have reached an agreement with The Mark Gordon Company to develop and produce The Chronicles of Narnia: The Silver Chair, based on The Silver Chair novel published in 1953.
C.S. Lewis’ stepson Douglas Gresham, Vincent Sieber and Melvin Adams, all directors at The C.S. Lewis Company, along with Mark Gordon, CEO of The Mark Gordon Company, were announced as producers. They will also work together with two-time Oscar-nominated screenwriter, for Life of Pi and Finding Neverland, David Magee to develop the script.
Although labeled as a reboot to the series, Sony highlighted in yesterday’s statement The Silver Chair would continue the Narnia story in theaters. Therefore, the new movie is a sequel to The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. So, people should be able to see more of The Horse and His Boy, The Magician’s Nephew, and The Last Battle.
Sony hasn’t given a release date yet
When the film series began, the idea was to produce the films in the same order as the books. But, following the release of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, it was rumored The Magician’s Nephew, the sixth novel, would be the fourth Narnia movie, instead of The Silver Chair.
In March 2011, Walden Media, the film company initially behind the series, confirmed The Magician’s Nephew would serve as a reboot, after The Voyage of the Dawn Treader grossed less than the two previous films.
It never entered development, however. And in October 2011, Douglas Gresham stated Walden Media’s film rights contract had expired. Renegotiations between Walden Media and The C.S. Lewis Company were unsuccessful due to conflict over the direction of future films.
Source: Sony Pictures