For fans of C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia, the film franchise hasn’t exactly gone as hoped. But the fourth book in the series, The Silver Chair, may finally make it to the big screen thanks to Mark Gordon Company.
Gordon will work with the C.S. Lewis Company to develop the film, confirms TheWrap. It will be the first film in the series since 2010’s The Dawn Treader, which was released by Fox and cost $155 million to make. It grossed just over $400 million worldwide, failing to meet expectations and putting the brakes on the series.
Walden Media owned the film rights to the series, but the company underwent major restructuring this year. The company is now focusing on third-party productions. They had first worked with Disney for The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (2005) and Prince Caspian (2008), but when Prince Caspian failed to do well, the franchise moved to Fox.
Douglas Gresham, Lewis’ stepson, will produce with Gordon and Vincent Sieber, who is the director of the C.S. Lewis Company. Michele Wolkoff and Sara Smith are overseeing production for the Mark Gordon Company, which is developing the script.
“I have a great deal of respect for Mark Gordon’s work and am confident that together we can bring the beauty and magical delight that Narnia engenders in the hearts of those who read the books to the screen in The Silver Chair,” Gresham said in a statement to Deadline. “I am very much looking forward to diving once more into Narnia, this time with Mark Gordon and his team.”
Gordon said that he is a big fan of the books, adding, “These fantasy stories inspire real-world passion among millions of devoted fans around the world. As we prepare to bring the next book to life, we are humbled and excited to contribute to the outstanding legacy of Narnia.”
While the previous films didn’t go on to launch a new Harry Potter-type franchise, they did gross a combined $1.6 billion worldwide.
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