The Chronicles of Narnia is a series of fantasy
films from Walden Media based on The Chronicles
of Narnia, a series of novels written by C.
S. Lewis. From the seven novels, there have
been three film adaptations so far—The Lion,
the Witch and the Wardrobe, Prince Caspian
and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader which have
grossed over $1.5 billion worldwide among
them.
So far, three films have been released: The
Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Prince Caspian,
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.
The series revolves around the adventures
of children in the world of Narnia, guided
by Aslan, a wise and powerful lion that can
speak and is the true king of Narnia. The
children heavily featured in the films are
the Pevensie siblings, and a prominent antagonist
is the White Witch.
The first two films were directed by Andrew
Adamson and the third film was directed by
Michael Apted. The third film is the first
of the Chronicles to be released in RealD
3D.
The series is the 25th highest-grossing film
series of all time.
Development
C. S. Lewis never sold the film rights to
the Narnia series during his lifetime, as
he was skeptical that any cinematic adaptation
could render the more fantastical elements
and characters of the story realistically.
Only after seeing a demo reel of CGI animals
did Douglas Gresham give approval for a film
adaptation.
Although the plan was originally to produce
the films in the same order as the book series'
original publication, it was reported that
The Magician's Nephew, which recounts the
creation of Narnia, would be the fourth feature
film in the series, instead of The Silver
Chair. It was rumored that The Magician's
Nephew was chosen as an attempt to reboot
the series, after the release of The Voyage
of the Dawn Treader grossed less when compared
to the two previous films. In March 2011,
Walden Media confirmed that they intended
The Magician's Nephew to be next in the series,
but stressed that it was not yet in development.
In October 2011, Douglas Gresham stated that
Walden Media's contract with the C. S. Lewis
estate had expired, hinting that Walden Media's
lapse in renegotiating their contract with
the C. S. Lewis estate was due to internal
conflicts between both companies about the
direction of future films.
Although there is currently a moratorium on
the film rights, on October 1, 2013, The C.S.
Lewis Company announced that The Chronicles
of Narnia: The Silver Chair was officially
in pre-production.
Films
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, based
on the novel with the same title, is the first
official film in the series. Directed by Andrew
Adamson, the film was shot mainly in New Zealand,
though locations were used in Poland, the
Czech Republic and England.
The story follows four British children who
are evacuated during the Blitz to the countryside
and find a wardrobe that leads to the fantasy
world of Narnia; there, they must ally with
the lion Aslan against the forces of the White
Witch, who has the world under an eternal
winter.
The film was released theatrically starting
on December 9, 2005. The film grossed over
$745 million worldwide, making it the 44th
highest grossing film worldwide of all time.
Prince Caspian
Prince Caspian, based on the novel with the
same title, is the second official film in
the series.
The story follows four British children who
were transported to Narnia in the previous
film returning to Narnia and finding out that
over 1300 years have passed and the land has
been invaded by Telmarines. The four Pevensie
children return to aid Prince Caspian in his
struggle for the throne against his corrupt
uncle, King Miraz. This is the last film to
be distributed by Walt Disney Pictures
The film was released on May 16, 2008. It
grossed $419 million worldwide and was considered
a moderate success.
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, based on the
novel with the same title, is the third official
film in the series. This is the first film
not co-produced by Disney, as they chose not
to produce the film after a budget dispute
with Walden Media. In January 2009, it was
announced that 20th Century Fox will replace
Disney for future installments. Directed by
Michael Apted, the movie was filmed almost
entirely in Australia.
The story follows the two younger Pevensie
children as they return to Narnia with their
cousin, Eustace. They join the new king of
Narnia, Caspian, in his quest to rescue seven
lost lords to save Narnia from a corrupting
evil that resides on a dark island. This is
the last adventure Lucy and Edmund can have
in Narnia as they are too old much like their
older brother and sister who are no longer
able to return. Eustace is allowed to come
back.
It was released on December 10, 2010 in RealD
3D in select theaters, along with its wide
2D release. It grossed over $415 million worldwide.
Upcoming films
The Silver Chair
After Walden Media's contract in regards to
the series' film rights expired in 2011, it
was originally assumed that 2014 would be
the earliest that production on another Narnia
film could begin, according to the moratorium
placed on the C. S. Lewis estate's right to
sell the books' film option.
However, in May 2012, Gresham confirmed that
technically any studio still has the option
of making a Narnia film during the moratorium,
but without the involvement of Walden Media
it cannot be released until 2018 at the earliest.
On October 1, 2013, The C.S. Lewis Company
announced that it has entered into an agreement
with the Mark Gordon Company to produce The
Chronicles of Narnia: The Silver Chair. Mark
Johnson and Douglas Gresham along with Vincent
Sieber, the Los Angeles based director of
The C.S. Lewis Company, will serve as producers
and work with The Mark Gordon Company on developing
the script. On December 5, 2013, it was confirmed
that David Magee will write the screenplay.
In July 2014, the official Narnia website
allowed the opportunity for fans to write
a name for the Lady of the Green Kirtle, the
main antagonist. The winning name is to be
selected by Mark Gordon and David Magee for
use in the final script of The Chronicles
of Narnia: The Silver Chair.
Main cast
Children
William Moseley as Peter Pevensie, title:
King Peter the Magnificent, the eldest Pevensie
child and the High King of Narnia.
Anna Popplewell as Susan Pevensie, title:
Queen Susan the Gentle, the elder Pevensie
girl and Queen of Narnia.
Skandar Keynes as Edmund Pevensie, title:
King Edmund the Just, the younger Pevensie
boy and King of Narnia.
Georgie Henley as Lucy Pevensie, title: Queen
Lucy the Valiant, the youngest Pevensie child
and Queen of Narnia.
Will Poulter as Eustace Scrubb, the Pevensie
children's cousin.
Other recurring characters
Liam Neeson as the voice of Aslan, the magnificent
and powerful lion who helps govern Narnia,
his own creation. He is the only character
to appear in all of the books.
Tilda Swinton as Jadis, the White Witch, the
former queen of Charn and a witch who ruled
Narnia after the events of The Magician's
Nephew and during the events of The Lion,
the Witch and the Wardrobe.
Ben Barnes as Caspian X, the Telmarine prince
who becomes King of Narnia after overthrowing
his evil uncle Miraz.
Eddie Izzard and later Simon Pegg as the voice
of Reepicheep, the noble and courageous mouse
who fights for Aslan and the freedom of Narnia.
Izzard played the character in Prince Caspian,
and Pegg took over the role in The Voyage
of the Dawn Treader.
Reception
Box office performance
Critical response
References
External links
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch
and the Wardrobe at the Internet Movie Database
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian at
the Internet Movie Database
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the
Dawn Treader at the Internet Movie Database
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch
and the Wardrobe filming locations at Movieloci.com
