'Chronicles of Narnia' Movies Go Back to the Beginning

"The Chronicles of Narnia" is one of the the most beloved fantasy series in all of English literature. In the wake the huge success of "The Lord of the Rings" and "Harry Potter" films, it was no surprise when a film version of "The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe" was released in 2005. The film was a massive hit, grossing three quarters of a billion dollars worldwide. However, when the next film in the series, "Prince Caspian," was released three years later, it only managed to pull in a little more than $400 million in worldwide box office. This prompted Disney, which had been the distributor of the first two films, to part ways with the series. Production company Walden Media, which has been producing the franchise, partnered with Fox Studios to release "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" this past year. Its box-office gross was comparable to that of "Prince Caspian" (though on a smaller budget), and that has left the future of the series in question.

In an interview with The Christian Post, Michael Flaherty, president of Walden Media, revealed that the next film would not be "The Silver Chair," which is the book that followed "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader." Instead, Flaherty and Walden Media intend to adapt "The Magician's Nephew," which was the fifth book published in the series but the first story chronologically. It details the initial creation of Narnia and such aspects as how the animals of that land came to speak and even touches on the titular piece of furniture from "The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe." Flaherty did not make clear if the intention would be to make "The Silver Chair" later on should "The Magician's Nephew" prove successful, or if the franchise would end with this fourth film.

Fans of the series had been speculating for some months that this might be the direction the film franchise would take. There are a number of advantages to opting for "The Magician's Nephew" over "The Silver Chair." One of the main ones would be the presence of familiar characters. "The Magician's Nephew" includes the lion Aslan; Jadis, who would go on to become the White Witch (portrayed by Tilda Swinton); and a young character named Digory who would grow up to be the old professor played by Jim Broadbent in "The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe."

By contrast, "The Silver Chair" deals primarily with the character of Eustace, who was introduced in "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" and only features Aslan at the very end. Aside from those two, "The Silver Chair" is virtually devoid of any of the characters movie goers have come to know, which would make it a rather tough sell to audiences not already familiar with the book. Neither story contains the Pevensie children, who were the heroes of the first three films, but between the two "The Magician's Nephew" connects better with the elements audiences know and have responded well to.

Flaherty was optimistic in his interview, citing that "The Magician's Nephew" is generally considered the second best book in the series by fans behind "The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe." He also acknowledged that part of the issue for "Prince Caspian" was a summer release date. "The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe" had been released around Christmas, which not only gave it less direct competition at the box office but also helped play up the strong Christian themes of the film. Flaherty seems well aware that part of the success of that first film was thanks to the faith market. However, it's worth pointing out that a December release for "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" didn't seem to boost it much beyond the business that "Prince Caspian" did.

Flaherty indicated that he hopes to have a writer hired soon but the project will likely take "a couple of years." If the budget can be kept in line, it seems rather likely that "The Magician's Nephew" could turn a good profit, though it may have to rely heavily on the international market which boosted the numbers for "The Dawn Treader." It shouldn't be too much of an issue to get the necessary talent to return. Tilda Swinton had already indicated several years back that she hoped "The Magician's Nephew" would be made and that she would be excited to explore the White Witch's origins.