A multi-year deal has been signed between Netflix and the C.S Lewis Company to develop multiple films and TV series based on the Author’s classic children’s books.
The news comes from Netflix Chief Content Officer, Ted Sarandos. “C.S. Lewis’ beloved Chronicles of Narnia stories have resonated with generations of readers around the world,” he said, “Families have fallen in love with characters like Aslan and the entire world of Narnia, and we’re thrilled to be their home for years to come.” No release date has yet been suggested.
It is, of course, not the first time C.S Lewis’ works have been brought to the screen- a trilogy of three ‘Narnia’ films were released 2005-2010, starring Tilda Swinton and Liam Neeson. Specifically, ‘The Lion, the Witch, and The Wardrobe’, ‘Prince Caspian’, and ‘The Voyage of the Dawn Treader’, the first three novels of the novels to be published, were adapted. It should be noted, however, that the books were not published in the order events canonically happen in the book series, with the penultimate release “The Magician’s Nephew” actually being the earliest story in the timeline. The book series was originally published from 1950 onwards, starting with ‘The Lion, the Witch, and The Wardrobe’ and ending with 1956’s ‘The Last Battle’.
Mark Gordon, who directed the aforementioned film trilogy, will act as an executive producer, joined by Douglas Gresham and Vincent Sieber, who also worked on said films.
“Narnia is one of those rare properties that spans multiple generations and geographies,” Gordon said. “We cannot wait to get started on the multiple productions we hope to undertake.”
The idea was originally inspired by the MCU’s approach to telling separate, but interconnected stories in a way that was both creatively exciting and financially successful.