‘Chronicles of Narnia’ gets new life at Netflix with TV show and new films planned
After years of being stuck in rumors and a development quagmire, the Chronicles of Narnia franchise appears to be headed to Netflix for a major revival.
As part of a “a multi-year deal between Netflix and The C.S. Lewis Company,” Netflix plans to “develop classic stories from across the Narnia universe into series and films for its members worldwide.”
Amazon is developing a Lord of the Rings series and now, Netflix has The Chronicles of Narnia. The streaming service announced a plan to adapt C.S. Lewis’ books into both a new TV series and new films as well.
“C.S. Lewis’ beloved Chronicles of Narnia stories have resonated with generations of readers around the world,” said Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s Chief Content Officer. “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.”
Douglas Gresham, stepson of C.S. Lewis, added: “It is wonderful to know that folks from all over are looking forward to seeing more of Narnia, and that the advances in production and distribution technology have made it possible for us to make Narnian adventures come to life all over the world. Netflix seems to be the very best medium with which to achieve this aim, and I am looking forward to working with them towards this goal.”
Lewis’ books were published between 1950 and 1956, and began with The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. The series focused on the Pevensie siblings – Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy – who step through a magic wardrobe into the fantastical land of Narnia. The series continued with Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, The Silver Chair, The Horse and His Boy, The Magician’s Nephew and The Last Battle.
Mark Gordon of Entertainment One (eOne), Douglas Gresham and Vincent Sieber will serve as executive producers for series and as producers for features.
“Narnia is one of those rare properties that spans multiple generations and geographies,” said Gordon. “eOne and I are excited to be collaborating with The C.S. Lewis Company and Netflix who have the capacity to translate the Narnia universe into both stellar feature-length and episodic programming. We cannot wait to get started on the multiple productions we hope to undertake.”
