Just announced from the Chronicles of Narnia Facebook page:
“NETFLIX TO DEVELOP SERIES AND FILMS BASED ON
C.S. LEWIS’ BELOVED THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA
Hollywood, Calif. – October 3, 2018 — Netflix will develop new series and film projects based on C.S. Lewis’ beloved The Chronicles of Narnia series. Under the terms of a multi-year deal between Netflix and The C.S. Lewis Company, Netflix will develop classic stories from across the Narnia universe into series and films for its members worldwide. All series and films produced through the deal will be Netflix productions, with Mark Gordon of Entertainment One (eOne) alongside Douglas Gresham and Vincent Sieber serving as executive producers for series and as producers for features. In total the Narnia books have sold more than 100 million copies and been translated in more than 47 languages worldwide. The deal marks the first time that rights to the entire seven books of the Narnia universe have been held by the same company.
“C.S. Lewis’ beloved Chronicles of Narnia stories have resonated with generations of readers around the world,” said Ted Sarandos, Chief Content Officer, Netflix. “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.”
“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,” said Douglas Gresham, stepson of C.S. Lewis. “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.”
“Narnia is one of those rare properties that spans multiple generations and geographies,” said Mark Gordon, eOne’s President and Chief Content Officer, Film & Television. “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.”
About Netflix
Netflix is the world’s leading internet entertainment service with 130 million memberships in over 190 countries enjoying TV series, documentaries and feature films across a wide variety of genres and languages. Members can watch as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, on any internet-connected screen. Members can play, pause and resume watching, all without commercials or commitments.
Media Contacts:
Don Halcombe
Netflix PR
dhalcombe@netflix.com
Emily Feingold
Netflix PR
efeingold@netflix.com”
Since Mark Gordon and eOne are still involved it could still include the Silver Chair film that has been in pre-production with Joe Johnston directing. This may mean no theatrical releases, but it also could mean that it reaches a wider audience, and introduces more people to the books we love so much.
There is a lot of information to process here, and of course a lot of questions we can’t answer yet. But that doesn’t have to stop us from speculating. Join the discussion on the forum.
I’m thrilled to hear that you will be producing the Narnia series!
As a former public school teacher, I read these classics to my classes, and they were their favorites! These marvelous stories excite the imagination, and the wisdom that they exude is timeless.
Please stay as true to the original text as you possibly can!
For me, the real magic of Narnia was Lewis’ deep understanding of Christian theology and his artful way of portraying it through fictional characters. I hope that Netflix will stay true to this and not let the series degenerate into a meaningless fantasy romp. Lewis’ work was a celebration of Christ combined with his unique talent of telling the story without the reader making the connection until he/she thinks about it.
Favorite example is Jill Pole’s first interview with Aslan. Packed with biblical truth!
I hope my worst nightmare does not come true.
“Oh, Wardrobe!” – A fun-filled rollicking musical journey through the fantasy land of Narnia. There is something for everyone…talking animals, fauns, death, sacrifice, salvation, and jaunty musical numbers by the Tony Award winning team of Null and Void. So come through the wardrobe and join the fun!
I hope they didn’t buy it to do nothing with it… It is starting to look that way.