C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia is one of those beloved series that Hollywood’s been trying to get “right” for ages now to varying degrees of success. After months of buzz about a rumoured reboot of the cinematic franchise, Netflix has announced that it will be our new gateway to the land of talking animals and pesky, righteous child monarchs.
In a surprising public statement late last night, Netflix and Entertainment One announced that, thanks to a multi-year agreement, the streaming platform is producing a host of Narnia films and series all set in Lewis’ fantastical world.
Lewis’ stepson, Douglas Gresham, is attached to executive produce many of the new projects, and he expressed his belief that Netflix is the ideal place for these new incarnations of the Narnia stories to exist:
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.
The last major Narnia news, which Netflix’s statement doesn’t address, centred on Sony’s plans to put out a cinematic adaptation of The Silver Chair with Captain America: The First Avenger’s Joe Johnson attached to direct.
Whether that film ends up becoming part of Netflix’s plans for the franchise remains to be seen, but it’s likely that we’re in for an adventure with an all-new spin on the magical land.