The Chronicles of Narnia (film series)

The Chronicles of Narnia
Directed by	Andrew Adamson (1–2) Michael Apted (3)
Produced by	David Minkowski (1) Matthew Stillman (1) Mark Johnson (1–3) Philip Steuer (1–3) Andrew Adamson (2–3) Mark Gordon (4) Douglas Gresham (4) Vincent Sieber (4) Melvin Adams (4)
Written by	Ann Peacock (1) Andrew Adamson (1–2) Christopher Markus (1–3) Stephen McFeely (1–3) Michael Petroni (3) David Magee (4)
Based on	The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis
Starring	Liam Neeson Tilda Swinton Skandar Keynes Georgie Henley William Moseley Anna Popplewell Ben Barnes Will Poulter
Music by	Harry Gregson-Williams (1–2) David Arnold (3)
Cinematography	Donald McAlpine (1) Karl Walter Lindenlaub (2) Dante Spinotti (3)
Edited by	Jim May (1) Sim Evan-Jones (1–2) Josh Campbell (2) Rick Shaine (3)
Production company	Walden Media (1–3) Dune Entertainment (3) The Mark Gordon Company (4)
Distributed by	Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures (1–2) 20th Century Fox (3) TriStar Pictures (4) Entertainment One (4)
Release dates	1: December 8, 2005 2: May 16, 2008 3: November 30, 2010
Running time	410 minutes (1–3)
Country	United Kingdom United States
Language	English
Budget	Total (3 films): $560 million
Box office	Total (3 films): $1,580,364,900

The Chronicles of Narnia is a series of fantasy films from Walden Media, based on The Chronicles of Narnia, a series of novels by C. S. Lewis. From the seven novels, there have been three film adaptations so far—The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005), Prince Caspian (2008) and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010)—which have grossed over $1.5 billion worldwide among them.

The series revolves around the adventures of children in the world of Narnia, guided by Aslan, a wise and powerful lion that can speak and is the true king of Narnia. The children heavily featured in the films are the Pevensie siblings, and a prominent antagonist is the White Witch (also known as Jadis).

The first two films were directed by Andrew Adamson and the third film was directed by Michael Apted. The third film is the first of the Chronicles to be released in RealD 3D.^[1] The fourth film is now being developed by Mark Gordon Company.

Development

C. S. Lewis never sold the film rights to the Narnia series during his lifetime, as he was skeptical that any cinematic adaptation could render the more fantastical elements and characters of the story realistically.^{[lower-alpha 1]}. Only after seeing a demo reel of CGI animals did Douglas Gresham (Lewis's stepson and literary executor, and film co-producer) give approval for a film adaptation.

Although the plan was originally to produce the films in the same order as the book series' original publication, it was reported that The Magician's Nephew, which recounts the creation of Narnia, would be the fourth feature film in the series, instead of The Silver Chair. It was rumoured that The Magician's Nephew was chosen as an attempt to reboot the series, after the release of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader grossed less when compared to the two previous films.^[2] In March 2011, Walden Media confirmed that they intended The Magician's Nephew to be next in the series, but stressed that it was not yet in development.^[3]

In October 2011, Douglas Gresham stated that Walden Media's contract with the C. S. Lewis estate had expired, hinting that Walden Media's lapse in renegotiating their contract with the C. S. Lewis estate was due to internal conflicts between both companies about the direction of future films.^[4]

Although there is currently a moratorium on the film rights, on October 1, 2013, The C.S. Lewis Company announced that The Chronicles of Narnia: The Silver Chair was officially in pre-production.^[5]

Films

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, based on the novel of the same title, is the first film in the series. Directed by Andrew Adamson, it was shot mainly in New Zealand, though locations were used in Poland, the Czech Republic and the United Kingdom.

The story follows four British children who are evacuated during the Blitz to the countryside and find a wardrobe that leads to the fantasy world of Narnia. There, they must ally with the lion Aslan against the forces of the White Witch, who has Narnia under an eternal winter.

The film was released theatrically on December 9, 2005 and on DVD on April 4, 2006 and grossed over $745 million worldwide.

Prince Caspian (2008)

Prince Caspian, based on the novel of the same title, is the second film in the series and the last distributed by Walt Disney Pictures.

The story follows four British children who were transported to Narnia in the previous film returning to Narnia, where 1,300 years have passed and the land has been invaded by Telmarines. The four Pevensie children aid Prince Caspian in his struggle for the throne against his corrupt uncle, King Miraz.

The film was released on May 16, 2008. It grossed $419 million worldwide.

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010)

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, based on the novel of the same title, is the last film in the series. This is the first film not co-produced by Disney, who dropped out over a budget dispute with Walden Media. In February 2009, it was announced that 20th Century Fox would replace Disney for future installments. Directed by Michael Apted, the movie was filmed almost entirely in Australia.

The story follows the two younger Pevensie children as they return to Narnia with their cousin, Eustace. They join the old king of Narnia, Caspian, in his quest to rescue seven lost lords and save Narnia from a corrupting evil that resides on a lit island.^[6]

The film was released on December 10, 2010 (in RealD 3D in select theaters) and grossed over $415 million worldwide.

Future

After Walden Media's contract of the series' film rights expired in 2011, it was originally assumed that 2014 would be the earliest that production on another Narnia film could begin according to the moratorium placed on the C. S. Lewis estate's right to sell the books' film option. On October 1, 2013, The C.S. Lewis Company announced that it had entered into an agreement with the Mark Gordon Company to produce The Chronicles of Narnia: The Silver Chair, based on The Silver Chair. Mark Gordon and Douglas Gresham along with Vincent Sieber, the Los Angeles based director of The C.S. Lewis Company, would serve as producers and work with The Mark Gordon Company on developing the script.^[5] On December 5, 2013, it was announced that David Magee would write the screenplay.^[7]

In July 2014, the official Narnia website allowed the opportunity for fans to suggest names for the Lady of the Green Kirtle, the main antagonist. The winning name is to be selected by Mark Gordon and David Magee for use in the final script of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Silver Chair.^[8]

While the film's producers have been calling the film a "reboot" to the series, in actuality this is referring to the fact that the film has a new creative team not associated with those who worked on the previous three films. The film itself is still considered to be a sequel to the film adaptation of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.^[9][10] On August 9, 2016, it was announced that Sony Pictures and Entertainment One will finance and distribute the fourth film with both Mark Gordon Company and C.S. Lewis Company.^[11]

Main cast

Children

• Georgie Henley as Lucy Pevensie, title: Queen Lucy the Valiant, the youngest Pevensie child and a Queen of Narnia during the Golden Age.
• Skandar Keynes as Edmund Pevensie, title: King Edmund the Just; the younger Pevensie child and a King of Narnia during the Golden Age.
• William Moseley as Peter Pevensie, title: High King Peter the Magnificent, the eldest Pevensie child and the High King of Narnia during the Golden Age.
• Anna Popplewell as Susan Pevensie, title: High Queen Susan the Gentle, the elder Pevensie child and a Queen of Narnia during the Golden Age.
• Will Poulter as Eustace Scrubb, the Pevensie children's arrogant cousin. He will return to Narnia with his friend Jill Pole in The Silver Chair.

Other main characters

• Liam Neeson as the voice of Aslan, the magnificent and majestically powerful lion who helps govern and maintain order in Narnia; a mystical world of his own creation. He is the only main character to appear in all seven books.
• Tilda Swinton as Jadis, the White Witch; the former queen of Charn and a witch who ruled Narnia after being released in The Magician's Nephew and during the events of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
• Ben Barnes as Caspian X, the Telmarine prince who becomes King of Narnia after overthrowing his evil uncle Miraz.
• Eddie Izzard and later Simon Pegg as the voice of Reepicheep, the noble and courageous mouse who fights for Aslan and the freedom of Narnia. Izzard played the character in Prince Caspian, and Pegg took over the role in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

Crew

Reception

Box office performance

Critical and public response

See also

• Outline of Narnia

Notes

References

External links

Wikiquote has quotations related to: The Chronicles of Narnia (film series)

• The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe at the Internet Movie Database
• The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian at the Internet Movie Database
• The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader at the Internet Movie Database
• The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe filming locations at Movieloci.com