The C.S. Lewis Company and the Mark Gordon Company have reached an agreement that will bring "The Silver Chair" to the big screen.
"Like many readers, both young and old, I am a huge fan of C.S. Lewis’s beautiful and allegorical world of Narnia," Mark Gordon said in a statement. "These fantasy stories inspire real-world passion among millions of devoted fans around the world. As we prepare to bring the next book to life, we are humbled and excited to contribute to the outstanding legacy of Narnia."
Douglas Gresham, C.S. Lewis' stepson, is a large player in the company and said in IGN that he is confident in Gordon's ability to adapt the novel. Not everyone is as excited.
"This week's announcement that the company which owns the rights to the CS Lewis fantasy saga has named The Silver Chair as the next big screen Narnia instalment should really be regarded as a major disappointment," wrote Ben Child at The Guardian. "With a likely five-year gap between the last movie and the next — it surely will not now be released until at least 2015 — executives had the chance to take everything right back to the start and shoot the rather wonderful The Magician's Nephew, a genuine prequel which Lewis published in 1955 to explain how the wicked White Witch got to Narnia in the first place."
Child argues that without Tilda Swinton's White Witch, the film franchise has suffered. Her considerable presence would have been felt if the original plan to shoot "The Magician's Nephew" had followed through.
"This is exciting news for 'Narnia' fans and a much needed reboot. The real question that will determine its success is how much control Lewis' stepson Doug Gresham will be given to ensure that 'Narnia' fans feel that these movies stay faithful and true to C.S. Lewis' original vision," Narnia expert Mark Joseph told Brietbart. "It is always an uphill climb to revive a series that has lots its mojo, but it's not by any stretch of the imagination impossible."
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