The Chronicles of Narnia

Chronicles of Narnia film series
2009 DVD box set of the first two films. (BRA)
Directed by	Andrew Adamson Michael Apted
Produced by	Mark Johnson
Written by	Novels: C. S. Lewis Screenplays: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe Ann Peacock Andrew Adamson Christopher Markus Stephen McFeely Prince Caspian Andrew Adamson Christopher Markus Stephen McFeely The Silver Chair Michael Petroni Christopher Markus Stephen McFeely
Music by	Harry Gregson-Williams David Arnold
Distributed by	Walden Media (2005–present) Walt Disney Pictures (2005–2008) 20th Century Fox (2008–present)
Release date(s)	2005 – present
Running time	over 4 hours total (as of 2008)
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Budget	$405 million
Gross revenue	$1,157,623,868

The Chronicles of Narnia is a series of epic fantasy films from Walden Media based on the series of novels, The Chronicles of Narnia written by C. S. Lewis in the 1950s. The first installment, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, was released on December 9, 2005, while the second, Prince Caspian, was released on May 16, 2008;^[1] these first two films were directed by Andrew Adamson, produced by Mark Johnson, and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. The third installment, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, will be directed by Michael Apted and co-produced and distributed by 20th Century Fox, is scheduled to be released on December 10, 2010.^[2][3]

Plot summary

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was directed by New Zealander Andrew Adamson and was shot mainly in New Zealand, though locations were used in Poland, the Czech Republic and England.

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 the world under an eternal winter.

The film was released theatrically starting on December 7, 2005. As of^[update] April 2006, the film has grossed over US$700 million worldwide, making it the 28th highest grossing movie worldwide of all time.^[4]

The DVD was released on April 3, 2006 in the UK and April 4, 2006 in North America and Europe.

Prince Caspian

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, based on Prince Caspian was once again directed by Andrew Adamson. The story follows the same four children as they are summoned back into Narnia. They help Prince Caspian, the rightful heir to the throne of Narnia, reclaim the crown from his evil uncle, King Miraz. The film was released on May 16, 2008.^[1] This film marks the last in the Narnia film series to be distributed by Walt Disney Pictures.

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, based on the book of the same name, will be the third film in the series. Production was put on hold when Disney chose not to produce the film after a budget dispute with Walden Media, who then negotiated with 20th Century Fox to replace them.^[5] Fox joined with Walden Media officially as of January 28, 2009.^[6] They announced a December 10, 2010 release date shortly afterwards. This film marks the first in the Narnia film series to be distributed by 20th Century Fox. Edmund and Lucy come back to Narnia with their cousin in a ship called The Dawn Treader.

The Silver Chair

The Silver Chair would be the fourth film in the series. Andrew Adamson, the director of the first two movies in the series indicated that he wanted films two through four to be released closely together, which implies that The Silver Chair will most likely be made if The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is a bigger box office hit than Prince Caspian.^[7] However, pre-production has not yet started. Like the third Narnia film, this film would be currently distributed by 20th Century Fox.

As noted above, Ben Barnes was expected to reprise the role of Caspian X due to the terms of his contract, and Will Poulter had been cast as Eustace; however, the movie will be released 2011.

The Horse and His Boy

20th Century Fox and Walden Media currently plan to make The Chronicles of Narnia: The Horse and His Boy in the future.

The Magician's Nephew

20th Century Fox and Walden Media currently plan to make The Chronicles of Narnia: The Magician's Nephew in the future.

The Last Battle

20th Century Fox and Walden Media currently plans to make The Chronicles of Narnia: The Last Battle in the future.

Other films

As there are seven books in The Chronicles of Narnia, each book could potentially become a movie.^[8] The film adaptation of the third book, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, has been confirmed; the next likely film is The Silver Chair. The production of further films will largely depend on the success of previous films; following the "Caspian trilogy," the books remaining to be adapted will be The Horse and His Boy, The Magician's Nephew and The Last Battle, all of which will be currently distributed by 20th Century Fox.

The Walden film productions are following the original publication order of the Narnia novels, rather than the order in which they have been published since 1994. Prior to that, publication order followed the order in which the novels were written, with the exception of The Silver Chair, which was written after Horse and His Boy but published before it. However, after the publication of all the books in the series, Lewis suggested in a letter to a fan that his preferred reading order for the series was by the chronology of the narrative, and not necessarily by publication date.^[9] In 1994, the Lewis estate authorized a decision to reorder the series according to the in-universe chronology, making The Magician's Nephew the first book. All editions of the Narnia novels published since that time have followed this order. Despite the reordering of the series, fans still provide reasons for reading and filming the books in their original publication order, a position supported by the film producers.^[10] See The Chronicles of Narnia for further debate and discussion on reading order.

Another reason for creating the films in this order is the need to film the books featuring the Pevensie children (Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy) before the actors portraying them mature too greatly; in the continuity of the book series, only about one year each passes between each of the first three books. This need further extends to the fourth film as well, because Dawn Treader introduces the Pevensies' cousin, Eustace Scrubb, who then becomes a principal player in Silver Chair.

In addition, it is likely that the producers filmed the The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe first as it is the most famous of the seven books.

C. S. Lewis never sold the film rights to the Narnia series, being skeptical that any cinematic adaptation could render the more fantastical elements and characters of the story realistically.^[11] 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.^{[citation needed]}

Main Recurring Cast

Pevensie Children

• William Moseley as Peter Pevensie, the eldest child and High King of Narnia. Moseley appears in The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe and Prince Caspian.
• Anna Popplewell as Susan Pevensie, the eldest girl and queen of Narnia. Popplewell appears in The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe and Prince Caspian.
• Skandar Keynes as Edmund Pevensie, the youngest boy and king of Narnia. Keynes appears in The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, Prince Caspian, and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.
• Georgie Henley as Lucy Pevensie, the youngest child and queen of Narnia. Henley appears in The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, Prince Caspian, and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

The Pevensie children also appear in The Horse and His Boy and The Last Battle, but it is unknown if the original Pevensie actors will reprise their roles.

Narnians

• Liam Neeson as Aslan, the magnificent, powerful lion who helps govern Narnia, his creation. He is the only character to appear in all the books.
• Ben Barnes as Prince Caspian, the Telmarine prince who becomes King of Narnia after they overthrow his evil uncle, Miraz. Appears in Prince Caspian, Voyage of the Dawn Treader, and Silver Chair

Films

Box office

Reception

See also

• Chronicles of Narnia novels:
  • The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
  • Prince Caspian
  • The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
  • The Silver Chair
  • The Horse and His Boy
  • The Magician's Nephew
  • The Last Battle

References

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of 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 Silver Chair at the Internet Movie Database

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