Narnia is coming back to the big screen. Deadline reports that TriStar Pictures is teaming up with Entertainment One (aka eOne) to produce and distribute The Silver Chair, an adaptation of the fourth book in the Chronicles of Narnia series.
The first three books were adapted by Walden Media in conjunction with Disney (for the first two films) and Fox (for the third film). But the rights reverted to the C.S. Lewis estate in 2011, and Mark Gordon, one of the producers involved in the new film, indicated earlier this year that the new film will essentially reboot the franchise.
As it happens, the child actors from the original films have all grown up, so their parts would have to be recast anyway, and The Silver Chair has very few characters in common with the first three films — so it makes sense to move on to this story instead of going back and recycling the stories that were already filmed so recently.
The one main character who returns is Eustace Scrubb, who was played memorably by Will Poulter in 2010’s The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (pictured above). Poulter was 16 when the last film was shot and, at 23, is now too old to reprise the role.
The book version of The Silver Chair brings back at least two adult characters who could also appear in this film: King Caspian, who was played by Ben Barnes in the last two films, and the lion Aslan, whose voice was provided by Liam Neeson.
But the filmmakers may opt to hire new actors for those characters too.
The script for The Silver Chair is being written by David Magee, whose credits include Finding Neverland, Life of Pi and the upcoming Mary Poppins Returns.
The Silver Chair has been adapted once before, as a 1990 BBC miniseries that starred Doctor Who veteran Tom Baker as Puddleglum the Marshwiggle.
Incidentally, since TriStar is owned by Sony Pictures, is there any chance this film will be affiliated in some way with Sony’s “faith-based” division Affirm Films?
