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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.<ref>A general dislike of cinema can be seen in ''Collected Letters'', Vol. 2, a letter to his brother Warren on March 3, 1940, p. 361; see also ''All My Road Before Me'', June 1, 1926, p. 405</ref> Only after seeing a demo reel of [[Computer-generated imagery|CGI]] animals did [[Douglas Gresham]] (Lewis's stepson and [[literary executor]], and film co-producer) give approval for a film adaptation.{{Citation needed|date=June 2007}}
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.<ref>A general dislike of cinema can be seen in ''Collected Letters'', Vol. 2, a letter to his brother Warren on March 3, 1940, p. 361; see also ''All My Road Before Me'', June 1, 1926, p. 405</ref> Only after seeing a demo reel of [[Computer-generated imagery|CGI]] animals did [[Douglas Gresham]] (Lewis's stepson and [[literary executor]], and film co-producer) give approval for a film adaptation.{{Citation needed|date=June 2007}}


==Films==
==C0ck==


===''The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'' (2005)===
===''The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'' (2005)===

Revision as of 01:52, 1 March 2014

The Chronicles of Narnia film series
Narnia Official Logo
Official Logo
Directed byAndrew Adamson (1–2)
Michael Apted (3)
Written byAnn Peacock (1)
Andrew Adamson (1–2)
Christopher Markus (1–3)
Stephen McFeely (1–3)
Michael Petroni (3)
David Magee (4)
Produced byMark Johnson (1–3)
David Minkowski (1)
Philip Steuer (1–3)
Matthew Stillman (1)
Andrew Adamson (2–3)
Douglas Gresham (1-4)
Vincent Sieber (4)
Mark Gordon (4)
StarringLiam Neeson
Tilda Swinton
Skandar Keynes
Georgie Henley
William Moseley
Anna Popplewell
Ben Barnes
Will Poulter
CinematographyDonald McAlpine (1)
Karl Walter Lindenlaub (2)
Dante Spinotti (3)
Edited bySim Evan-Jones (1–2)
Rick Shaine (3)
Music byHarry Gregson-Williams (1–2)
David Arnold (3)
Production
company
Gran Via Productions
Distributed byWalden Media
Release date
2005 – present
CountriesUnited Kingdom
United States
Czech Republic
Poland
Slovenia
LanguageEnglish
BudgetTotal (3 films):
$560 million
Box officeTotal (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 written 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 fictional world of Narnia, guided by Aslan, a wise and powerful lion that can speak and is the true king of Narnia. Most of the children 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 is the first of the Chronicles to be released in RealD 3D. It was directed by Michael Apted.[1] On October 1, 2013, The C.S. Lewis Company announced that they have entered into an agreement with the Mark Gordon Company to jointly develop and produce a fourth film, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Silver Chair.[2]

The series is the 25th highest-grossing film series of all time.

Development

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.[3] 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]

C0ck

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)

Main article: The Chronicles of Narnia: 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 9, 2005. The film grossed over $745 million worldwide, making it the 44th highest grossing film worldwide of all time.

Prince Caspian (2008)

Main article: The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Sharkesia

Prince Caspian was the second adaption to the Chronicles of Narnia franchise. The whole production team from The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe returned but also new cast members joined the Narnia team such as Ben Barnes, Peter Dinklage and Eddie Izzard.

The story follows four British children who were transported to Narnia in the previous film returning to Narnia and finding out that over 1300 years have passed and the land has been invaded by Telmarines. The four Pevensie children (William Moseley, Anna Popplewell, Skandar Keynes, and Georgie Henley) return to aid Prince Caspian (Ben Barnes) in his struggle for the throne against his corrupt uncle, King Miraz (Sergio Castellitto). This is the last film to be distributed by Walt Disney Pictures

The film was released on May 16, 2008. It grossed $419 million worldwide and was considered a moderate success.

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010)

Main article: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, based on the novel with the same title, was directed by Michael Apted and was the third official film in the series. However, production was put on hold when Disney chose not to produce the film after a dispute budget with Walden Media who later then negotiated with 20th Century Fox to replace Disney for future installments.

The story follows the two younger Pevensie children as they return to Narnia with their cousin, Eustace. They join the new king of Narnia, Caspian, in his quest to rescue seven lost lords to save Narnia from a corrupting evil that resides on a dark island. This is the last adventure Lucy and Edmund can have in Narnia as they are too old much like their older brother and sister who are no longer able to return. Eustace is allowed to come back. [4]

It was released on December 10, 2010 in RealD 3D in select theaters, along with its wide 2D release. It grossed over $415 million worldwide.

The Silver Chair (2013)

On October 1, 2013, The C.S. Lewis Company announced that it has entered into an agreement with the Mark Gordon Company to produce The Chronicles of Narnia: The Silver Chair. Mark Johnson and Douglas Gresham along with Vincent Sieber, the Los Angeles based director of The C.S. Lewis Company, will serve as producers and work with The Mark Gordon Company on developing the script.[2] On December 5, 2013, it was confirmed that David Magee will write the screenplay.[5]

Future

As there are seven books in The Chronicles of Narnia, each book could potentially become a theatrical feature film.[6] Although they originally produced the films in the same order as the book series' original publication, Walden Media and the C.S Lewis Estate selected The Magician's Nephew, which recounts the creation of Narnia, to be the basis for the fourth movie, instead of The Silver Chair.[7] Shortly before Perry Moore's death in February 2011, he told his family that he had secured funding for such a film. 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.[8]

In October 2011, Douglas Gresham stated that Walden Media's contract with the C. S. Lewis estate had expired, with Walden Media no longer having exclusive purchasing rights to any further Narnia films. Thus any production of a future film is on hold indefinitely.

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.[9][10][11] However, in May 2012, Gresham confirmed that technically any studio still has the option of making a Narnia film during the moratorium, but without the involvement of Walden Media it cannot be released until 2018 at the earliest (the actual end year of the moratorium).[12] Gresham also hinted 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.[12] Contrary to Walden Media's initial plan, Gresham stated that he plans for The Silver Chair to be the next film to be made, hinting that future films might be made independently.[12]

Main cast

Main article: List of Chronicles of Narnia cast members

Children

Other recurring characters

  • Liam Neeson as the voice of Aslan, the magnificent and powerful lion who helps govern Narnia, his own creation. He is the only character to appear in all of the books.
  • Tilda Swinton as Jadis, the White Witch, the former queen of Charn and a witch who ruled Narnia after the events of 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.

Reception

Box office performance

Film Release date Box office revenue Box office ranking Budget Reference
US & Canada Other Countries Worldwide All time US & Canada All time Worldwide
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe December 9, 2005 $291,710,957 $453,302,158 $745,013,115 #54 #53 $180,000,000 [13]
Prince Caspian May 16, 2008 $141,621,490 $278,044,078 $419,665,568 #283 #165 $225,000,000 [14]
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader December 10, 2010 $104,386,950 $311,299,267 $415,686,217 #510 #167 $140,000,000 - $155,000,000 [15]
Total $537719397 $1042645503 $1580364900 $545,000,000 - $560,000,000

Critical reception

Film Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe 76% (209 reviews)[16] 75% (39 reviews)[17]
Prince Caspian 67% (187 reviews)[18] 62% (34 reviews)[19]
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader 49% (159 reviews)[20] 53% (33 reviews)[21]

See also

References

  1. ^ Disney opts out of 3rd 'Narnia' film
  2. ^ a b Fourth ‘Chronicles Of Narnia’ Movie In Works From Mark Gordon Co
  3. ^ A general dislike of cinema can be seen in Collected Letters, Vol. 2, a letter to his brother Warren on March 3, 1940, p. 361; see also All My Road Before Me, June 1, 1926, p. 405
  4. ^ Alexonx (November 10, 2010). "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader-Spectacular trailer". filmissimo.it. Retrieved November 10, 2010.
  5. ^ "'Narnia' Sequel Taps David Magee to Write Script". The Wrap. 2013-12-05. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  6. ^ NarniaWeb — Walden Media Outlines Narnia Series
  7. ^ Moring, Mark (April 7, 2011). "The Lion, the Witch, and the Box Office". Christianity Today. Retrieved May 1, 2011.
  8. ^ 'Narnia': Walden, Fox in discussions on 'The Magician's Nephew'
  9. ^ Gresham Confirms: Walden’s Contract Expired
  10. ^ Walden Media’s Option for a Fourth Narnia film Expires
  11. ^ Narnia 4?
  12. ^ a b c http://www.narniaweb.com/2012/05/gresham-shares-plans-for-next-narnia-film/
  13. ^ "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2012-08-18.
  14. ^ "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2012-08-18.
  15. ^ "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2012-08-18.
  16. ^ "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2012-10-13.
  17. ^ "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005): Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2012-10-13.
  18. ^ "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2012-10-13.
  19. ^ "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008): Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2012-10-13.
  20. ^ "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2012-10-13.
  21. ^ "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010): Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2012-10-13.

External links

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