Narnia 4?

Last Updated: December 7, 2012

For years, most fans just assumed if a fourth Narnia film was ever made, it would be The Silver Chair. It is the next book in the series, and Will Poulter’s (Eustace) age was always a concern. Eyebrows went up when, a few months before the theatrical release of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Producer Mark Johnson suggested that they might make The Magician’s Nephew next. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader released in December 2010 and performed well overseas but poorly in the United States.

In February 2011, the story broke that Producer Perry Moore had secured funding for The Magician’s Nephew prior to his tragic death. In May, Walden Media president Micheal Flaherty said that they were hoping to make The Magician’s Nephew next, but nothing was final and no script existed.

In September, NarniaWeb posted a story explaining that negotiations had stalled, and that Walden’s contract had expired. In October, Douglas Gresham (co-producer, Lewis’ stepson) said he hoped to be able to start production on another film in “three or four years time.”

In May 2012, Gresham revealed he would like to make The Silver Chair next as an independent film, and confirmed there is a seven-year moratorium on producing Narnia films outside Walden Media. In December, Micheal Flaherty (Walden president) said he would like to make The Magician’s Nephew next, but there was “disagreement about the economics and the overall vision of where the franchise should go next.”

Where do we stand now?

There is a seven-year moratorium on producing any Narnia films outside of Walden Media. By law, no Narnia films can be produced by anyone without Walden until the moratorium ends, and it appears that Gresham would prefer to make the films independently. He would like to make The Silver Chair next. Assuming the moratorium began just after Dawn Treader‘s release, the earliest we could see the next Narnia film is probably 2018.

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