Next 'Narnia' set for winter 2010 release

LOS ANGELES, March 3 (UPI) -- Twentieth Century Fox and Walden Media say they are planning to release the third installment of "The Chronicles of Narnia" film franchise in December 2010.

Variety.com said "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" is slated for U.S. release Dec. 10, 2010, returning the family movie series to winter, the season when "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" was an enormous blockbuster in 2005.

The second film in the franchise "Prince Caspian" was released last May but wasn't as big as a box office smash, Variety.com noted.

The first two installments were collaborations between Walden and Disney but Disney opted not to take part in the third entry, which will now be a Fox and Walden effort.

The "Narnia" movies are based on the classic fantasy books by C.S. Lewis.