New 'Narnia' movie 'The Silver Chair' is in the works

CULVER CITY, Calif., Aug. 9 (UPI) -- The Silver Chair, the fourth adventure in The Chronicles of Narnia film franchise, has officially been green-lit.

No casting has been announced yet, but David Magee, who penned Life of Pi and Finding Neverland, is adapting C.S. Lewis' classic fantasy novel for the big screen.

Earlier chapters in the film series -- which mixes live-action and animation -- featured James McAvoy, Tilda Swinton and Ben Barnes, as well as the voice talents of Eddie Izzard, Rupert Everett and Liam Neeson.

The next installment will be financed by TriStar Pictures, eOne and The Mark Gordon Company with Sony and eOne distributing. It will follow 2005's The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, 2008's Prince Caspian and 2010's The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

Lewis' stepson Douglas Gresham will be among the sequel's producers.

"Developing this project with The C.S. Lewis Company has been immensely exciting and a real joy. We are so pleased to team up with our good friends at TriStar and our partners at eOne to introduce this new, magical chapter of the Narnia franchise to fans around the world, both old and new," Gordon said in a statement Tuesday.

"Reading The Chronicles of Narnia was one of the formative experiences of my childhood, just as it has been for children around the world for generations," added Hannah Minghella, president of TriStar Productions. "So, to have the opportunity to bring new life to the Narnia films with a new creative team is a career highlight. Our mission is to build TriStar Pictures as a home for filmmaker-driven literary and commercial movies, and this film represents a huge step forward for us."

"It's been both fun and exciting to work with Mark Gordon and David Magee to develop the next Narnia movie, and now it's a thrill to welcome Tristar to our Narnia family. I greatly look forward to plunging again into the joys and challenges of once more bringing Narnia to the screen, this time with the wonderful story of The Silver Chair," remarked Gresham.