In the wake of Game Of Thrones' gargantuan success on HBO, fantasy home entertainment is big, big business. And while Amazon has a Lord of the Rings prequel series in the pipeline, Netflix has now bagged its own major swords-and-sorcery franchise – acquiring the rights to C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia. The streaming service will likely reboot from the Disney and Fox film series, which brought The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, Prince Caspian, and Voyage Of The Dawntreader to the big screen through the ‘00s.
Netflix will adapt Narnia into a mix of films and TV series – though there’s no info yet on which story will arrive first. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe is the most well-known book, and was the first published, but chronologically The Magician’s Nephew marks the start of the Narnia story. “C.S. Lewis’ beloved Chronicles of Narnia stories have resonated with generations of readers around the world,” said Netflix’s chief content officer Ted Sarandos. “Families have fallen in love with characters like Aslan and the entire world of Narnia, and we’re thrilled to be their home for years to come.”
With the deal having just been struck, don’t expect an influx of Narnia stories to hit the streaming service immediately – but prepare for Lewis’ fantasy world to be beamed into your living room at regular intervals in the coming years.
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