Narnia book 'The Silver Chair' will be next for a movie adaptation

A movie based on the Chronicles of Narnia book “The Silver Chair” by C.S. Lewis is being created.

The current series of movies began with the 2005 release of “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe,” then “Prince Caspian” followed in 2008. The most recent, “The Voyage of the Dawn Treader,” appeared in 2010.

Mark Gordon of The Mark Gordon Company will produce the movie along with the C.S. Lewis Company.

“Like many readers, both young and old, I am a huge fan of C.S. Lewis’s beautiful and allegorical world of Narnia,” Gordon said in a statement. “These fantasy stories inspire real-world passion among millions of devoted fans around the world. As we prepare to bring the next book to life, we are humbled and excited to contribute to the outstanding legacy of Narnia.”

“Silver” does not include any of the Pevensie children, who were the heroes of “Lion” and “Caspian.” Only the two younger siblings, Edmund and Lucy, appeared in “Dawn,” and “Silver” centers on the children’s cousin Eustace and his schoolmate Jill.

Walden Media was behind the first three film adaptations, but the deal between Walden and the Lewis estate expired in 2011 before a fourth movie was made. However, Walden Media told Entertainment Weekly before the deal came to an end that the next book Walden would have chosen to adapt would have been “The Magician’s Nephew,” a book which, chronologically, takes place before “Lion.”

Some fans – including including Guardian writer Ben Child – feel the Lewis estate should have stuck with that plan.

“Executives had the chance to take everything right back to the start and shoot the rather wonderful The Magician's Nephew,” he wrote. “The Silver Chair rivals only the confusingly biblical (at least, for me as a young reader) The Last Battle for twee tedium. The Magician's Nephew is a lot more fun.”

Child admired the work done by actress Tilda Swinton as the wicked White Witch in the first movie and noted that, as “Magician” is a prequel, Swinton could have returned for a movie adaptation of that book.

“Both 2008's Prince Caspian and 2010's The Voyage of the Dawn Treader suffered from a distinct Swinton deficit,” he wrote. “The apparently ageless Swinton, should the film-makers have been able to recruit her, would have had plenty to chew on [in ‘Magician’].”

Other fans agree with Child's pitch.

“Why… would you film The Silver Chair before The Magician's Nephew?” Twitter user Nina Martinez wrote.

Some, however, disagree. 

“Silver Chair was the best one anyway!” Twitter user Sean Miller tweeted upon the announcement of the next movie adaptation.

No release date has yet been announced for the new movie.