By The Chronicles of Narnia movies have so far stuck to the publication order of the books, but according to Walden Media president Michael Flaherty, talks are underway with Fox to skip forward two entries in the series and make The Magician’s Nephew next up for adaptation. It’s an unexpected decision, not least because Silver Chair follows on from Dawn Treader with one of the lead characters (plus a companion who was foreshadowed at the end of the last film) whereas Magician’s Nephew tells the story of Narnia’s creation and only links directly to The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe. It also means the film series would neither be following the books in publication nor chronological order.
That said, considering how the Narnia films haven’t been as successful as its producers would have hoped, it’s possible that Magician’s Nephew is being considered due to its place as one of the most beloved Narnia books and to allow Tilda Swinton, who has previously championed the book, to take a lead role again. Personally, since I don’t expect the Narnia films to reach the end of the series (their box office has been steadily declining and the final books become increasingly challenging to adapt), I’d be delighted to see Magician’s Nephew on-screen as the series’ likely swansong: it’s my favourite of Lewis’ books and The Wood Between The Worlds and Deplorable Word are in my opinion among the most elegant imaginative concepts in fiction. Silver Chair is a perfectly enjoyable read and in many ways a more logical follow up to Treader, but to miss out on Magician’s Nephew would be a great shame.
[via Coming Soon]