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Sony Pictures Division to Continue the Story on Screen with Adaptation of "The Silver Chair"
CULVER CITY, Calif., August 9, 2016 – The Chronicles of Narnia
will receive new life on screen as TriStar Pictures, the
literary-focused label, has teamed with The Mark Gordon Company, The
C.S. Lewis Company, and Entertainment One (eOne) to continue the Narnia
story in theaters with The Silver Chair. The picture will be financed by TriStar, eOne and The Mark Gordon Company with Sony and eOne distributing the picture.
The
Mark Gordon Company and The C.S. Lewis Company are jointly developing
and producing the film, adapted by David Magee, the two-time
Oscar®-nominated screenwriter of Life of Pi and Finding Neverland. Mark Gordon, C.S. Lewis' stepson Douglas Gresham, Vincent Sieber, and Melvin Adams serve as producers.
With
the move, the franchise, which has taken in nearly $1.6 billion at the
worldwide box office, receives a new creative team that will tackle the
continuing story with a fresh approach to capture a broad global
audience.
A classic series of seven novels that have sold over
100 million copies worldwide, and published in more than 50 languages,
C.S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia began with the publication of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe in 1950. Six more novels (including the prequel, The Magician's Nephew, and the sequels, The Horse and His Boy, Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, The Silver Chair and The Last Battle) followed over the next six years. The final title in the series, The Last Battle, was awarded the highest mark of excellence in children's literature, the prestigious Carnegie Award.
"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," said Gordon.
Commenting
on the announcement, Minghella said, "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. 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. We're thrilled to be
working with Mark, Doug, Melvin, Vincent, and David as we adapt The Silver Chair."
"It's
been both fun and exciting to work with Mark Gordon and David Magee to
develop the next Narnian 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," said Gresham.
Nicole
Brown will oversee the project for TriStar with Minghella, with Sara
Smith overseeing the project for The Mark Gordon Company.
TriStar
Pictures has made a strong commitment to commercial adaptations of
literary projects, with upcoming films based on the acclaimed novel Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk, from director Ang Lee; the bestseller The Nightingale, by Kristin Hannah; Maestra, by L.S. Hilton, to be produced by Amy Pascal; and The Trap, by Melanie Raabe, to be adapted by Oscar® nominee Phyllis Nagy (Carol).
To keep updated with movie developments follow THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/TheChroniclesofNarnia and at www.narnia.com
ABOUT SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT
Sony
Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Sony Entertainment
Inc., a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE's global
operations encompass motion picture production, acquisition and
distribution; television production, acquisition and distribution;
television networks; digital content creation and distribution;
operation of studio facilities; and development of new entertainment
products, services and technologies. For additional information, go to http://www.sonypictures.com.
ABOUT THE MARK GORDON COMPANY
The
Mark Gordon Company, which partnered with Entertainment One (eOne) in
2015 to create an independent film and television studio, is helmed by
Mark Gordon who has produced more than 100 motion picture and television
projects.
Projects from The Mark Gordon Company's film division
include STEVE JOBS written by Academy Award winning screenwriter Aaron
Sorkin and directed by Academy Award winning director Danny Boyle, and
the forthcoming films WAR DOGS, starring Jonah Hill and Miles Teller,
with Todd Phillips directing; MOLLY'S GAME starring Jessica Chastain and
Idris Elba, with Aaron Sorkin writing and directing; ALL THE OLD KNIVES
directed by Neil Burger; MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS starring and
directed by Kenneth Branagh; war drama SAND CASTLE directed by Fernando
Coimbra, starring Nicholas Hoult and Henry Cavill; and THE NUTCRACKER
AND THE FOUR REALMS with Lasse Hallstrom set to direct. Past film
credits include SAVING PRIVATE RYAN (which earned Gordon Academy Award
and BAFTA nominations, as well as a Golden Globe for Best Picture),
2012, THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW, SPEED, SOURCE CODE, THE MESSENGER, THE
PATRIOT, among others. As an executive producer and financier, Gordon's
credits include TOMB RAIDER, WONDER BOYS, THE PAINTED VEIL, A SIMPLE
PLAN and PRIMARY COLORS.
The company is currently in production on several established television series including "Ray Donovan" (Showtime), "Grey's Anatomy" (ABC) and "Criminal Minds" and franchise spin-off "Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders" (CBS), and "Quantico"(ABC); as well as upcoming series "Designated Survivor" starring Kiefer Sutherland and "Conviction" starring Hayley Atwell, both on ABC. Past television credits include "Private Practice" (ABC), "Army Wives" (Lifetime) and "Reaper" (CW).
ABOUT ENTERTAINMENT ONE
Entertainment One Ltd.
(LSE:ETO) is a global independent studio that specialises in the
development, acquisition, production, financing, distribution and sales
of entertainment content. The Company's diversified expertise spans
across film, television and music production and sales, family
programming, merchandising and licensing, and digital content. Through
its global reach and expansive scale, powered by deep local market
knowledge, the Company delivers the best content to the world.
Entertainment One's robust network includes film and television studio The Mark Gordon Company; content creation venture Amblin Partners
with Steven Spielberg, DreamWorks Studios, Participant Media, and
Reliance Entertainment; leading feature film production and global sales
company Sierra Pictures; unscripted television production companies Renegade 83, Paperny Entertainment and Force Four Entertainment; world-class music labels Dualtone Music Group and Last Gang; and award-winning digital agency Secret Location.
The
Company's rights library is exploited across all media formats and
includes more than 100,000 hours of film and television content and
approximately 40,000 music tracks.
www.entertainmentone.com
ABOUT THE C.S. LEWIS COMPANY
The C.S. Lewis Company has for decades managed the rights to all C.S. Lewis' works, including THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA.
The
Company strives to continue to have C.S. Lewis' works kept available to
the public throughout the world, has relationships with more than 50
publishers worldwide, and is responsible for working with theatre and
film companies around the world developing and licensing projects based
on the C.S. Lewis works.
The C.S. Lewis Company was
extensively and actively involved in the development and production of
the film versions of the first three of The Narnian Chronicles, working
to ensure that the movies remain true to Narnia, and are delighted to be
developing and producing the fourth installment, THE SILVER CHAIR, with
The Mark Gordon Company and TriStar Pictures.
To keep up to date with movie developments, follow THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/TheChroniclesofNarnia and at www.narnia.com
Contact:
Jean Guerin
Senior Vice President, Media Relations
Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group
310.244.2923
