Fox To Pick Up Dawn Treader

January 28, 2009 Emily NarniaFans.com, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader Movie News 94

Twentieth Century Fox has agreed to partner with Walden Media for The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader after Disney dropped the film in December.


29th Century FoxThe two companies are hoping to begin production over the summer in order to release the film holidays 2010. Although this is later than the film was originally planned to be released, many Narnia fans were eager for a holiday release after disappointments surrounding the box office sales generated by Prince Caspian.

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NarniaFans.com’s Paul Martin writes:

Twentieth Century Fox has agreed to take on the Chronicles of Narnia and agreed to do the Voyage of the Dawn Treader! Welcome aboard, Fox!

The film will be produced on the Fox 2000 label whose previous fantasy film effort was Eragon.

The agreement is pending approval of the script and the shooting budget, but it is expected to go through. According to the L.A. Times, Fox and Walden first have to hire a screenwriter to do another pass on the script that was last rewritten by Richard LaGravenese. His credits include “Freedom Writers” and “The Horse Whisperer.”

The movie companies are looking to make the film for about $140 million. Michael Apted, who made “Amazing Grace” and the 1999 Bond flick “The World Is Not Enough,” is still on board to direct.

The Times also revealed some details of the meetings that have been taking place over the last few weeks. Walden chief David Weil and “Narnia” producer Mark Johnson met a number of times with top Fox executives, including movie chiefs Tom Rothman and Jim Gianopulos, to discuss script revisions and the movie’s cost.

The goal is to get back to the magical aspects present in the first “Narnia” pic but mostly absent from “Prince Caspian.”

They’re also going to film the picture in Australia, instead of Mexico, as was originally planned.

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55 Comments

  1. HALLEUJAH, HALLEUJAH, HALLEUJAH, HALEEEEEUJAH!! (*wonders about the spelling*) Yay! Go Fox!

  2. I’m sooo glad to hear it! Disney was stupid to drop the Narnia films. Instead they’d rather focus on Toy Story 3 and a Hannah Montana movie, among others.

  3. I am ecstatic about Walden finally finding a co-distributor and it’s great that production can now continue, however, I am a bit worried about Fox. It seems their fantasy film experience is very limited and it seems to me that they turn out more bad films than good ones. This is, of course, only my opinion. My faith in Walden far outweighs my concerns about Fox so, hopefully, I will not be disappointed. I read somewhere that filming will only take five months and was a bit surprised. Does anyone know if this is true?

  4. Hooray! Now let’s get the show on the road(rather in the water). Sail on VDT!
    Thanks to Fox 2000 for helping to continue the Narnia movie series.

  5. This is truly a wonderful late-night surprise, thank GOD!!! I just hope and pray that “Voyage of the Dawn Treader” will be a success in every way possible, so that all of the books can FINALLY be made into films! As long-time Narnia movie and book fans, we should all try and make it a resounding commercial smash-hit! It will also be interesting to see how Walden’s relationship with Fox rather than Disney affects script and production development issues. Will the film be less “cute” in certain scenes if that is the right word for it (although honestly, I do not mind cuteness if done well!)? Two years from now, I would like to hear the Walt Disney Company admit those rare magic words, “We made a mistake.” Wouldn’t that be awesome!

  6. YES!!!! I bet poor old Walt Disney (RIP) is turning in his grave at his company’s decision to drop the “Voyage of the Dawn Treader”…I’m glad Fox has swooped in and saved the day…but I do hope it isn’t in the style of “Eragon”, which I did NOT like…I hope VDT is as magical as LWW, and as thrilling as PC…Long Live Aslan! Long Live Narnia (Fans!)!!!

  7. I hope, this time the film will really catch the atmosphere and the intention of the book. Narnia 2 simply didn

  9. Thank GOD!!!
    I am so happy about this. I just watched Caspian the other night and was hoping that Dawn Treader would be made.Can’t wait!!!

  11. Yay – Voyage of the dawn treader is my favourite of the book – i can’t wait – and they are filming it here in australia – awesome:D:D

  12. Great! Better than those Disney scum.
    They are filming in Australia! I better check them out!! 😀

  13. This is good news indeed!
    “The voyage of the Dawn Treader” is a great book, and I look very much forward to the film. All Narnia fans, let’s make it a huge succes!!
    Thanks, Fox and Walden!

  15. Amen! Wow, I’m so relieved right now! If It hadn’t been for me being in class I would probably go dancing around – as someone mentioned before me, I’m a bit concerned if Fox can pull it off. I just hope they’ve learned from their mistakes with Eragon and are really glad that they jumped into Narnia with Walden Media. The chronicles of Narnia are that sort of films that just can’t stop, the show must go on, if A and B is said then bring on the rest of the alphabet!

  16. I’m very very very very happy, although I really hope Doug Gresham retains his Veto power, and that he chooses to use it more liberally this time than he did in Caspian…

  19. Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so happy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  23. Apted knows what he’s doing, so that’s great no matter what studio puts the film out! Walden – great!! Stay the course. I’m hoping and assuming that Grisham is still a vital part of the production….

  26. Oh I am so very glad to hear this! Thank you so much Paul! I appreciate all your articles and keeping us updated sooooo very much! 🙂
    NFans is AWESOME!
    ~Alaina

  27. i am so flipping ecstatic!!!!
    i just hope they don’t do it eragon style. that movie bored me to tears.
    and i hope the original cast would still be on board the treader. aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh! I’m so happY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  29. I’m sooo glad there making it. Its my brother’s favorite. But what I loved about the first Narnia is that it was so, close to the book. If there going to make the movie totaly diffrent, there going to be in trouble. So my nerves are still on edge. I love Fox, they make good movies. I hope, “dawn tredder” will join them.

  33. I am glad that Fox picked up the next Narnia movie. I just hope that they stay close to the book and not take as much liberty with this as they did with Eragon. No offense but the book and the movie were completely different. Please do not rewrite it to the point it is not even close.

  34. That is great news it will be great i hope it works out well. They can take some liberty but hopefully dawn treader alot of narnia’s fans favorite book it will be good and keep it close to the book.

    • Honestly, I don’t really care who does the movie as long they can actually stay faithful to the book, unlike the way they did in PC. Perhaps ticket sales were down b/c the movie just wasn’t as good as the first one and they kind of butchered the story. I am holding out hope, though. Hopefully, they won’t disappoint.

  36. I am happy that the films will be able to continue! I hope that they can stay as little more true to the story line in the books though. As a lifetime fan of the books I have waited fro them to come out on film and was a little disappointed on the skewed story lines in PC. I hope Fox stays true. Way to go Fox… on with the show!

  38. YAY!!!!!!!!!! Disney has got to be one of the dumbest companies out there! Come on, dumping Narnia?? HELLO!?!?!?! any way glad to hear that fox has decided to pick it up. However, let’s not SCREW this one up like they did Eragon… PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE stick to the book…. it’s a classic, let’s not mess it up! I wish fox the best of luck and cannot wait to see the finished product!!!

  39. This is awesome news, Paul!!! It seemed like Disney was more interested in changing the stories to fit it’s preconceived notions of what a good film would be, and I think Voyage is the most easily adaptable book to film, so if there are major changes to this, I will be highly disappointed. Since this if fox’s first attempt with a Narnia film, hopefully that will mean they are more conservative with being faithful to the original storyline!

    Great news!!!

  40. I am happy that another book in the series will be made into a motion picture. I would have liked to see “The Boy and His Horse” done before Voyage. Instead of Disney rolling over in his grave, I wonder if C.S. Lewis is rolling over in his….

    • I don’t know about that, as filming is contingent also on the age of the actors. If they filmed The Horse and His Boy next, then it would be another couple of years before they would get to Dawn Treader, at which time Georgie and Skandar might not only BE too old to reprise their roles, but LOOK too old as well. Not only that, but Lewis originally released them in the order that they’ve been filming them so far.

      • except for the Magicians Nephew. But they could always do that one later. the only actors that would be the same would be the Tilda Swinton and (Possibly) Jim Broadbent.
        Other then that, they’ve been in order so far. 🙂

  41. I’m glad Disney dropped it. They called me to do a survey after PC. I told them I was really disappointed that they defiled Lewis’ book with gratuitous violence (glorying in violence rather than sober reporting) committed by children (not Lucy with a knife to someone’s throat?! Please!) and sexualizing children as well (no more lingering shots of Susan’s preteen cleavage PLEASE!).

    I kinda liked the movie on its own merits, but I think they failed the books and parents (PG rating???). So Disney can take a hike. Fox2000, I’m watching you!

  42. think about it guys, The Jonas Brothers started out at Columbia Records, and ended up not doing so good and got dropped; So they went to Hollywood Records and became a huge success, and now i bet Columbia is kicking their own butts for ever letting them go

    Its just opposite with Narnia, and Disney will be kicking their own butts after they see how huge VDT will be!

    Narnia fans, lets make VDT a HUUUUGE success! We can do this (:

  44. it looks like Disney dropped it like a hot rock, and Fox has the oven mitts
    I wonder why Disney Doesn’t want Money for this? maybe Walden sounds too much like Walt and Disney was just being shoved in the background? I dunno thats just my guess

  45. I thought PC was better than LWW. Now I worry that they’re going to butcher Voyage as well.

  46. I love the narnia books and VDT is one of my favorite!!!! I hope they do get back to the magic of LWW!

  47. GOOD! words can not describe how relived i am! I liked the Lion Wich and The Wardrobe and i thought that they could have done way more with Prince Caspian.

  48. Wow!! This is soooo awesome! I really hoped that someone would be taking it back on soon! GOOD FOR YOU FOX!! My mom’s frend draws the storyboards and he said they’re starting filming next month so i knew that someone had to have joined… this is such great news!!

  49. *does happy dance*
    That’s great!! We get the rest of the movies!!!
    *Does even happier dance*

  50. Personlly i didn’t really mind the changes in PC, I do feel the spirit was still there! but i hope they keep it a bit more Dark! I’m just so glad that they resumed filming VDT:D

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