Mark Gordon was interviewed by Collider recently, and they took the opportunity to ask about the status of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Silver Chair.
Mark Gordon’s comments confirmed that they’ll be re-casting Eustace.
He told Collider: “We’re hoping to be able to make the movie very shortly. We’re very excited about it.”
When asked if we’d see any of the cast from the prior movies, he answered: “No, it’s all going to be a brand new franchise. All original. All original characters, different directors, and an entire new team that this is coming from.”
So that means no Andrew Adamson and no Michael Apted. The question is… does this mean no Liam Neeson as Aslan? (Side note: Brian Cox was originally cast as Aslan before Neeson came on board and replaced him after Cox’s voice changed when he lost a bunch of weight.)
But what does “all original characters” mean? Collider asked him “to clarify if these were entirely new character creations or existing characters in the Narnia mythology that have yet to get the movie treatment, and he confirmed the latter. The new characters will come ‘from the world’ of Narnia.”
I’m guessing this also means a new logo style, new look for Aslan, and a new feel for the franchise. Some have thought the movies were trying to be “The Lord of the Rings” for kids. I’ve appreciated it, but I’m curious to see where it goes from here.
Will they go far enough to make Narnia feel like its’ own thing?
And what is actually meant by this being a “brand new franchise?” Does this mean they eventually plan to go back and re-make the other three films? I’m not really sure that it’s a good idea to start in the middle of the story like this, and then go back…
Either way, we’ll see what happens next!