Fox Takes Over Narnia Series From Disney

Posted on January 29, 2009

Twentieth Century Fox has agreed to step in and co-finance the third movie in the Narnia series after Disney dropped out. The plan is to release the film in the 2010 holiday season. The L.A. Times says The Voyage of the Dawn Treader will have a budget of around $140, which is less than Prince Caspian's budget was.

Fox is taking a financial gamble that Disney was unwilling to wage despite helping bankroll the first two films in the "Narnia" family franchise. Walden, owned by entrepreneur Phil Anschutz, was forced to seek a new financial partner on "Dawn Treader" after Disney balked at the cost and opted out.

Fox was the most likely partner because the studio already markets and distributes Walden movies under its Fox Walden label.

Over the last few weeks, Walden chief David Weil and "Narnia" producer Mark Johnson have held a series of meetings with top Fox executives, including movie chiefs Tom Rothman and Jim Gianopulos, to discuss script revisions and the movie's cost.

It's good to see the series will continue. The last film, Prince Caspian was fun to watch but it wasn't as good as it could have been. There is a lot of potential for a sequel.

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