I think the fact The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe made $291.7 million and the sequel, Prince Caspian, only made $141.6 million is enough for me to say Disney was justified in bailing on the Narnia franchise before it became a major loser. To top it off Lion/Witch/Wardrobe was made on a budget of $180 million, which ballooned to $215 million for Caspian.
So, even though the proposed budget on the third film in the franchise, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, is said to be $140 million I still don’t see it as a risk worth taking considering the farther down the Narnia line you get the more obscure the titles become when it comes to the general public. However, it appears Fox is ready to split costs with Walden Media and move forward with the third flick reports Variety.
Walden and Fox are still working on the budget as well as the script and aim for a 2010 holiday release. Variety uses a comparison with Fox’s 2006 release Eragon and it does seem a good comparison considering the awareness of the later books in the “Narnia” stories when compared to The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
There is a theory Prince Caspian is the least commercial of the Narnia stories, which makes me wonder how they were able to turn an uncommercial story into a two hour and 20 minute movie. Word is Voyage of the Dawn Treader gets “back to the magical aspects present in the first Narnia pic but mostly absent from Prince Caspian.” I have no idea what this means considering the White Witch was in both films, talking animals were in both films as were plenty of other magical characters. Both seem pretty damn magical to me.
Good idea or bad idea it looks like it will probably happen. Michael Apted is still aboard to direct and Ben Barnes, Skandar Keynes and Georgie Henley are reprising their roles as Caspian, Edmund and Lucy, respectively. Also joining the cast is Will Poulter (Son of Rambo), who will portray Eustace Clarence Scrubb.
Filming is expected to move from the Fox studios in Mexico to Australia because of concerns for the drug violence and kidnappings that are taking place near Baja.
