Honestly, if you're still waiting for the Chronicles of Narnia the Silver Chair movie to pop up in your local cinema, I've got some news that might sting a bit. It’s been stuck in what the industry calls "development hell" for over a decade. Fans of C.S. Lewis have been patient. Beyond patient, really. We watched The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe become a global phenomenon in 2005, then saw Prince Caspian get a bit darker, and finally The Voyage of the Dawn Treader sort of limped across the finish line with a different studio.
Then? Silence.
The story of why this specific film never materialized is a messy mix of expiring rights, shifting studio priorities, and a massive corporate buyout that changed everything. It’s not just about one movie failing to get made; it’s about how the entire Narnia franchise basically got rebooted out of existence before it could finish the original tetralogy.
The TriStar Era and the Joe Johnston Connection
Around 2013, the Mark Gordon Company officially announced they were developing the Chronicles of Narnia the Silver Chair movie. This wasn't just a rumor. It was a full-blown production cycle. They even brought on David Magee—the guy who wrote Life of Pi—to handle the screenplay.
By 2017, things looked even better. Joe Johnston, the director behind Captain America: The First Avenger and Jumanji, signed on to direct. He actually went on record at Comic-Con Paris saying it would be his last film before retirement. He wanted to go out on a high note by reinventing the look of Narnia. The plan was to ditch the aesthetic established by the Disney and Fox films and start fresh.
They weren't looking for a sequel. They wanted a "rebirth."
The casting calls were the talk of the internet for a hot minute. Everyone wanted to know who would play Eustace Scrubb, since Will Poulter had obviously aged out of the role. They needed a new Jill Pole. They needed a Puddleglum. But the gears started grinding to a halt right when pre-production should have been peaking.
Why the Silver Chair Movie Suddenly Vanished
Basically, the rug got pulled out from under the producers. In 2018, the C.S. Lewis Company signed a multi-year deal with Netflix. This was huge. It was the first time the rights to all seven books were held by one single company.
🔗 Read more: How Old Is Paul Heyman? The Real Story of Wrestling’s Greatest Mind
The deal effectively killed the Joe Johnston project.
Netflix didn't want to pick up where TriStar left off. Why would they? They paid a fortune—rumored to be in the nine-figure range—to have the freedom to build their own "Narnia Universe." This meant the Chronicles of Narnia the Silver Chair movie as it was originally envisioned was dead in the water.
It’s a bit of a tragedy for purists. The Silver Chair is arguably one of the most cinematic books in the series. You’ve got the Giant Castle of Harfang, the Underworld, and the Lady of the Green Kirtle. It’s a road trip movie through a fantasy wasteland. It’s dark. It’s weird. It would have been a massive departure from the bright, snowy woods of the first film.
Enter Greta Gerwig and the Netflix Strategy
So, where are we now? The "Silver Chair" title has been replaced in the headlines by one name: Greta Gerwig.
Netflix finally broke their silence a couple of years ago by announcing that the Barbie director would write and direct at least two Narnia films. This changed the conversation entirely. We went from wondering if we’d ever see Eustace and Jill to wondering if Gerwig is going to start back at the beginning with The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe or maybe even The Magician's Nephew.
The problem with the Chronicles of Narnia the Silver Chair movie is that it’s the fourth book in the publication order but sixth in chronological order. If Netflix wants a cohesive universe, they aren't going to start with a middle-chapter story about a missing prince and a pessimistic Marsh-wiggle.
Gerwig has mentioned in various interviews that she’s "terrified" of the project. That’s actually a good sign. It means she respects the source material. But it also means she’s likely going to spend years in pre-production before a single frame is shot.
💡 You might also like: Howie Mandel Cupcake Picture: What Really Happened With That Viral Post
The Casting Dilemma and the Age Gap
One of the biggest hurdles for any Narnia adaptation is the "Stranger Things" problem. Kids grow up. Fast.
If they had made the Chronicles of Narnia the Silver Chair movie in 2014, Will Poulter could have reasonably returned. Now, he’s a Marvel star. The continuity is broken. Any future version of The Silver Chair under the Netflix banner will feature a brand-new cast.
This is probably for the best.
The original film trilogy had a very specific, mid-2000s "epic fantasy" vibe that felt a bit like a Lord of the Rings lite. C.S. Lewis’s prose is actually much more eccentric and theological than those movies portrayed. A fresh start allows the creators to lean into the stranger elements of the books—the bits that make Narnia feel less like a generic medieval world and more like a dreamscape.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Rights
There’s a common misconception that the Narnia movies stopped because they didn't make money. That’s not quite true. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader made over $415 million worldwide. It wasn't a flop.
The real issue was the "fragmentation" of the rights.
Walden Media held the rights for a long time, but their contract with the C.S. Lewis estate eventually expired. When that happened, the estate was free to shop the property elsewhere. They went to Mark Gordon, who went to Sony/TriStar, who eventually got bypassed by the Netflix juggernaut.
📖 Related: Austin & Ally Maddie Ziegler Episode: What Really Happened in Homework & Hidden Talents
It’s a corporate shell game.
What to Expect Next for the Narnia Franchise
We have to face the reality that the Chronicles of Narnia the Silver Chair movie as a standalone sequel to the 2010 film is never happening. It’s a ghost project.
However, The Silver Chair as a story is too good for Netflix to ignore forever. Here is the likely trajectory:
- The Gerwig Reboot: Expect a new version of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe or The Magician's Nephew first. This sets the tone and builds the audience.
- The Serialized Approach: Netflix loves "universes." We might see the main books as films and the side stories (like The Horse and His Boy) as limited series.
- The Silver Chair's Return: Once the new Eustace is established in a Dawn Treader adaptation, The Silver Chair will finally get its time in the sun.
It’s a long game.
Actionable Steps for Narnia Fans
If you're looking for your Narnia fix while the billion-dollar Netflix machine slowly turns, you don't have to just sit there.
- Read the David Magee Script (if you can find it): Drafts of the unproduced Silver Chair script have floated around industry circles. It’s a fascinating "what if" look at a more faithful adaptation.
- Revisit the BBC Version: If you can handle 1990s-era practical effects and some very questionable green screen, the BBC’s The Silver Chair is surprisingly accurate to the book. Tom Baker is a fantastic Puddleglum.
- Track the Production Status: Keep an eye on trade publications like The Hollywood Reporter or Variety rather than fan blogs. The moment Greta Gerwig’s Narnia moves into active casting, it will be in the trades first.
- Read "The Narnian": If you want to understand why these movies are so hard to make, read Alan Jacobs' biography of C.S. Lewis. It explains the complex themes that often get lost in big-budget translations.
The Chronicles of Narnia the Silver Chair movie remains one of the great "lost" sequels of the fantasy genre. It had a director, a writer, and a studio, yet it vanished into the woods. While the specific movie we were promised in 2017 is gone, the story itself is immortal. We just have to wait for the next time the wardrobe door swings open.
Next Steps for Enthusiasts:
Start by revisiting the original text of The Silver Chair. Understanding the "Signs" Aslan gives Jill Pole is crucial to realizing why this specific book is so difficult to adapt—it's a story about internal discipline as much as it is about fighting giants. If you're tracking the Netflix production, focus on news regarding Gerwig’s filming locations in late 2025 and early 2026, as these will signal which book is actually being tackled first.