'Chronicles of Narnia' franchise will return with 'The Silver Chair'

Remember the Chronicles of Narnia franchise with the lion, the witch, the wardrobe and all that jazz? Well it's being, uh, resurrected with a new movie based C.S. Lewis' The Silver Chair.

Two-time Oscar nominee David Magee (Life of Pi) is writing the movie, which boasts the involvement of Sony's literary-focused label TriStar, the Mark Gordon Company, the C.S. Lewis Company and Entertainment One. Lewis' stepson Douglas Gresham is among the producers.

The Narnia franchise has taken in nearly 1.6 billion worldwide and Lewis' beloved series of seven novels have sold more than 100 million copies around the world.

Mark Johnson produced the first three films in the franchise, and now Gordon (Steve Jobs) will effectively be stepping into his big shoes. He's expected to hire a director who will help him bring a fresh approach to the series, which aims to capture a broad global audience. It's likely safe to assume that the film will primarily feature a new cast as well.

“Reading The Chronicles of Narnia was one of the formative experiences of my childhood, just as it has been for children around the world for generations," said TriStar's Hannah Minghella. "Our mission is to build TriStar Pictures as a home for filmmaker-driven literary and commercial movies, and this film represents a huge step forward for us. 

TriStar's upcoming slate includes Ang Lee's war movie Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk, which is expected to be a major Oscar contender.