It looks like the Chronicles of Narnia franchise may be in for something of a shakeup. Our friends over at Moviehole have picked up on a rumor which says that Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe director Andrew Adamson may not be back for the third film in the series, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. As a replacement, Walden is looking at The Illusionist director Neil Burger.
Adamson is already hard at work on the second film in the series, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. It sounds like the decision to skip on the third installment may have been his, and not because of some dissatisfaction on the part of Walden Media. MH says he’s decided to “sit this one out”.
Voyage of the Dawn Treader has always been my favorite of the three books. It’s also a real departure from the first two. It’s a different kind of adventure than either Wardrobe or Prince Caspian. Voyage of the Dawn Treader is also the first of the Narnia books to use a different set of main characters. The oldest two Pevinsie children are absent in Dawn Treader. Instead of Peter and Susan, a more mature Lucy and Edmund are accompanied by their surly, fat cousin Eustace. So with two of the principle cast leaving, perhaps it’s the natural place for Adamson to end his adventures in the land of Aslan and turn it over to someone else.
