Disney pulls out of third 'Narnia' film
Hhdod
LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Disney confirmed Wednesday that it would not be involved in the third film of "The Chronicles of Narnia" fantasy series, dealing a blow to the franchise based on C.S. Lewis's classic books.
A spokeswoman for Disney confirmed in an email that the company had chosen not to exercise an option to co-produce and co-finance the next "Narnia" film with producers Walden Media.
The film was due to start filming early next year with a release date tentatively set for 2010.
The two previous films in the series "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" and "Prince Caspian" have grossed more than 1.1 billion dollars worldwide since the first film was released in 2005.
The Hollywood Reporter said the decision reflected a cooling of interest by movie studios in adapting children's fantasy novels, following the success of the "Harry Potter" and "Lord of the Rings" films.