The Silver Chair: Narnia franchise revival finds its director

The franchise, based on C.S. Lewis' famous series of books, returns after a seven-year slumber

A franchise has awoken.

It's been seven years since 2010's The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, yet TriStar Pictures are hoping to revive the Chronicles of Narnia franchise with a fourth adaptation, taking on C.S. Lewis' The Silver Chair.

Variety now reports the project is steaming ahead, having found its director in Jumanji helmer Joe Johnston, who was also behind Marvel's Captain America: The First Avenger.

Finding Neverland and The Life of Pi's David McGee is penning the script, which takes place years later as Eustace Scrubb (Will Poulter in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader), cousin to the Pevensie children of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and his classmate Jill battle to find King Caspian's son Prince Rilian after he goes missing.

The franchise's three films - The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Prince Caspian, and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader - have earned nearly $1.6 billion at the worldwide box office. Disney distributed the first two films, with Fox releasing the third.

However, it's certainly a risk for the franchise to return after such a significant gap; it's likely the film will be looking for some big names to bolster its cast, though Aslan's return in the book hopefully means Liam Neeson will be back on board for the film.