TV studios are going crazy for swords and magic
Streaming companies are stampeding to get their hands on the next Game of Thrones.
Up first is Netflix, which Deadline reports has just signed a deal with The C.S. Lewis Company to develop new TV shows and movies based on the Chronicles of Narnia books. They're looking to create a "cinematic universe" in the vein of the Marvel films, meaning the shows and movies will take place in the same world of talking lions and umbrella-carrying fauns. While we don't know what Netflix paid, the deal couldn't have been cheap, as no studio has ever before held the rights to the entire Narnia book series.
This is just the latest instance of Netflx pursuing a major fantasy series adaptation of its very own. The streaming giant is also working on a new show based on The Witcher, a book series and video game franchise about a monster hunter. Netflix's adaptation will star Henry Cavill, per Variety.
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Meanwhile, Amazon is moving forward with an adaptation of The Wheel of Time, the iconic 14-book fantasy series by Robert Jordan that Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin has credited with helping redefine the high fantasy genre. Amazon underwent a major shift in strategy last year in hopes of getting their own "big shows," as then-Amazon Studios Chief Roy Price put it. The platform now has a number of Game of Thrones-esque projects in the works, including The Dark Tower and The Lord of the Rings. The latter series comes with an eye-popping budget of $500 million for two seasons, meaning it will actually be more expensive than the Peter Jackson trilogy, per Reuters.
Making clear that they're following in Game of Thrones' footsteps, Price last year even likened the HBO series to Jaws in terms of its probable influence on future television — although considering that movie spawned decades of pale imitations, the comparison comes with unfortunate implications.
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