The popular streaming service announced plans on Wednesday to develop a series and film projects set in the Narnia universe, thanks to a new deal with The C.S. Lewis Company, which manages the rights to the acclaimed Irish author’s works. 

The deal gives Netflix worldwide rights to the entire “Narnia” series, marking the first time all seven books have been sold to a single company. 

Mark Gordon, known for his work on television series like “Criminal Minds” and “Grey’s Anatomy” and films like “Saving Private Ryan,” will be leading production. Gordon said the Netflix deal will result in both “stellar feature-length and episodic programming.”

“We cannot wait to get started on the multiple productions we hope to undertake,” Gordon said in a statement.

Lewis’ “Narnia” books have sold more than 100 million worldwide copies and have been translated into more than 47 languages. 

Three of the books have been turned into Hollywood movies: “The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe” in 2005, “Prince Caspian” in 2008, and “The Voyage of the Dawn Treader” in 2010. While the first film earned over $745 million worldwide, the latest one’s relatively low earnings ($418 million worldwide) cast

doubts on the ability of “Narnia” to turn into a sprawling blockbuster franchise. 

Lewis, who died in 1963, opposed the idea of a live-action version of his fantasy stories, fearing that the magical, anthropomorphic animals in his series would be impossible to recreate on screen. 

But this was before modern advances in computer-generated imagery. It was these advances that convinced Lewis’ stepson, Douglas Gresham, to eventually sell the film rights.

“It is wonderful to know that folks from all over are looking forward to seeing more of Narnia, and that the advances in production and distribution technology have made it possible for us to make Narnian adventures come to life all over the world,” Gresham said in a press statement. “Netflix seems to be the very best medium with which to achieve this aim, and I am looking forward to working with them towards this goal.”