THE STEPSON of Narnia author CS Lewis has welcomed plans by streaming service Netflix to develop a new set of projects based on The Chronicles of Narnia.

CS Lewis, the creator of the fantasy series, was an Oxford University tutor who lived at The Kilns in Headington Quarry until his death in 1963.

He is buried in the graveyard of Grade II-listed Holy Trinity Church in Headington.

Stepson Douglas Gresham said he was delighted that the streaming service has signed a deal with The CS Lewis Company, which will see films and a TV series based on CS Lewis’s iconic book series being released.

Mr Gresham said: “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.

“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.”

Cinematic adaptations of Lewis’s popular books have been produced previously, with The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Prince Caspian, and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader all being adapted between 2005 and 2010.

The last televised adaptation was the Bafta-winning BBC series that aired between 1988 and 1990.

The Netflix deal marks the first time one company has had the rights to all seven of the Narnia books: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, The Silver Chair, The Horse and His Boy, The Magician’s Nephew, and The Last Battle.

Netflix’s chief content officer Ted Sarandos said: “CS Lewis’ beloved Chronicles of Narnia stories have resonated with generations of readers around the world.

“Families have fallen in love with characters like Aslan and the entire world of Narnia, and we’re thrilled to be their home for years to come.”

No release date has yet been announced.

Mark Gordon, who produced the recent Narnia movies, will act as executive producer alongside Douglas Gresham and Vincent Sieber.

Mr Gordon initially had the idea to produce a Narnia-based universe that would encompass film and television, like the Marvel movies. He had a connection with the Lewis estate so he took the package to Netflix.

Mr Gordon said he could not wait to get started on the numerous productions. The deal has drawn comparisons with Amazon producing a series of JRR Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings series.

Mr Gresham still maintains strong connections with Oxford.

In the summer he added his added his opposition to plans for an extension at the church where CS Lewis is buried.