Free Republic

After coming up dry on such costly movie flops as "Around the World in 80 Days" and "Sahara," Hollywood's highest-rolling wildcatter is looking for his first gusher. And once again, Philip Anschutz is risking big. The Denver-based multibillionaire, who made a fortune in oil, natural gas, railroads, telecommunications and real estate, has spent $90 million — half the film's $180-million budget — to produce the screen adaptation of the children's classic "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe." But whether the movie, which opens Friday, will produce the lucrative family-oriented franchise that Anschutz hopes for depends...

NarniaFans.com: Have you read the Chronicles, and if so, when did you first read them? Shane Rangi: I have to be honest straight off the bat with this one.... “I'm not the reading type.” I'm more of a magazine pictures man. You know the one... Skip through a mag until you see a picture that catches your eye. Read the little caption underneath it and then stare at the picture in a dreamy state making up my own story. But! The one and only book that I have read word for word without skipping any pages was The Lion The...