The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe was the first Narnia movie

A Disney spokeswoman blamed the delay on "the challenging schedules for our young actors" and said production will begin next summer, instead of January.

The movie, which is being directed by acclaimed film-maker Michael Apted, was originally scheduled for May 2009.

Prince Caspian is the second film to be made from CS Lewis's novels and is scheduled to open 16 May in the US.

Caspian's release date was also delayed by five months because the film's production company, Walden Media, already had another movie, The Water Horse, coming out in December.

Relative unknown Ben Barnes will play the lead role, and will return for The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

Georgie Henley (Lucy) and Skandar Keynes (Edmund) from The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe will also feature.

Starring James McAvoy and Tilda Swinton, the first instalment of the Narnia series took $744m (�373m) worldwide.

Meanwhile, another high profile movie has had its release date moved forward.

According to industry magazine The Hollywood Reporter, DreamWorks Animation has bought Monsters vs Aliens forward by two months in the US.

The film will now open in March instead of May 2009 to avoid clashing with James Cameron's Avatar, which is currently scheduled for release in May.