Greta Gerwig is developing fresh adaptations of The Chronicles of Narnia for Netflix, and they can make changes to long-standing controversies and issues from the books. C.S. Lewis was a theologian and writer who first penned The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe in the 1940s, with the entire series released between 1950 and 1956. The Chronicles of Narnia books are considered classics of the fantasy genre and some of the most famous works of children’s fiction ever written, hence the continued discussion regarding their material over 70 years later.

The upcoming movies won’t be the first time Narnia has been brought to the big screen. In the 2000s, Walt Disney Pictures developed adaptations of Lewis’s first three books, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Prince Caspian, and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, to varying degrees of commercial success and consistently mixed critical acclaim. While beloved fantasy movies for some audiences, the 2000s Narnia movies made mistakes in trying to emulate The Lord of the Rings films, changing the tone of Lewis’s world. These films can contribute context to how Narnia can best be adapted to film.

Netflix acquired the rights to C.S. Lewis’s novels in 2018, with director Greta Gerwig attached to direct in 2023 after the $1 billion success of Barbie. The Chronicles of Narnia movies are in development, with hopes to begin filming in August 2024, meaning they could target a late 2025 Holiday season release date. The primary hurdle Gerwig’s movies will face is establishing a version of Narnia that’s faithful to C.S. Lewis’s original vision and texts while also creating an entertaining movie that can introduce modern audiences to the most vital and enduring aspects of his work.

7

The Chronicles Of Narnia Has A Reading-Order Issue

C.S. Lewis’s Intended Reading Order Isn’t The Best Order To Adapt The Chronicles Of Narnia

A discrepancy regarding C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia series is the proper way they should be read. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was the first book in the series to be released, but it’s not the first chronologically in his world. Technically, the penultimate book in the series, The Magician’s Nephew, is the chronological starting point, and C.S. Lewis later declared that this was the intentional starting point in his own personal reading order. While book publications have accommodated his view, many long-term readers still believe the release order is the proper way to read Narnia.

This creates an issue for Gerwig’s Narnia movies. The Disney films began with The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, which is generally considered to be the best and most entertaining way to start the series. However, some could suggest that Gerwig should change the Chronicles of Narnia order, beginning with The Magician’s Nephew, to follow Lewis’s vision and differentiate it from the Disney series. Both options have pros and cons, as The Magician’s Nephew makes for a more challenging starting point narratively, while movie audiences already know the story of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, risking redundancy.

6

The Narnia Books Are Very Short

The Chronicles Of Narnia Books Don’t Offer A Ton Of Material For A Feature Film To Adapt

The length of The Chronicles of Narnia stories isn’t exactly a problem with the books themselves, but more an issue with adapting them to film. To compare Narnia with another major fantasy franchise that’s being rebooted, the Harry Potter TV series can explore avenues of the books that the movies never had time for. In that sense, there’s something fresh to offer, and therefore merit to the reboot. With The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the story has already been stretched out into a film, and there aren’t really any aspects of the book left to cover.

Of course, Greta Gerwig’s differing perspective is a compelling reason to tell the story, as bringing a new perspective to classic stories is always worthwhile, as proven by countless Shakespeare adaptations. But C.S. Lewis’s Narnia books are short reads meant for young audiences, and that requires the writers adapting them to fill in gaps with story and action to fit the film medium. Stretching out small stories has proven effective in HBO’s House of the Dragon, but expanding Narnia into Hollywood epic movies is a different challenge.

5

The Narnia Stories Without The Pevensies Aren’t As Good

The Chronicles Of Narnia Books Decline In Quality After The First Three

The Pevensie siblings are the main protagonists of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, serving as the human vessel for the portal fantasy. They directly lead the audience from the real world into Narnia, offering differing perspectives on how different people might handle such a fantastical, conflicted world. The magic of the Pevensie children is that each is so different, offering almost any reader a character they can relate to. However, they aren’t the focal point of each novel.

The Pevensie siblings take center stage in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and Prince Caspian, and Lucy and Edmund are the main characters in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. They’re included in other books, like The Horse and His Boy and The Last Battle, but they don’t play pivotal roles. The first three books C.S. Lewis wrote are generally considered the best, and though it’s disappointing Disney never finished their version of the movie series, this is likely a significant reason as to why.

4

The Last Battle Has Major Story Problems

The Last Battle Has Multiple Controversies The Movies Would Have To Navigate

The fantasy genre stands out for having powerful, bittersweet endings. Consider The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King or Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows as popular endings. The Last Battle takes a bizarre turn of events and is regarded for particular controversies. The Last Battle takes a darker tone than previous installments, with a dreadful end to the Pevensies’ storyline where it’s revealed that they’ve actually been dead the whole time after a train crash and, as true believers, got to go to Narnia. This reveal is specifically controversial for its treatment of Susan.

That’s not to mention the Calormenes, which have been accused of being inappropriate depictions of Arabs. These issues may vary based on the reader’s interpretation, but they undoubtedly wouldn’t fly in a cinematic adaptation. If the Netflix Narnia films make it as far as The Last Battle, it’s likely that there will be significant changes to the material. Narratively, it takes a sharp turn from where things began in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and though it has some potentially cinematic conflicts, it’s one of the worst volumes of the series.

3

The Horse And His Boy Can Easily Be Skipped

The Fifth Chronicles Of Narnia Book Is Essentially A Tangent

The fifth book in The Chronicles of Narnia is widely regarded as the worst in the series. It’s not the most controversial, like The Last Battle, but it feels the most like a stand-alone novel with little to do with the other characters and arcs in C.S. Lewis’s world. The main characters essentially never show up again and are barely mentioned in the final two books. The one advantage of The Horse and His Boy is that it expands the world and offers glimpses at areas unexplored in any other volume.

While The Horse and His Boy isn’t inherently a bad book, it would not make a good movie. If The Chronicles of Narnia is to be adapted into a fantasy saga spanning seven films, this would be at least a fourteen-year endeavor for the studio, assuming two years a CGI-heavy blockbuster. Diverting from the primary story for years to focus on The Horse and His Boy, introducing one-off characters, just doesn’t seem like a worthy investment. Perhaps it could be handled as a spin-off, similar to how the Star Wars movies released Rogue One in the year between two sequel movies.

2

Susan Pevensie Is Very Badly Handled By Later Narnia Books

Susan’s Ending Is The Most Controversial Aspect Of The Naria Books

Expanding on the issues with The Last Battle, Susan Pevensie’s story is one of the primary sources of criticism for The Chronicles of Narnia. Celebrated author Neil Gaiman even wrote a short story titled “The Problem of Susan,” offering his perspective on the long-time issue. When The Last Battle comes to a close, Aslan brings the devotees of Narnia to the “true” Narnia. However, Susan is left out of this, and it’s never thoroughly explained what happens to her. The book mentions that she’s “no longer a friend to Narnia.”

A character also states, “She’s interested in nothing now-a-days except nylons and lipstick and invitations,” leading to complaints about misogyny targeted at C.S. Lewis. The implication of The Last Battle is that Susan grew up and stopped believing in Narnia. The quote about nylons and lipstick indicates that another reason Susan wasn’t allowed into the paradise of New Narnia was that she discovered her sexuality. Whether this is directly what Lewis intended, the movies will likely make significant changes to avoid this religious allegory and its perception.

1

The Narnia Books Are Old-Fashioned

The Chronicles Of Narnia’s Ideals Will Be Interesting To See In A 2020s Film

Of course, it makes sense since The Chronicles of Narnia would be old-fashioned, given that they were released in the 1950s. Still, movie adaptations will have many adjustments to accommodate for elements of C.S. Lewis’s writing on a macro and micro scale. In the minor sense, the language of characters in the books has a sort of “gee golly” rhythm, which will have to be modernized to attract modern viewers. The Disney Narnia adaptations have already proven that these smaller elements can be patched up without damaging the story.

The more risky aspect of adapting The Chronicles of Narnia is its religious allegory. One of the reasons why Greta Gerwig is so exciting for Narnia is her level-headed approach to classic material, proven by her excellent adaptation of Little Women. Speaking with Time, Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos described her Narnia plans as “rooted in faith,” suggesting that they rightfully won’t shy away from approaching C.S. Lewis’s allegories. A modern examination of The Chronicles of Narnia should explore those ideas, and Gerwig is the perfect director to do so thoughtfully.