Greta Gerwig’s adaptations of The Chronicles of Narnia have some immense challenges to overcome, with one standing out above the rest. Gerwig is best known as the filmmaker behind Barbie, the 2023 movie that grossed over $1 billion at the box office. Shortly after the film’s enormous success, she signed on with Netflix to make two Chronicles of Narnia movies, which will bring C.S. Lewis’s beloved fantasy novels to life for the first time since Disney’s series in the 2000s. There are few details about her plans for the franchise, though filming is expected to begin in 2024.

Disney’s Chronicles of Narnia films are beloved adaptations by some, but they aren’t perfect. They arrived shortly after Peter Jackson’s adaptations of The Lord of the Rings in a wave of Hollywood fantasy movies, though they’ve never been perceived as being as definitive or impalpable as the LOTR trilogy. Therefore, there’s plenty of room for an incredible talent like Greta Gerwig to give the Narnia stories a newfound popularity. After many fantasy TV shows have struggled, the Chronicles of Narnia movies could be exactly what the fantasy genre needs.

The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe Is Always The Best Narnia Story

The Chronicles Of Narnia Franchise Risks Going Downhill After The First Movie

The biggest challenge with adapting The Chronicles of Narnia is that the first book is the best. The first Disney adaptation of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is the clear standout of the three movies they made, and it’s partially because it’s the most compelling story. Out of the seven Narnia novels, the first book has by far the highest rating from audiences on GoodReads, with 4.24/5 stars. The novel has the most clear, engaging character arcs from the four Pevensie children and magically introduces the world of Narnia with an action-packed climax and conclusion.

None of the Narnia books are bad, and everyone has different favorites, but it’s hard to deny that The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is the most fluid to adapt into the film medium. Moreso than any other novel in the series, the first has a direct sense of adventure and character-driven narrative. This creates a conflict when adapting the series into movies, as starting with the best and continuing to drop off in quality would likely lead to the series not being completed again.

Greta Gerwig’s Chronicles Of Narnia Shouldn’t Start With The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe

The Magician’s Nephew Would Be An Alternate First Movie Option

The order in which Greta Gerwig’s Chronicles of Narnia movies should go is an interesting discussion on its own. The Disney movies have already started with The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and they have covered most of the bases of how that story could look. When adapting a children’s book that’s not even 200 pages, it’s difficult to bring out a feature film’s length of material without making significant changes. That leaves two options: starting from a different point or vastly changing the tone and aesthetic from the way the previous movie played out.

In an encouraging interview about the Narnia adaptations, Greta Gerwig described the Narnia books as “euphorically dreamlike,” which could imply a drastic difference in her approach to the tone, as opposed to the standard blockbuster look of the Disney adaptations. Alternatively, she could start the series with The Magician’s Nephew, which is the first book chronologically and in C.S. Lewis’s intended reading order, despite not being the first book in the series to be released. This could differentiate her adaptations from the get-go, though it comes with its own risks, as the book doesn’t feature any continuous characters.

Gerwig’s Chronicles Of Narnia Movies Need To Make Every Story Stand Out

The Challenge With The Narnia Movies Is Making Each Story Compelling In Film Format

While The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is the most popular and widely read, there’s immense value in every book in the Narnia series. The benefit of having a top-quality filmmaker like Greta Gerwig is that each book in the saga will hopefully have the creative backing to bring out the most from it. Not every book, whether it’s Narnia or something else, translates well to film, and the key to adaptation is to make an entertaining movie while remaining faithful to core textual elements.

As for the other Chronicles of Narnia books, Greta Gerwig’s task will be to find ways to elevate the elements that might not translate as naturally. That doesn’t mean changing the story but finding ways to heighten aspects of characterization, provide distinct visuals, and pace the narrative in a way that suits the film medium. All this can be accomplished while maintaining C.S. Lewis’s thematic values, creating Chronicles of Narnia movies that draw new audiences into his beloved world.