Greta Gerwig’s Chronicles of Narnia movies are in the early development stages, and one casting trick could be critical to their success. Following the $1 billion success of Barbie, Gerwig is one of the most sought-after filmmakers in the industry, and she’s already signed on for her next two projects. Greta Gerwig will be directing two Chronicles of Narnia films for Netflix, though it’s unclear which order of C.S. Lewis’s Narnia novels she’ll be going in. The previous Disney movies started with The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, but that’s not the only option for her.
Greta Gerwig’s Narnia movies are in production, but there will likely be some time before they’re released on the streaming platform. With that in mind, there’s plenty of time to theorize about them, given Lewis’s novels and the previous Narnia movie renditions. The 2000s Disney films got off to a decent start with The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, before Prince Caspian and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader were met with a more mixed reception and less-broad commercial appeal. From the three films, there are valuable pros and cons to take away and apply to the next rendition.
Greta Gerwig’s Chronicles Of Narnia Movies Should Age Up The Child Characters (Slightly)
The Pevensie Children Have To Be Children, But Adding Some Years On Can Make Gerwig’s Narnia More Approachable
One casting trick used by the 2000s Disney Narnia movies was slightly aging up the main characters. By having the Pevensie children be older than their book counterparts, the films were able to appeal to broader film audiences. While they should certainly still be children, a slight change of 1-3 years, particularly for Peter and Susan, offers a maturity baseline for the core characters that allows older audiences to relate better. Peter is 13 in the first book and 17 in the film. These slight differences don’t disrupt the core familial dynamics but make the material more approachable.
Given how quickly the Pevensie children get involved in the world of Narnia, this change helps with general audience appeal. The books have beautiful fairy tale elements, but it’s harder to portray a 13-year-old believably wielding a sword in battle than a 17-year-old on screen. Game of Thrones is an example of doing this successfully, as the Stark children and characters like Daenerys were aged up to fit the television landscape. However, if the characters were to be portrayed at book-accurate ages, Greta Gerwig would be one of the few directors who could pull it off.
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Casting The Pevensie Children Is The Biggest Obstacle For Greta Gerwig’s Narnia Movies
Casting Unknown Actors For The Pevensie Children Is A Necessary Risk That Could Be Rewarding
The Pevensie children in the Disney Narnia movies weren’t necessarily bad, but with the right casting, they could have been far more compelling characters. Casting for Gerwig’s Narnia hasn’t been announced yet, but it’s likely primarily unknown actors will play the four children. Thus far, Gerwig’s movies have relied heavily on star power from performers like Margot Robbie, Saoirse Ronan, and Florence Pugh, so her Chronicles of Narnia movies will see her taking a risk with fresh talent. It’ll be the film’s most significant obstacle but potentially its most rewarding aspect.
