Greta Gerwig (Barbie, Little Women) may not be the first director to take a crack at adapting C.S. Lewis’ sprawling fantasy epic, but expectations for Netflix’s upcoming Narnia movies certainly are high.
Though Netflix has had the rights to The Chronicles of Narnia for years (since 2018, to be exact) Lewis’ portal fantasy has had a difficult time in the development stage. At first, The Chronicles of Narnia was expected to be the next best “cinematic universe,” made up of TV series, films, and more. Since then, however, Narnia has languished in development limbo, with several writers and producers having come and gone since the initial acquisition in 2018. This is especially interesting considering Netflix has the rights to all seven Narnia books, which means they can adapt virtually any story within the Narnia franchise.
Thankfully, though, Greta Gerwig is ready to set things right. In 2023, Gerwig’s involvement with Netflix’s Narnia franchise was officially announced. Since then, it’s been confirmed that she’ll be making at least two Narnia movies for the streaming giant—hopefully, Netflix will be kind enough to let us watch them on the big screen, too—though it’s currently unclear which of the seven titles Gerwig will adapt.
What’s On Netflix reported that, in 2023, sources told them the first of Gerwig’s films would be an adaptation of The Silver Chair, which, in chronological order, is the sixth story in Lewis’ Narnia series, despite being the fourth published novel. Though this has yet to be confirmed, Variety also reported that Gerwig’s Narnia may not necessarily be adapted in the order one might expect. Either The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe or The Magician’s Nephew would be the most natural starting points, but all of Lewis’ stories are interwoven with one another. In all honesty, anything is possible.
The Silver Chair follows Eustace Scrubb (whom you may recognize from The Voyage of the Dawn Treader) and his classmate, Jill Pole, as they are sent on a mission in Narnia to find King Caspian’s (yes, that Caspian) missing son, Prince Rilian. Since The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Prince Caspian, and Voyage of the Dawn Treader are all well-known stories, thanks to the Disney movies, it might be fun to see one of Narnia’s lesser-known tales adapted for the big screen.
When will Netflix’s Narnia be released?
The short answer is that we just don’t know. Very little has been revealed about Gerwig’s project so far, including any important dates or casting decisions. As far as we know, production has yet to start, too, though Collider has implied that the team behind the project hopes production will start sometime this year, according to a 2023 interview with Scott Stuber, Netlix’s Head of Film. If that’s true, Netflix’s first Narnia movie could potentially be released at the end of 2025, though 2026 seems to be the most likely release window, as fantasy films usually need quite a long time to shoot.
Whether Gerwig’s Narnia movies are better adaptations of this beloved story than the BBC’s original series or Disney/Fox’s early 2000s movies (which I personally love, despite a few hiccups along the way), remains to be seen. If anyone can imbue Narnia with a real sense of magic, however, it’s Greta Gerwig.
(featured image: HarperCollins)
