Netflix first announced the development of Chronicles of Narnia live-action movies and series in 2018 after its multi-year deal with The C.S. Lewis Company. Since then, the project’s progress had proceeded extremely haltingly with no foreseeable future in sight. Whatever updates were given regarding the promised Narnia happened via fleeting remarks that were few and far between. While the last known activity regarding the project came from Netflix’s head of films division in early 2021, it now looks as if the streaming giant is done waiting around and is finally getting a move on things.
Netflix Eyes Greta Gerwig to Direct Chronicles of Narnia
C.S. Lewis’s immortal creation, known collectively as The Chronicles of Narnia, has been a gift and an escape that managed to stay relevant for well over 70 years, despite the shifts in socio-historical and contemporary times. The books, 7 in total, navigate the fictional land of Narnia that exists in a dimension just a stone’s throw away from our own. The literary series and its numerous adaptations begin their journey when Narnia is plagued by the White Witch’s winter curse as 4 children (who quite literally stumble out of a closet and into this fantasy world) free the land with a bit of help from Aslan, the wise lion king, and mark the triumph of good over evil.
Also read: 5 Book-To-Movie Adaptations That Are Surprisingly Accurate
Netflix’s live-action production, however, goes beyond the previously limited attempts of Disney and ambitiously aims to encapsulate the entirety of the 7-story saga that was born from the mind of its British author between the years 1950 and 1956. That essentially means that the multi-year deal will create an expansive universe that rivals the high fantasy worlds in modern shows like Game of Thrones, The Sandman, and The Witcher. For now, Netflix looks forward to hosting the Academy Award nominee and Lady Bird director, Greta Gerwig, who will reportedly direct the first two films in the live-action lineup for NarniaVerse.
The Struggles of Getting Narnia Out of the Netflix Closet
It was no easy feat getting Chronicles of Narnia off the ground even after the multiple affirmations of the NarniaVerse movies being in development at the Netflix HQ. In 2019, Netflix Queue tweeted that Matthew Aldrich was brought on board to “serve as the creative architect and oversee the development of all films and shows adapted from C.S. Lewis’s beloved Narnia universe for Netflix.” In January 2021, the last official confirmation came from Scott Stuber who heads the film division at Netflix when he said that the films were expected to release “beyond 2021.”
Also read: 4 Things We Want in Netflix’s Upcoming Narnia Series (and 4 Things We Don’t)
As of 2022, after years of declining numbers and viewership, and a gradual descent of quality projects, Netflix management brings the Chronicles of Narnia back into the light with the indication of Greta Gerwig’s involvement. The timing also happens to coincide with the recent fiasco that witnessed the exit of Henry Cavill from one of the best shows to have come out of the platform in years. As The Witcher faces the public’s wrath, the production of Chronicles of Narnia is expected to provide a sense of retribution to the hurting fans.
Reports indicate that the multi-year deal that has been put into place by Netflix aims to adapt the Narnia series in its entirety, which places the prequel novel, The Magician’s Nephew, at the forefront instead of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. If these two novels do end up in Greta Gerwig’s filmography, Netflix might be vindicated yet in the public’s eye for delivering a creative marvel.
Source: What’s On Netflix
