Netflix’s Upcoming Fantasy Movie Based On Best-Selling Series Of Novels Will Redeem A $1.5B Franchise

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Warning: Spoilers for the final Narnia book!

Adapting The Chronicles of Narnia is surprisingly challenging. Though many know the movie based on The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, that story is actually the second book written by C.S. Lewis. The series includes seven books total: a story that comes before the wardrobe tale, four continuations, and one separate adventure. Few of these books have ever been made into films.

Greta Gerwig’s upcoming Narnia films won’t start with the traditional first book, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Instead, she’s choosing to tell a story set in a different time period within the world of Narnia, and her casting decisions are already sparking debate among fans. While Gerwig is making big changes to the Narnia stories, this could be a positive move, particularly if she eventually adapts the story’s unfinished ending.

Greta Gerwig Is Adapting Two Chronicles Of Narnia Books

Jason Isaacs revealed in 2024 that Greta Gerwig is working on a prequel to the Narnia series, based on The Magician’s Nephew. This story, which comes first in the Narnia timeline, centers on a young Digory, who eventually becomes Professor Kirke in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and introduces Jadis, the future White Witch.

Greta Gerwig is committed to directing at least two films based on the Chronicles of Narnia, and may eventually adapt all seven books. For her second movie, she could choose to start with the well-known story of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe to attract audiences, or she could take a chance and adapt one of the later books in the series.

The Final Battle Has Never Been Adapted For The Screen

The Chronicles of Narnia films haven’t always been successful, and there are a couple of key reasons why. The books themselves are difficult to translate to the screen because each one jumps forward in time hundreds of years within the world of Narnia. While Aslan and a few human characters reappear, it’s hard to create a cohesive story. Beyond that, there’s another, more significant reason why the later books in the series haven’t been made into movies.

The last book in the series, The Final Battle, is a dark and challenging story that tackles big questions about right and wrong and faith, and it features the deaths of almost every character. It’s hard to imagine making a movie or show based on it without recognizing its connection to the lighter, more magical tone of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. However, even though The Final Battle has never been adapted for the screen, it’s time someone took the chance.

Why Greta Gerwig Should Adapt The Final Battle

The 2005 film adaptation of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe received strong reviews, earning a 76% score on Rotten Tomatoes and featuring memorable performances in the fantasy genre. This sets a high bar for Greta Gerwig’s upcoming version, which will need to offer a fresh and unique take to differentiate itself from previous films.

Completely reimagining all the books to create a unified story would be a huge task, but it could save the film series. For the first time, all seven books of The Chronicles of Narnia would be adapted for the screen, and while making The Final Battle into a movie would be difficult, the potential payoff could be significant.

Greta Gerwig’s film adaptation of ‘The Magician’s Nephew,’ part of the Chronicles of Narnia series, will first appear in movie theaters on November 26, 2026, and then become available on Netflix on December 25, 2026.

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2026-02-03 14:58