Greta Gerwig’s Narnia Reboot Changes Timeline And Setting

The upcoming Netflix reboot of The Chronicles of Narnia is now in production, and new details from the film’s set has indicated a major change for the popular franchise. Greta Gerwig’s Narnia is set to adapt The Magician’s Nephew, a prequel to The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe that was released in 1955.

As is always the case with a reboot of a popular franchise or new adaptation of a classic novel series, there is a lot of curiosity about how Gerwig’s Narnia movies will compare to what’s come before. She’s delayed some of the inevitable comparisons by tackling The Magician’s Nephew first, since the previous movie franchise never adapted it.

While that means some may be less familiar with C.S. Lewis’ prequel book, there are several important details that it contains that have a direct connection to future Narnia stories. After all, this film will introduce a young White Witch, played by Emma Mackey, and set up the wider world of Narnia for future installments to explore.

That’s why how faithful it is to adapting the source material is already making waves. The new film looks set to make some compelling changes to the story of its world, which could have enormous ramifications for any sequels that might follow.

Greta Gerwig Is Seemingly Overhauling Narnia’s Franchise Timeline

While the novel The Magician’s Nephew was set in 1900, the upcoming film looks to have changed this period setting to the 1950s. The set design and costumes that have been seen in new set photos from What’s on Netflix seem to confirm this, as well as previously leaked casting calls and details from various outlets.

This setting has not been officially confirmed, but it does seem likely to be the case for the upcoming film, as seen in the Narnia set photos. This might complicate things significantly for the franchise. Notably, the stories in the Narnia books were largely set in the 1940s, during World War II.

In order to craft a prequel to the series, C.S. Lewis decided to write a story about Professor Digory Kirke and his involvement in the beginnings of Narnia. With the professor being in his fifties in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Lewis had to set The Magician’s Nephew in 1900.

If The Magician’s Nephew film adaptation instead takes place in the 1950s, as has been suggested by these details, then this sets off the entire timeline of the franchise. If further adaptations draw from the same novels and stories, that will mean that a The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe sequel would need to be set in the 1990s.

Moving the setting of this larger story into more contemporary times is an interesting move. It will surely inform the characters, style, and outlook of the films. While Narnian time moves at a different pace, the characters in the films and their dynamics with one another must remain at least similar.

Still, full details of what Gerwig is doing with The Chronicles of Narnia remain to be seen. She has been vague about her plans for the adaptation, and it is certainly possible that general details about the world are instead being used to tell original stories. However the film turns out, it is sure to be fascinating.

Created by

C.S. Lewis

First Episode Air Date

November 13, 1988

Cast

Georgie Henley, William Moseley, Skandar Keynes, Anna Popplewell, Ben Barnes, Liam Neeson, Tilda Swinton, James McAvoy, Will Poulter, Simon Pegg