Hollywood has taken several stabs at adapting the Chronicles of Narnia book series, but it has never quite gotten it right. Narnia is a classic fantasy series from author C.S. Lewis, originally published in the 1950s. It’s one of those rare, masterpiece franchises that will have its grip on popular culture for decades to come. As proof of this, Netflix has a new Narnia film series on the way from director Greta Gerwig (Barbie).
Though we can certainly hope that Gerwig’s Narnia will be a hit, these films are following up a rather long list of incomplete adaptations. Disney gave Lewis’ Narnia books a try, with three films released between 2005 and 2010. Things sputtered out after The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, leaving four books unadapted. This is an unfortunate trend, since every adaptation of the Narnia books has gone unfinished.
Movie Adaptations Of The Narnia Books Are Too Risky
Every screen adaptation of Lewis’ Narnia series has taken a film approach. While there have been TV adaptations, they weren’t the sorts that we have today, with episodes divided into separate seasons. Instead, we got a 1967 series covering The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, a feature-length animated TV special adapting the same book, and the three-part BBC serials covering the first four Narnia books.
Aside from these, all on-screen versions of Narnia have been traditional films, and they faced the same issues as the early feature-length TV specials. They simply couldn’t get through all the stories. This could be owed to a variety of factors. In those early years, budgets and ratings were a problem. Later, with Disney’s adaptations, development took too long, and the cast grew up too quickly. It essentially became impossible to continue on to the next stories.
A traditional TV show approach could make all the difference.
A traditional TV show approach could make all the difference. This format has quickly become preferred in the world of fantasy adaptations, since there is much more time to explore the story in greater detail. In the case of Narnia, it would be especially beneficial because the narrative could be meaningfully adjusted.
For example, the events of The Magician’s Nephew could be spread throughout the whole series, with flashbacks detailing the origins of Narnia as the Pevensies’ story unfolds. If structured and organized correctly, a Narnia TV show could actually make it to the end.
Greta Gerwig’s Narnia Movies Make A TV Adaptation Less Likely
None of this is to say that Gerwig’s new Narnia project isn’t intriguing. This new film series will change things up by adapting The Magician’s Nephew first, which could help avoid past pitfalls. However, the extended production time and the sorts of hoops movies must jump through will mean Gerwig’s Narnia will still be at risk of falling apart before The Last Battle ever gets to hit the screen.
The trouble with Netflix’s potential failure to cover all the books is that it makes it very unlikely that a TV show will arrive anytime soon. We’ve seen the earlier installments of Narnia, especially The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, brought to the screen so many times that the idea of starting over again after Grieg’s version potentially fizzles out is a bit exhausting. If we want to see a Narnia TV show, we may have to wait a decade or two.
