Netflix is Doing A Total Reboot Of An Underrated Fantasy Franchise

When you think of The Chronicles of Narnia, you probably picture either C.S. Lewis’ books or the short-lived 2000s film series, but Netflix may be changing that. Hot on the heels of 2023’s Barbie, Greta Gerwig announced she would adapt the classic fantasy series into at least two movies for Netflix, in what’s essentially a complete reboot of the franchise.

There haven't been many updates since the initial announcement, and when frequent Gerwig collaborator Saoirse Ronan was asked about her involvement in an October appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, she said she hasn’t been asked yet because Gerwig is still writing the scripts. However, a strange source may have already revealed a key decision for this project, and it’s one that takes a risky approach to restarting the series.

In an article for The Week, actor Jason Isaacs provided a list of all of his favorite books, ranging from David Sedaris’ comedic memoir The SantaLand Diaries to Philip Roth’s 2000 novel The Human Stain. But Isaacs also listed C.S. Lewis’ The Magician’s Nephew, saying, “I loved all the Narnia books as a kid. When Peter was told he wouldn't be coming back, I understood something devastating about mortality,” he said, referencing the eldest Pevensie sibling outgrowing the magical world of Narnia in Prince Caspian.

But Peter doesn’t appear in The Magician’s Nephew, which is to Narnia what The Phantom Menace is to Star Wars: a prequel telling us the origins of characters fans already know. It was written in 1955, five years after the first Narnia book, but set at the beginning of the series’ timeline.

Why did Isaacs choose this specific book? “I picked this one because Greta Gerwig is about to make a film of it, which I can't wait to see,” he said. That’s quite the comment, because there hasn’t been any official word on which Narnia books Gerwig plans to adapt.

If Netflix’s first Narnia adaptation is based on this prequel, it would take a stance on a decades-long fan debate: the correct reading order for the series. The original movie series adapted the first three books in release order, but you can still find box sets of the books numbered in chronological order, beginning with The Magician’s Nephew.

Adapting The Magician’s Nephew first would be like introducing someone to Star Wars with the prequel trilogy. You’d experience the story in chronological order, but in a way that might lack the drama that made the franchise popular in the first place. It’s a risky move, but if Netflix wants to set its version of Narnia apart from the others, this is certainly how to do it.