The Narnia That Could've Been
Door Jam: November 18, 2024
The Door Jam is a place to squeeze in relevant articles written about C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, their work, adaptations of their fantasy worlds, news from other franchises, and interesting articles. Unless otherwise stated, I’m not necessarily endorsing (or criticizing) any of these but merely sharing them with you.
The top story this week is again centered on Netflix’s Narnia, but we now have details about the direction the series could’ve taken.
Top Story
It’s been more than six years since Netflix acquired the rights to The Chronicles of Narnia. While we’ve had some news recently, that is a recent occurrence. The deal was announced in October 2018. In early 2019, Netflix said, “Matthew Aldrich has come on board to oversee the development and creative live-action adaptation.” Then we heard nothing until the Greta Gerwig rumors-turned-confirmation in the past couple of years.
On the Script Apart podcast, Aldrich revealed more about his time with Narnia, including the fact that he only worked on the project for a brief period.
Yeah, I worked on that for about a year and a half. And then I’m not working on that anymore. Yeah, that was an uphill sledding for my part. I will say that the, yeah, I hate using the words ‘creative differences’ because it always sounds like a smokescreen for something, but it actually, it was creative differences.
Like I had a very specific idea about what I wanted to do with the Narnia material. I had laid out for them sort of a strategy of film and series as a way to adapt the seven books in a way that was both sort of respectful, but also not precious, and try to sort of update them in some fun ways.
And ultimately that’s not the direction Netflix wanted to go. So I’m not the person to ask what’s happening in Narnia.
I’ll be honest. Hearing him say “sort of respectful, but also not precious” and “update them in some fun ways” made me nervous about what he planned to do and a little thankful he’s no longer involved. That thankfulness grew when I saw his social media post about Narnia.
Novelist and screenwriter Michael Chabon wrote that he didn’t get Narnia “as an act of imaginative world-creation. It still feels more like a jumbled ‘Land of Make-believe’ game board than a world that could be, that is.”
Aldrich affirmed Chabon’s comments, and said, “I worked on adapting Narnia for 18 months and ran into the same walls MC talks about—only he’s able to describe the walls; I merely smashed into them.”
We still have no idea what Greta Gerwig will do with Narnia, but she seems to get Narnia better than Aldrich. She said she loved the “euphorically dreamlike” quality of Lewis’ writing and that she wanted to make her adaptation feel “magical.” Alluding to Lewis’ essay “On Three Ways of Writing for Children” from Of Other Worlds: Essays and Stories, she said her goal was “re-enchantment … of the world.”
From all we know so far, based on the few comments from Aldrich and Gerwig, I’m thankful to whomever at Netflix rejected his vision and brought her in.
Sources: What’s On Netflix, Narnia Web
Not Safe But Good
C.S. Lewis quote of the week
When we are frightened by the greatness of the universe, we are (almost literally) frightened by our own shadows: for these light years and billions of centuries are mere arithmetic until the shadow of man, the poet, the maker of myth, falls upon them.
“Dogma and the Universe,” God in the Dock
Tumnus’ bookshelf
A book by or about C.S. Lewis
A Hobbit, a Wardrobe, and a Great War is an interesting reflection on how World War I influenced both Lewis and Tolkien.
The Lamp Post
Recent articles from me in other places
Churchgoers Are Likely Also Church Members — Lifeway Research
More Behind The Wardrobe Door
Recent pieces
From the archives
Other news for paid subscribers below includes a Narnia-themed ice bar and Christmas commercial, other planets on Middle-earth, the Lord of the Rings sequel Tolkien started, some major Marvel and Star Wars news, and another Netflix adaptation to keep an eye out for—on Mary, the mother of Jesus.
