Next to J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings series, The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis is a pillar of the fantasy genre as well as one of the most beloved book series in all of fiction. Although Disney and Walden Media gave fans of the series a rather impressive trio of films based on the books, they are now due for the Netflix treatment.
Like The Witcher before it, Narnia will see a new audience on the streaming platform, but will it be as vast and magical as the land beyond the wardrobe? No adaptation is perfect, but a series surrounding Narnia raises a few hopes and fears.
Hope: It Covers The Prequel
Although the story of the Pevensie children begins with The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, Lewis wrote an origin story for his famous fantasy land with The Magician's Nephew. It's certainly a bit stranger compared to the rest of the series, but serves as Narnia's Genesis with imaginative parallels to the biblical creation story and the introduction of sin. It's definitely time for this entry to get its own high-fantasy adaptation.
Fear: It’s Too Generic
Nowadays, Narnia is as nearly well known as Middle-Earth or any other similar fantasy realm for that matter. If someone were to describe a magical land populated by talking animals, dragons, dwarves, and other mystical creatures, which one would first come to mind?
Similar but not congruent, Narnia should be a place of deep magic and enchanting characters, not just the standard swords and sorcery seen in other Netflix fantasy dramas.
Hope: It Picks Up Where Disney Left Off
Disney's adaptation of the series is essentially the studio's answer to Lord of the Rings, and that's just fine. However, Disney should have gone full circle and finished with The Last Battle instead of Voyage of the Dawn Treader. With that in mind, the new series should definitely learn from Disney, especially with Coco writer, Matthew Aldrich, at the helm. But at the same time, it should move forward with its own ideas and concepts.
Fear: It Tries Too Hard
Narnia works so well because it's simple. While it does check most fantasy boxes, it does openly and knowingly. It has its castles, dragons, and epic battles, but it still feels like its own rendition.
The last thing the land of Narnia needs is a dark and realistic adaptation with over-the-top fight sequences and heavily-saturated CGI. It should be visually impressive and narratively engaging, but it shouldn't beg for the viewer's participation.
Hope: It Goes Full Mythology With Its World
Where Tolkien pulled from Norse mythology with his orcs, elves, and hobbits, C.S. Lewis took inspiration from the realms of classic mythology with fauns, dryads, naiads, and minotaurs. This is a flavor not often seen in modern fantasy media, and the new Narnia series should go full force with it. Have Aslan's army sporting Greek-inspired armor, make Mr. Tumnus more goat than man a la Pan's Labyrinth, whatever the decision, they should commit to it and go full force.
Fear: It Waters Down Its Fantasy Elements
On the other side of the coin, there's always the threat of undershooting and underplaying their material. The Witcher, for example, is a great series based on an even better book series.
However, for a series involving monsters and mythical creatures, there were times when the monsters were a little underwhelming. The battle with the djinn should have been an epic conflict, not a fight against a pillar of smoke. It's better to be over-the-top than underperforming.
Hope: It Retains the Allegory
If there's one thing the series needs to do, it's to maintain C.S. Lewis's faith-based allegory. The parallels between the Narnia books and the Christian teachings have always been what made it stand out, thanks to Lewis's apologetic philosophy. It's essentially the backbone of the series and if Netflix wants to do it justice, it shouldn't be afraid to stick to the Scriptures.
Fear: It Gets Too Preachy
At the same time, the series should use the allegory artfully and not blatantly harp on the morals and symbolism. The text has all the symbolism the show could possibly need, no more no less.
If it goes too far, it completely loses the message in its blatant morality tale. The allegory should be there but treated delicately and respectfully.
Hope: It Maintains Its Own Fantasy Identity
Narnia needs to be not remade but rather renewed and reimagined. Fans of the books are already familiar with the Disney series and maybe even the BBC adaptation, but this new series needs to be a brand new world featuring familiar friends. Give viewers a majestic realm of fauns and talking lions, but breathe new life into them as well.
Fear: It Becomes a Witcher/Game of Thrones Clone
The biggest mistake Netflix can make is to try to make the series too much of a dark medieval drama. Yes, the series did have its dark chapters and bloody battles, but in the end, it was met with a happy ending where good triumphs over evil. It's not like other modern fantasy shows that need a dark edge for some reason. The genre could certainly use a little light in the snowstorm.