Adaptations of popular books are nothing new, and more often than not, they receive mixed reviews. Harry Potter is widely regarded as one of the greatest film franchises, while other adaptations, such as the Divergent series, fail to hit the mark. One franchise in which people have always struggled to make heads or tails is the adaptation of C.S. Lewis’ beloved book series, The Chronicles of Narnia.
The movies initially released in 2005 and 2008 have been well received, but other adaptations made for TV have always struggled to take off. As such, when Netflix announced recently that they are working on a new adaptation, people weren’t sure how to react to the news. Little information has been provided about the adaptation apart from the fact Greta Gerwig will be heading up director duties.
William Moseley, who played the eldest brother Peter in The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe and Price Caspian, has recently spoken out about the news of the adaptations and has nothing but positive things to say.
“I think she’s incredible. Barbie was an amazing movie, and Little Women was brilliant,” he said. “Everything she touches turns gold, so I think Netflix is lucky to have her, and I’m sure she will embrace the challenge. I hope she enjoys it because it’s an incredible world to create, and I can’t wait to see what she produces.”
While we don’t have much more information about who will be involved in the series, there has been talk about Matthew Aldrich, writer of Coco, helping out.
Both aren’t short of source material, given The Chronicles of Narnia is made up of several stories, all of which are independent of one another and could have inspiration drawn from them separately. We don’t know whether Gerwig will take from the plots previously adapted and give viewers something they are familiar with or will go for something totally different.
In a recent interview, she said nothing about the adaptation other than admitting she was “terrified” of it. “I think when I’m scared, it’s always a good sign,” she said, “Maybe when I stop being scared, it’ll be like, ‘Maybe I shouldn’t do that one.’ No, I’m terrified of it. It’s extraordinary. And it’s exciting.”
This is a developing story.
