The big picture
- Greta Gerwig's Narnia film franchise should begin
The magician's nephew
for a new dam. - From this prequel, the audience is expanded and essential plot elements are introduced for future installments.
- CS Lewis supposedly preferred
The magician's nephew
as the first book in the series, favoring a chronological start.
The future of live action The Chronicles of Narnia has been on the move for a while. Although Netflix first announced that it had acquired the rights to the fantasy novel series CS Lewis in 2018, a serious lack of development made us wonder if it would actually happen. After all, the previous Narnia franchise ended prematurely after a lackluster third installment, and it's clear that Lewis' beloved novels aren't the easiest to adapt to the screen. However, with the news that the director Greta Gerwig is directing not one but twonarnia movies (with production imminent), fans are both nervous and excited at the prospect of more. But which Narnian story should Netflix start with? Well, we think that sometimes the best place to start is at the beginning, and that means The magician's nephew.
“The Chronicles of Narnia” does not begin chronologically with “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”
when The Chronicles of Narnia was first published in 1950, started with the familiar (and even more beloved) The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. This novel reinvented the fantasy adventure as the four Pevensie children were introduced to the magical world of Narnia through a common household item. To say there's a lot to love The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe would be an understatement. Not only did CS Lewis breathe new life into the fantasy genre, he used something as childish as fairy tales to convey even deeper spiritual truths about our world. But although The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is the first book and the most popular TheChronicles of narnia series, chronologically speaking, is not the first.
In 1956, Lewis published The magician's nephew, a prequel to his original tale that chronicled the origins of the White Witch, the wardrobe, the kindly Professor Digory Kirk, and of course, all of Narnia itself. This penultimate chapter in Lewis' series is set thousands of years earlier in the time of Narnia. It turns out that the story began long before Lucy first entered that enchanted closet. Addressing the core Christian themes of original sin, temptation, redemption, and natural law, as well as firmly establishing Narnia as existing in a larger multiverse (long before that term was even popular), The magician's nephew it's a triumph that shows that prequels can be as good as their predecessors. For this reason, Greta Gerwig should kick off Netflix's Narnia franchise with this story.
Related
Classification of the “Chronicles of Narnia” novels by CS Lewis
“Once a King or Queen of Narnia, always a King or Queen of Narnia.”
Of couse, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is generally the most recognizable of all Lewis' novels, but it's precisely because of its popularity that Netflix should try something different. It is no different in terms of drastically changing the source material (The rings of power has shown the dangers in this), but different in the way adaptations are structured. When it comes to The Chronicles of Narnia, many already know the story of Lucy, Edmund and Aslan. We know how the Great Lion defeats the White Witch. What many casual viewers don't know is how Narnia started in the first place, and how the White Witch first got there. Maybe starting there would make a bigger impact when The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe it inevitably adapts again.
'The Magician's Nephew' would highlight Greta Gerwig's Narnia franchise
One of the main arguments why any Narnia adaptation is worth starting The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe it's because that's how CS Lewis originally wrote it. There is certainly a strong argument to be made the lion because when Lucy first enters the magical land of Narnia, so does the audience. Through her, we experience the same enchantment and wonder for the first time, and Narnia becomes as new and exciting to us as it does to Lucy. This is something that in 2005 Andrew Adamson the adaptation worked well, and Netflix would do well to emulate. But The magician's nephew it has the same potential for re-enchantment if we let it.
For example, the moment Digory and Polly appear in the Wood Between the Worlds (the multiverse door that would inspire War of the galaxies“World Between Worlds” itself) reveals that Narnia is not the only parallel universe that can be visited. In fact, before the pair set foot in Narnia, they first find themselves in Charn, where they unwittingly awaken Jadis, the giant empress who would become the White Witch. When they finally arrive in Narnia, they do so at the very instant that Aslan is singing his world into existence, which is even more enchanting than Lucy's initial arrival in the winter wonderland. Because the public has already seen it The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, The magician's nephew it would be a breath of fresh air for returning fans and new ones alikeshowing what the world of Narnia is capable of.
There is also the matter of the characters themselves. Digory and Polly are fascinating individuals, and although we later meet Digory as the quirky and somewhat elusive Professor Kirke, as a child he is an even more curious and complicated character. Not only does she have her “crazy” Uncle Andrew (a scientist who turns out to be more of a wizard), but her mother is slowly dying, giving her a need far greater than her own. Polly is also a fun character, balancing Digory's inquisitive attitude with her practical, no-nonsense charm. Both are of the adventurous type, i each has their own important lessons to learn from their time wandering between worldsas well as his eventual meeting with Aslan.
“The Magician's Nephew” would make Netflix's Narnia franchise more complete
By starting with The magician's nephew, Greta Gerwig and Netflix have the potential to expand their audience even further. Although longtime fans of the CS Lewis original Chronicles of Narnia books should always be at the forefront of their minds (we are a loyal, integrated fan base after all), there's no harm in wanting to expand your reach. Starting here can help. It doesn't just do it The magician's nephew It seems like the beginning of the story to me, though it also sets up numerous plot lines that will eventually be paid off in later installments. But there's another connection that might get you started The Wizard's Nephew even more important: Tash.
Although the demon god Tash does not appear The magician's nephewit is mentioned for the first time in the independent chronicle The horse and his boy as the god of the Calormen people. In The last battle, it is revealed that Tash is not just a man-made idol, but a true demonic creature. He becomes the final antagonist of the Narnian world before Aslan destroys it forever. But to reconnect The magician's nephewthe popular YouTube channel, In the closet he pointed out smartly Images of Tash appear to appear in the official illustrations of Charn in the novel. As Digory and Polly explore Jadis' world, it seems that maybe when they took her out of Charn and into Narnia, they may have let Tash in as well. If this theory were woven into the Netflix adaptations, it could connect the first installment of the franchise with the last, making The Chronicles of Narnia more cohesive than ever.
CS Lewis wanted “The Wizard's Nephew” to be read first
You would never start reading The Chronicles of narnia with Prince Caspian or The silver chair (which was almost made into a movie). Both stories require some context from previous chapters and feature characters they cross over from other books. But you can easily start reading the series with either The magician's nephew or The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, if so inclined. There has been a long debate among Narnia fans about which reading order is better: publication order or chronological order. Each has its merits, to be sure, and when it came to the live-action film series, it made sense that the release order was chosen. But for a streamer like Netflix, one day there will be people hiding the entire series (if they manage to adapt everything via The last battle), perhaps chronological order would be better.
In recent copies of The magician's nephewHarperCollins has inserted the following disclaimer: “Although The magician's nephew was written several years after CS Lewis began The Chronicles of Narnia, I wanted it to read like the first book in the series. HarperCollins is delighted to present these books in the order in which Professor Lewis has preferred.” According to NarniaWeb, Lewis himself preferred chronological order when reading The Chronicles of Narnia, despite having originally written them out of order. That alone should be enough for Netflix to comply. Whatever way the playback giant takes us to the world of Narnia (make The journey of the dawn walker a series, you cowards!), we can only hope that these adaptations are faithful to the books and capture the same spirit of CS Lewis' original works.
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is available to watch on Disney+ in the US
Watch on Disney+
