Summary

• Starting with The Magician's Nephew would honor Lewis' wishes, but may disappoint fans wanting The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe first.
• Gerwig's decision on where to start the Narnia series will heavily impact its success and viewership levels.
• The safer bet for Netflix may be to begin with The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe to attract a wider audience.

A faithful screen adaptation of C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia would follow the author's intended order, but this might not be the right choice for Greta Gerwig's films. The legendary children's fantasy author published seven books within his Narnia series, but he later itted that the release order wasn't how he would prefer them to be read. Despite this, Disney's movie adaptations of Lewis' works started with The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and while this isn't how many want Gerwig to proceed, anything different could present a problem.

The news that Gerwig would be working with Netflix to make a Chronicles of Narnia movie series came in mid-2023. Since then, there has been a lot of buzz regarding how Gerwig will approach the series compared to Disney's three Narnia films. The House of Mouse's version of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe arrived in 2005, with two sequels released in the following years. Unfortunately, the film series was never completed, which makes the prospect of Gerwig's films all the more exciting. Still, where will these new Narnia movies start?

Narnia Fans Want Greta Gerwig To Start The Reboot With The Magician's Nephew

The Magician's Nephew Comes First In Narnia's Chronology

Though Disney started with The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, the first book in the series released by Lewis, the general consensus has been that Gerwig's should take a different route. The Magician's Nephew is the first book in the series chronology, serving as a sort of prequel that describes the origin of the fantasy world. When Lewis initially wrote his first Narnia book, he hadn't planned on writing an entire series. However, once he had, he indicated that new readers should begin with The Magician's Nephew so they can dive into the Pevensies' stories with a more thorough understanding.

There would be several benefits to Gerwig first adapting The Magician's Nephew rather than The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. First, Disney never got around to making this film since it would have been the second to last of seven movies based on the order in which it was working. Gerwig's film series could kick off with entirely fresh content, skipping over the uncomfortable comparisons with Disney's Narnia movies. Moreover, starting with The Magician's Nephew would be an excellent way for Gerwig to prove that she is dedicated to staying true to Lewis' wishes for Narnia.

Starting Netflix's Narnia Reboot With C.S. Lewis' Intended Beginning Creates 1 Problem

Gerwig Is Faced With A Tough Decision

While there would be benefits to starting with The Magician's Nephew, there's one blaring reason that this would be a mistake for Gerwig's film series. While dedicated book fans would be thrilled, The Magician's Nephew is among the least familiar of the Narnia books. There are no Pevensies, and the general tone of this story is starkly different from that of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. It may be full of exquisitely crafted worldbuilding, but in the grand scheme of things, it's not nearly as exciting (in the traditional sense) as other Narnia stories.

Fans of the Disney movies, or those who read only The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe as is common in school curriculums, might be thoroughly disappointed if Gerwig came out with an unfamiliar story for her first Narnia movie. The success of this tale would require very aggressive promotion, with overt Easter eggs that let audiences know that the stories they are more familiar with will be on the way. Even then, there is always the risk that the Netflix movie series will be dead on arrival, with lower viewership risking the discontinuation of the entire project.

The Magician's Nephew explains how Narnia came to be, as well as the origin of the Wardrobe, the Evil Queen, and much more.

Waiting On The Lion, The Witch, And The Wardrobe Could Be The Wrong Move For Netflix

C.S. Lewis' First Narnia Book Is A Safer Bet

A safer bet for Gerwig would be to start with the Pevensies' first adventure in Narnia—with the second film being adapted from The Magician's Nephew rather than Prince Caspian.

Ultimately, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is what most people think of when they consider Lewis' Narnia series. It's an iconic tale that stands well on its own, which makes sense as this was how the author initially intended it. A safer bet for Gerwig would be to start with the Pevensies' first adventure in Narnia—with the second film being adapted from The Magician's Nephew rather than Prince Caspian. This way, audiences get the critical worldbuilding sooner rather than later while still being introduced to Gerwig's version of Narnia through the story they know best.