Summary
- The Horse and His Boy may be skipped in Greta Gerwig's Narnia adaptation due to deviations from the series' plot and characters.
- Netflix faces the challenge of making the weaker Narnia stories work in the reboot, including The Silver Chair.
- While some Narnia books are more divisive, skipping them is not an option for Netflix's completion of the series.
Greta Gerwig's adaptations of Narnia book series to explore.
Greta Gerwig's Chronicles of Narnia movie hopes to begin filming in August 2024.
The Disney Narnia series adapted three books before indefinite delays, and the eventual sale of the property rights concluded any chance of continuation. After purchasing the rights in 2018, Netflix announced Greta Gerwig would direct The Chronicles of Narnia as a film series, or at least the first two. Hopes are high for the iconic fantasy series as Gerwig is one of the most recognizable names in Hollywood, following the $1 billion success of Barbie and her critically acclaimed movies Little Women and Lady Bird. There's still minimal info regarding the reboot or Netflix's plan to structure the series.
Why Greta Gerwig's Chronicles Of Narnia Movies Should Skip The Horse And His Boy
The Horse And His Boy Deviates From The Narnia Series
One of the biggest questions regarding Greta Gerwig's reboot is the proper order for the Chronicles of Narnia series. There's some discrepancy regarding the release order and C.S. Lewis's intended chronological reading order. Either way, The Horse and His Boy falls into a weird situation that throws off the course of events. The book is arguably the weakest in the series, though it must be said it serves as a worthy representation of Lewis's themes. When adapting novels into a film series, however, choices will often be made by studios for entertainment value, which could easily result in it being skipped.
Book Title |
Release Year |
Notes |
|---|---|---|
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe |
1950 |
|
Prince Caspian: The Return to Narnia |
1951 |
Set 1,300 Narnia years after the events of the first book. |
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader |
1952 |
Set 3 Narnia years after Prince Caspian. |
The Silver Chair |
1953 |
Set 50 Narnia years after Dawn Treader. |
The Horse and His Boy |
1954 |
Takes place during the events of the last chapter of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. |
The Magician's Nephew |
1955 |
Set long before the events of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. |
The Last Battle |
1956 |
Set 200 Narnia years after The Silver Chair. |
The biggest problem with The Horse and His Boy isn't that the book itself is bad; it's that it deviates heavily from the series' characters and overarching plot. Literature tends to have more freedom in exploring different angles of a universe, whereas Netflix may not be as willing to stray away from its main characters and narrative. The Horse and His Boy is a great book for kids, but it's challenging to imagine it translating into a franchise movie that Netflix could market.
Why Greta Gerwig's Chronicles Of Narnia Movies Are Exactly What The Fantasy Genre Needs After The Last 10 Years
Greta Gerwig's Chronicles of Narnia films could be exactly what the fantasy genre needs, distinguishing them from other recent adaptations.
Narnia's Other Weaker Stories Can't Be Skipped By Greta Gerwig's Reboot
Netflix Will Have To Make The Chronicles Of Narnia's Low Points Work
The Chronicles of Narnia books with the lowest aggregate scores from readers on Goodreads are The Silver Chair and The Horse and His Boy, and while The Last Battle is on the better end, it still has some of the most divisive talking points in the series. Regardless of opinions about The Last Battle or any of the other Narnia books, they can't be skipped if Netflix wants to complete the series. Greta Gerwig and Netflix should bring The Chronicles of Narnia to life as faithfully as possible, but it seems likely that some books will be changed for movie audiences.
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
- Release Date
- December 9, 2005
- Cast
- William Moseley, Anna Popplewell, Skandar Keynes, Georgie Henley, Liam Neeson
- Runtime
- 143 Minutes
- Director
- Andrew Adamson
