The first trailer for Barbie director Greta Gerwig's adaptation of Narnia: The Magician's Nephew immediately divided opinions. As a result, many fans of C.S. Lewis' books feel the filmmaker has veered too far from how the series should be interpreted.
The movie is clearly taking a bold new approach to the material, and we've since heard that "everyone at Netflix thinks the movie is awful." The streamer has gone all in on the movie, clearly believing that Gerwig will give them its version of Barbie and the first chapter of a new fantasy franchise.
In fact, with Netflix Film Chief Dan Lin dismissed by Netflix yesterday, there are rumblings that the internal response to this pricey Narnia movie was a factor in that decision.
Only time will tell whether Gerwig has dropped the ball on the Chronicles of Narnia, but amid the continued controversy, Lewis' family have broken their silence (via SFFGazette.com) on Narnia: The Magician's Nephew.
David and Douglas Gresham, the stepchildren of C.S. Lewis, have released an official statement through Netflix about the movie. This comes after it was reported that the family was upset with the filmmaker's approach to the material.
"From our ongoing conversations with Greta Gerwig, we have personally witnessed her sincere passion for the Narnia series. Her life-long love of C.S. Lewis is apparent to everyone involved with this film. We saw this enthusiasm during our visit to the set in London."
"We are thrilled to be working with such a talented and accomplished director and production team, and are keen to continue working with them on future projects. Our vision is for this movie to be enormously successful and for this calibre of talent to be applied to all of the Chronicles of Narnia."
This feels a little like damage control, as Netflix attempts to regain control of the narrative surrounding Narnia: The Magician's Nephew. It's also worth noting that the statement was quietly issued before the trailer's release, meaning this isn't necessarily the family's reaction to that divisive first look.
Still, it's a clear message of support for Gerwig that comes at a time when the filmmaker is finding herself surrounded by a surprising amount of negativity after previously winning everyone's favour with Barbie.
Academy Award–nominated filmmaker Greta Gerwig brings C. S. Lewis’s beloved story The Magician’s Nephew to the screen for the first time in a sweeping adventure that invites dreamers of all ages to experience the creation of Narnia.
The movie stars David McKenna, Beatrice Campbell, Emma Mackey, Carey Mulligan, Ciarán Hinds, Daniel Craig, Meryl Streep, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, Denise Gough, and Susan Wokoma.
Mark Gordon, Amy Pascal, Vincent Sieber-Smith, and Greta Gerwig produce Narnia: The Magician's Nephew, with Patricia Whitcher, Racheline Benveniste, Christine Crais and Douglas Gresham, and Melvin Adams for the C. S. Lewis Estate serving as executive producers.
Narnia: The Magician's Nephew opens in theaters on February 12, 2027.