Ever since the publication of C.S. Lewis’ “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” in 1950, the world of Narnia has been a central part of popular culture, receiving multiple film and television adaptations. In 1988, the BBC produced a television series that covered the story of four of Lewis’ seven Narnia books, and in the early 2000s, Disney released three film adaptations of the first three books published in the Narnia series. Now, Netflix plans to release a new adaptation: “Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew,” directed by Greta Gerwig, on Feb. 12, 2027.
The film is based on the first book in Lewis’ series, “The Magician’s Nephew,” which follows Digory Kirke and his friend Polly on an unforgettable adventure sparked by his Uncle Andrew’s obsession with magic. The two end up in what the book describes as a “wood between the worlds” and eventually arrive at the newly created world of Narnia, setting “The Magician’s Nephew” up as the prequel to the events of “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.” “The Magician's Nephew” is set 40-50 years before the events of book two, placing its timeline in our world around the 1900s. The entire story of “The Magician’s Nephew” is full of magic, beauty, and the feel of British fairy tales, myths and fantasy.
Under Greta Gerwig’s direction, the film makes quite a few deviations from the book. First, Gerwig has announced that she is setting the movie in 1950s post-war London rather than the original early 1900s setting. This choice aligns with Gerwig’s other major decision, which was to make “The Magician’s Nephew” as “a rock opera” in which the devastation and dullness of post-war Britain is contrasted with the blitz and glamour of the 1970s. In Gerwig’s words, “They [1970s rock musicians] had this relationship to pain and loss and something as unpromising as a bomb site, and they made a castle. They made a universe. They made something you could live inside of. … I don’t know how you went from David Jones to David Bowie unless you went to Narnia and you saw something.”
However, not all are pleased with what the new trailer promises, as it raises concerns about the accuracy of this new adaptation. Melody Pemberton (senior, secondary education & social sciences) says, “My initial thoughts were surprise because it’s so different from the book, but my final reaction to it is that it will be a decent movie, but not a good Narnia adaptation; it’s not book-accurate. Even their portrayal of Uncle Andrew in the trailer indicates that it won’t have the same vibe as the book.” The concern is that, in her desire to make Narnia relevant, Gerwig has completely missed the spirit of the book.
In addition to completely shifting the timeline of the book and turning it from a British children's fantasy into a rock opera, Gerwig cast Meryl Streep to voice Aslan, a character widely interpreted as a representation of Jesus Christ. Gerwig said that she chose Streep because,“I wanted someone who was profound but not pretentious, who had gravitas but not morose self-seriousness. Someone who could communicate depth and pathos as well as joy and delight. I wanted someone who was older than 70, so there was a wisdom of experience, but who also had the capacity of fresh wonder, like a child. And also to be one of the greatest actors to ever do it. That list is not a long one.”
Her decision has resulted in severe backlash, with many viewing her choice as a way to express contemporary religious views, some of which are at odds with Narnia’s distinctly Christian foundation. Others see her actions as a desire to be politically correct as a gimmick to attract viewers. Rebecca Cadet (sophomore, biology) said, “I'm not sure how I feel about that, considering Aslan is kind of like...a representation of Jesus. I understand where they are coming from, considering Meryl Streep does have the voice to portray a wise individual, I just don't think it was necessary for them to cast her as the voice of a male character…”
Another student, Audrey Hoover (freshman, music and speech-language pathology and audiology), agrees, saying, “I think the choices for Gerwig’s movies have been quite intriguing so far. I understand using her voice to portray someone older and wise, but since Narnia is supposed to be a Christian allegory and Aslan is meant to represent Jesus, it’s not a good fit—unless you subscribe to the idea that God is a woman.”
This controversy over Gerwig’s adaptation, especially her decision to have a woman voice a representation of Jesus, reveals that adaptations of texts with religious undertones that stray too far from the original source material will be met with criticism. While Gerwig does have the support of the Lewis Family, there are still many who do not agree with her actions. Creativity on a director's part in bringing a book to movie format is a wonderful thing; while there are ways in which that creative urge may take one too far, there is also a benefit from seeing the story be told in a new way for a new audience.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.