Back in 2018, Netflix and the C.S. Lewis Company reached a multi-year deal to adapt all seven Chronicles of Narnia books as movies. Then, in 2022, it was revealed that Greta Gerwig — the director behind mega-blockbuster Barbie — had signed on to helm at least two of those films. But other than that, we don't know much more about the upcoming Narnia reboot.
Netflix has not been in any rush to push out a new string of Narnia films. The streamer has plenty of family-friendly fantasy movies and shows in its catalog to pass the time, such as Damsel and Avatar: The Last Airbender. The Narnia movies are still in the early days of development, and nobody has been cast yet. Several names are being rumored, such as Louis Partridge and Saoirse Ronan.
As for right now, before production has even started, Greta Gerwig is reportedly still figuring out the logistics of how to release the movies. Usually, Netflix puts all new original projects directly into its streaming library without running them in theaters first. This isn't always the case, however, as the streamer has a history of giving new movies limited theatrical runs. Look no further than Zack Snyder's Army of the Dead orTick Tick... Boom! — both of which had limited runs on the big screen. They also ran Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery briefly in theaters. But mostly, if you're a Netflix movie, you're on Netflix and that's it.
According to a report from Puck, which has a good reputation for reporting on industry gossip, Gerwig is ardently trying to convince Netflix to give her Narnia movies a significant run in theaters. This is an understandable viewpoint. Naturally, filmmakers want to see their movies on the big screen. While the Netflix library is good, it doesn't quite hold the power and cultural impact of a movie theater. And the Narnia books are big sweeping fantasy epics that would look particular good on the big screen.
Of course, The Chronicles of Narnia has a pretty rich history on the big screen. There were three Narnia movies between 2005 and 2010. The trilogy was well-received by casual viewers and critics alike. The first movie in the series, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, grossed over $745 million worldwide. If this isn't an incentive to put Greta Gerwig's new movies in theaters, I don't know what is!
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