Netflix will be creating multiple films for an upcoming adaptation of The Chronicles of Narnia. With Netflix’s touch, could we expect a darker tone to the films?
The Chronicles of Narnia was a staple for many childhoods if you were a fan of fantasy stories. While in the past 15 years, some of the books were remade into films, there is a new adaptation on the horizon.
According to Entertainment Weekly, Netflix will be adapting the fantasy franchise into new films based on the seven novels in the series. The Chronicles of Narnia started in 1950 with the release of the first book in the series, The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, and was written by C.S. Lewis.
The stepson of C.S. Lewis, Douglas Gresham, released a statement about the adaptation saying:
"It is wonderful to know that folks from all over are looking forward to seeing more of Narnia, and that the advances in production and distribution technology have made it possible for us to make Narnian adventures come to life all over the world. Netflix seems to be the very best medium with which to achieve this aim, and I am looking forward to working with them towards this goal."
It hasn’t been announced yet how many films will be made, and all that is known is that Netflix is planning to make multiple productions.
Adaptations of the books have been made many times over the decades. A film version of the fourth book, The Silver Chair, was set to start filming this year under Disney with director Joe Johnston and producer Mark Gordon. But, it looks like this new Netflix deal will be taking over. Mark Gordon will still be involved in the project.
It’s no surprise that more streaming services are looking to capitalize on the success of fantasy series such as Game of Thrones. Netflix is also planning to adapt the popular television series Avatar: The Last Airbender. And Amazon is working on creating a prequel adaptation of The Lord of the Rings at this time.
There is a lot to speculate on as far as the adaptation is concerned. Since there are seven books in the series, is Netflix planning to make them all into films? This seems like the best way to do the books justice and set themselves apart from other recent adaptations.
It will also be curious to see what direction they take the tone of the series. As we’ve seen recently, Netflix has taken some beloved childhood characters such as Anne of Green Gables and Sabrina the Teenage Witch to create adaptations that are slightly darker in tone. So, it will be interesting to see if Netflix tries to gear towards an older audience, or if they mean to keep the adaptation in line with others that have been done in the past.
Are you excited about this new adaptation, or are you tired of multiple adaptations of the same series being made so quickly?