As excitement for Greta Gerwig's The Chronicles of Narnia reboot movie series grows, the best and worst parts of C.S. Lewis' seminal children's fantasy series are brought to light. While there's a reason why the Narnia works are still so popular, there are still aspects of the novels that Gerwig will have to take liberties with when adapting them to the screen. The original Disney movies are a nostalgic addition to the franchise, but Gerwig has the opportunity to fully translate the books into film format while making some changes to update the story.

reboot must avoid many problems, but it will be difficult to tackle the issues inherent to the books. While reading the Narnia novels, sometimes the way the world works and the rules of the magic system can be hard to follow. This is a major pitfall, as one of the most important parts of a fantasy series is the establishment of lore. Once the audience understands how the magical universe works, they can focus on the characters and the development of the plot. Moving forward, Narnia needs to focus on this aspect of the narrative.

The Lack Of World-Building Is One Of The Biggest Problems With The Narnia Books

This will be one of Greta Gerwig's biggest hurdles in her adaptation

While Narnia is a richly imagined world, Lewis left something to be desired in his descriptions of the universe and the rules of Narnia. The novels jump around in the timeline and aren't released in chronological order. This makes it tough to keep track of what piece of information was dropped and where in the books the characters learned about it. The more minute details that flesh out a world like Narnia were less important for Lewis, as the author was more concerned with the story's allegory rather than providing information about the other lands in the realm.

One of the today is how Lewis doesn't go far enough in explaining how the world of Narnia works. Of course, Narnia is a children's series and shouldn't have the expansive world-building of a series like The Lord of the Rings or The Wheel of Time, but that doesn't mean everything can be left up to the imagination. While having no hard magic systems and knowledge about Narnia's many inhabitants meant Lewis could introduce new characters and plot points whenever he wanted, this also led to confusion and a lack of depth.

Greta Gerwig's Chronicles Of Narnia Reboot May Not Have Time To Expand The World

The movies will already have to include parts of the books the original movies omitted

Every installment of Gerwig's reboot will have a lot of ground to cover, as for some viewers, these movies might be their first introduction to Narnia. The order of the movies' releases is still up in the air, as she could opt to go in chronological order, which would put The Magician's Nephew first. Unfortunately, it's more likely that she'll tackle The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe first because it's the most well-known. This is too bad, as starting with The Magician's Nephew would help establish the lore of Narnia from the beginning, which is something that Narnia needs.

It will be a challenge for Gerwig to incorporate the parts of the book that weren't included in the older movies while adding pieces of necessary world-building without making the films too long.

Many of the best high fantasy TV shows and movies find clever ways of incorporating world-building and exposition seamlessly into the plot. Since the Pevensies are new to Narnia in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, having them ask even more questions and push further into the background of Narnia would help with the necessary expansion of lore. However, it will be a challenge for Gerwig to incorporate the parts of the book that weren't included in the older movies while adding pieces of necessary world-building without making the films too long.

This Challenge Proves The Chronicles Of Narnia Is Better Suited For Television

Adapting Narnia for TV might be even more effective

It's surprising that Netflix isn't opting to turn the Narnia remake into a TV show rather than a movie franchise. More often than not, fantasy projects work better as TV shows because there's so much lore and exposition to get through, especially with projects based on books. Utilizing a TV format would give the Narnia remake the chance to take its time and dedicate entire episodes to familiarizing the audience with the magic of Narnia. Additionally, the viewer could spend more time with the Pevensies before they enter the wardrobe, which would solidify their bonds and relationship dynamics.

There is no confirmed release date for the Chronicles of Narnia reboot.

The recent trend of adapting fantasy universes into television has been growing in popularity. TV remake is gaining traction, and other fantasy shows have proven very successful. Since Gerwig is a film director first, it makes sense that she wouldn't be interested in tackling a television version of The Chronicles of Narnia. However, other great movie directors have transitioned to TV with Netflix, like David Fincher with Mindhunter. Hopefully, Gerwig and Netflix have an airtight plan for developing the story's world while maintaining interest in the narrative.