The Netflix adaptation of Narnia has been something many Narnia fans have been dreading for some time, and for good reason. From day one, it's been pitched as "not your grandmother's Narnia," complete with rock 'n' roll and a female Aslan played by a woman who once called Harvey Weinstein "God."
It was supposed to begin with the first book in the Narnia timeline, "The Magician's Nephew," released in late 2026. However, that was pushed back to early 2027 for reasons that weren't clearly known. My best guess at the time was that Netflix watched "The Rings of Power" become one of the most detested shows in the world and, more importantly, become a massive loss on Amazon's billion-dollar investment.
READ: I've Got Good News and Bad News About Netflix's 'Narnia' Adaptation
Now, according to ThatParkPlace, it would appear there's more happening that signals bad news for the production:
Netflix ordered reshoots after the movie received mixed reactions during test screenings. Gerwig reportedly attended a screening in Paramus, New Jersey, to observe the audience’s response.
The screening reportedly featured an unfinished two-hour cut with incomplete visual effects, making it difficult to determine how closely the presentation resembled Gerwig’s intended final product. Regardless, the audience’s reaction appears to have been less than enthusiastic.
Hollywood scooper Jeff Sneider went further, claiming that Narnia “hasn’t been testing as well as Netflix hoped.”
Neither Netflix nor Gerwig has publicly confirmed that the current filming was prompted by disappointing test scores.
Now, these reshoots are apparently light. No cast has been called back, according to any report, but the key here is that these reshoots aren't being called for by director Greta Gerwig ("Barbie"). These are studio decisions being made, not artistic ones from the creator. Moreover, I think it's interesting that Ciaran Hinds has joined the cast, speculating that the Streep casting was, indeed, just a strong rumor and that Hinds is actually going to play Aslan. A casting that some see as a way to kill the rumor that was damaging the hype the most.
I think we're seeing Netflix getting worried, if you ask me, and they should be.
This Narnia production walks a very thin wire, because it has some serious issues even before the gates open. Most of those issues are self-inflicted by Netflix, which has a horrible track record of live-action adaptations. "Cowboy Bebop" was a bust, its attempt at an "Electric State" movie was a bomb, and even its own mega-hits like "Stranger Things" crashed and burned under the weight of Netflix's own bad socio-political habits.
Then, of course, there were the adaptations outside of their control, and this is where Netflix's uphill battle truly is. Great fantasy epics have been beaten to death by writers who don't care about the source material. They abused and perverted Tolkien's Middle-Earth; Disney has gone above and beyond to ruin worlds like Willow and Star Wars, not to mention their own classic vault. "The Wheel of Time" was so bad that many people forgot Amazon ever adapted it. Then, of course, there was the big culture war over "The Odyssey."
Narnia sits on one of the top rungs as one of Western civilization's stories that help define it. Corrupting it, like others have been corrupted, is expected, and that is sorely working against Netflix right now. Netflix will have to truly get this one right in so many ways, not just to overcome its own hurdles, but everyone else's.
The world has corruption fatigue in the artistic world, and Netflix is one of the companies that gave it to us. If they want to be taken seriously as a company worthy of our attention when it comes to adapting things, then this has to be nothing short of perfect. Gerwig can, of course, take some liberties and introduce a tinge of style to it. That's fine, but it has to be respectful to the story.
If it's not, then Narnia is dead in the water, and Netflix will deserve the massive financial backlash that will follow.
