If you're a "Narnia" fan like me, you're well aware of a character from "The Last Battle" called "Tashlan."
Tash was a bird-like deity that represented what is effectively the opposite of Aslan. In the final book, the antagonists in the series attempt to conflate Tash and Aslan, the true God of Narnia, by telling everyone that Tash and Aslan were one and the same. Thus the name "Tashlan." The point, of course, wasn't to just conflate the two, but to push Aslan out of the picture and redefine him so that the Narnians began following a God they thought they trusted but was actually something else entirely.
When the first images of Netflix's "Aslan" were released, it immediately created a firestorm of controversy. Aslan had feathers and scales. He looked like a lion, but this was no lion. It was an amalgamation of things made to look like one. It didn't take long before people were referring to this Aslan as "Tashlan," and it only confirmed to many that Greta Gerwig and Netflix were about to create a version of "Narnia" that wasn't Narnia; it just bore its name.
Then the first trailer dropped, and everyone's fears of a modernized bastardization of a beloved story were, once again, confirmed.
The first trailer for Greta Gerwig's ‘NARNIA’ has been released. In theaters on February 12, 2027. https://t.co/k7MU0V2Z1A
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) October 13, 2026
I won't go into everything that's wrong with this, because I'd be here all day.
Instead, I'm going to point out that this little rendition of "Narnia" is already circling the toilet bowl according to recent reports. As Geeks & Gamers recently reported:
According to entertainment insider Jeff Sneider of The InSneider, sources familiar with the production claim that Netflix executives are increasingly concerned about Gerwig's interpretation of C.S. Lewis's beloved fantasy series. One source reportedly described the film as "awful," while another characterized the situation as "a genuine problem."
The allegations come at a particularly uncomfortable moment for Netflix, which has invested heavily in Gerwig's vision following the enormous commercial success of Barbie.
And if the latest reports are accurate, the streaming giant may be discovering that spending hundreds of millions of dollars on a recognizable intellectual property does not automatically produce another blockbuster.
I feel like this is a lesson they should've learned more than a dozen IPs ago, but after some very thorough research and years of pattern recognition, I've come to the conclusion that the people at Netflix may not be that smart.
What's wrong with it? If the follow-up comment is any indication, it's hollow, boring, and meaningless:
According to World of Reel's October 14 report, an individual who attended the screening compared Gerwig's film to Disney's notorious 2018 fantasy adaptation A Wrinkle in Time.
That comparison is hardly encouraging.
Directed by Ava DuVernay, A Wrinkle in Time was another expensive attempt to transform a beloved children's fantasy novel into a modern Hollywood spectacle. Despite its recognizable cast and considerable marketing campaign, the film became a major financial disappointment.
Sneider's source reportedly described a deflated atmosphere following the Narnia screening, with the disappointing response allegedly contributing to Netflix's decision to authorize additional filming.
That additional filming was something I reported on in August, but it was downplayed as routine at the time. As I pointed out, the fact that it wasn't Gerwig calling for reshoots and refinements, but Netflix itself, hinted that this production wasn't going well. It seems I was right.
But they can reshoot all they want. It won't make a lick of difference. I know exactly why it's not feeling cohesive and insubstantial, and it's because Netflix and Gerwig ripped the heart out of the story, and that's the Christian aspects within it.
You cannot have "Narnia" without God. There is no Aslan without Christ.
C.S. Lewis made that very clear. Aslan is Jesus. Jesus is Aslan. You cannot separate the two and still have the story be the same. The entire foundation of "Narnia" is Christian. Strip it out, and it's no longer "Narnia." It's a fantasy land with similarly named characters with some of the same story beats, but it's not "Narnia." The morality of the heroes becomes something hollow and incomplete. The meaning behind the quests disappears entirely.
It's like ordering a steak dinner, and instead of steak, they gave you impossible meat.
But that said, I hope they continue on with this and release their Godless "Narnia." I want it to crash and burn so hard, and I want every company to see it happen. I want them to learn that if they can't do it properly, then don't touch it at all.
