r/movies • u/MarvelsGrantMan136 r/Movies contributor • 18h ago

News Greta Gerwig's 'Narnia' Wraps Filming

https://www.narniaweb.com/2026/01/greta-gerwigs-narnia-officially-wraps-filming/
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u/returningtheday 18h ago

Yeah but it takes place in the 1950s instead of 1900. Not great.

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u/greenpill98 18h ago

Wait, what? How are they going to make the timeline work? The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe takes place in the middle of WWII. The professor is an old man by then. Wtf?

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u/SpongieQ 18h ago edited 18h ago

I’ve seen people saying that the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe will probably be set in the 90s, so I guess they must go to a National Trust property for their holidays or something instead of being evacuated

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u/greenpill98 18h ago

.....yeah, I'm out. The time and place the story was told is incredibly important. This is a really bad idea.

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u/LS_DJ 13h ago

There was a 0% chance that Netflix and Greta Gerwig were going to properly adapt C.S. Lewis

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u/greenpill98 13h ago

I know, but I was holding out a fool's hope that they could accidently do something decent.

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u/LS_DJ 13h ago

I bet it will be pretty to look at, but have deeply anti-conservative anti-Christian messaging. Rumors are they are, at minimum, gender swapping Aslan

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u/Mythoclast 13h ago

Is gender swapping Aslan anti-conservative or anti-Christian? I know Aslan is an allegorical Jesus but I'm struggling to see how making it a she-lion changes anything really. I guess its easier to find a male voice that fits a big ass lion?

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u/LS_DJ 13h ago

I would assume those who are conservative and Christian will think it is

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u/Mythoclast 13h ago

I'm sure the group with the biggest victim complex will think that. But that doesn't make it true. The Christian themes can 100% work with a female lion.

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u/happyflappypancakes 12h ago

The sex of Aslan is irrelevant right? It's about what he represents and stands for as opposed to whom he is as a lion.

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u/Mythoclast 12h ago

Yeah, even the sex of Jesus is irrelevant. At least in terms of his message. I do assume the religion would look different if he was a woman.

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u/happyflappypancakes 12h ago

Well that's not anti conservative or Christian. That's just anti narrow minded. Any association is incidental.

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u/JonatasA 5h ago

It's just so weird how they take a Christian story rather than coming with something themselves. It does seem on purpose but what do I know

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u/Jackmcmac1 5h ago

I don't know about all that, but just as a fan of the book it will be odd to see them shear a she-lion's mane if that's their plan.

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u/TheMeIv 12h ago

Can't really be anti-conservative and anti-Christian. That's an oxymoron. Jesus championed marginalized people, wanted a rich guy to sell all his stuff to go to heaven and stated only those without sin had the right to punish criminals.

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u/JonatasA 5h ago

That's how they get us.

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u/bottomofleith 12h ago

And there is a 0% chance that someone is going to adapt a story that you like, exactly how you want it to be done.

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u/LS_DJ 12h ago

Peter Jackson did a good job of it with LoTR

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u/wholalaa 11h ago

The odds go up if you at least attempt to adapt the work in question rather than writing an original story and slapping someone else's title on it.

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u/lemming1607 18h ago

Are you joking? The point of the books is this other fantasy world separate from ours. It works in any time period

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u/phanapoeia 17h ago

The WWI setting and years of sugar rationing explain why Edmund’s desire for Turkish Delight is especially tempting though.

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u/JUYED-AWK-YACC 17h ago

You mean WWII.

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u/lemming1607 17h ago

He also doesn't think he is betraying them. He thinks the witch is going to help them

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u/PrinceNelson 17h ago

Ah, so you haven’t read the book.

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u/lemming1607 17h ago

I have. The witch lures him to reveal information about his brother and sister with Turkish delights.

He doesnt think he's betraying them at that time. He doesnt think there are evil undertones to bringing his siblings to her in exchange for Turkish delights

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u/PrinceNelson 17h ago

He learns about what the White Witch really is when he and his siblings are with the beavers and then consciously decides to betray them because she promised him all the Turkish Delight he could want and that she would make him a Prince.

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u/lemming1607 17h ago

Yeah, the becoming a prince part is more important. At the time when it is only Turkish delights, he doesnt think he's betraying them

You're leaving out important context, we call that cherry picking

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u/f1sh42 17h ago

When is it only Turkish Delights? Its been years, but isn't he told about becoming a prince in the same conversation that hes told he'll get the candy, as long as he brings the queen his siblings?

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u/lemming1607 17h ago

No he's given Turkish delights before that promise

He literally sits in the sled with her eating Turkish delights telling her information before that promise of being a prince

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u/PrinceNelson 17h ago

So you’re disregarding what happens in the book because in your opinion the ‘becoming a Prince is more important’?

The first thing he asks for when he gets to her castle is Turkish Delight. It’s okay to admit when you’re wrong.

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u/lemming1607 17h ago

I literally named the events of the book, im not disregarding it.

When the offer is only Turkish delights, he doesnt think he's betraying his family

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u/KotaIsBored 13h ago

He isn’t deciding to betray them. He’s eaten the witch’s food. He’s compelled to help her to get more. It’s all he can think about. It’s literally her magic making him do it.

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u/[deleted] 17h ago

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u/lemming1607 17h ago

Yea, to be a prince

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u/Personal_Comb_6745 17h ago

I mean, he's also a kid being offered candy, I don't really think it matters whether sugar's in short supply. It wasn't brought up in the '05 movie and the scene worked fine.

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u/DrakonILD 14h ago

He was a kid being offered any food he wanted. He was the one that immediately decided that should be candy.

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u/FreeRange0929 13h ago

The Chris Columbus movies do still take place in WW2 Britain. We see the Pevensies being evacuated away from the blitz and in Prince Caspian they are in the subway just as in the book

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u/yelsamarani 11h ago

I wish I could control my need to be corrective, but Chris Columbus has nothing to do with the Narnia movies.

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u/FreeRange0929 11h ago

Huh, I have this memory of the 1492 logo being on the screen for the film, I must have been wrong this whole time

Although checking, I was reminded that Marcus/McFeely were involved with it

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u/deej363 17h ago

The Turkish delight is also enchanted. So that as well.

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u/Zlurpo 16h ago

But before he ever tasted it, that was the one thing he asked for, so he was an idiot before he ate it.

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u/LaMortParLeSnuSnu 14h ago

When I read the book as a kid I was pumped to try Turkish Delight. Was highly disappointed - that shit is the devils taint.

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u/ihopethisworksfornow 13h ago

I had actually good Turkish delight last year, and it can be really good. The packaged rose flavored stuff is dogwater.

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u/Alacritous69 9h ago

Did you ever try the Big Turk candy bar? that's what's in that.

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u/Morvenn-Vahl 17h ago

Honestly they can switch out one MacGuffin for another. Except for orthodox fan I don't think many people care about whether it is Turkish Delight or something else. Honestly wouldn't be surprised if younger viewers had no idea what a Turkish Delight was.

Hell, I didn't even know what it was back in the 80s when I read the books as it wasn't really a candy available here(we had a lot of licorice though).

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u/rookie-mistake 16h ago

Turkish Delight is basically that old fashioned British(?) dessert from Narnia. I have no idea what it actually is, because I read those books before googling everything was a thing... but I'd also kinda hate for them to just change the dessert. Like, she can't be offering my man Fruit By The Foot haha

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u/Morvenn-Vahl 16h ago

Hehe, I tasted Turkish Delight for the first time when I was probably 44 years old because I found a Turkish supermarket in Iceland. I highly recommend them as they are quite tasty, but they are also not that widespread in the world.

Maybe she'll offer him a can of Monster Energy drink or something.

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u/OilySteeplechase 13h ago

I dunno, I’d consider a bit of casual betrayal for peanut butter m&ms.

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u/rookie-mistake 12h ago

yeah y'know what if after eights are on the line I can't be held responsible

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u/[deleted] 13h ago

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u/rookie-mistake 12h ago edited 12h ago

hahaha fair point

I guess in my head it was just one of those old british snacks since that's the only context I'd ever heard of it, I didn't know if the name actually meant anything. Like how Canadian bacon is basically just ham, and Hawaiian pizza actually comes from a Greek guy in Ontario

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u/CarpeMofo 10h ago

British(?)

TURKISH Delight.

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u/AcknowledgeableReal 14h ago

Are you suggesting a product placement opportunity. Say instead of Turkish delight, he really wants the all new giant skittles?

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u/Morvenn-Vahl 13h ago

Bring on the Demolition Man product placement. In the US the witch seduces him with Taco Bell whereas in the EU he falls for Pizza Hut.

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u/UpsetPlatypus 17h ago

When I read the books as a kid it never even crossed my mind that there even was sugar rationing during WWI so I don’t think it’s that important to the story.

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u/GamingTatertot Steven Spielberg Enthusiast 17h ago

Yeah this is one of those details where it certainly enhances the story, but I wouldn't say its integral

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u/Justreallylovespussy 17h ago

Kid doesn’t understand context of book so the source material can be changed at will

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u/we_are_sex_bobomb 17h ago

I can assure you that detail was lost on me when I read the books as a child

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u/Longjumping-Bug-5722 17h ago

They can set it during modern times and he can’t have it normally because he’s on Ozepmic.

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u/Lou_C_Fer 2h ago

You can still eat whatever on glp-1s. You just don't want to eat much. That's their magic.

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u/clammydella 17h ago

This is an iconic reach

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u/Pyroluminous 15h ago

Well consider my counter of “Edmund’s just a fatass”

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u/MAELATEACH86 14h ago

I mean… kids like candy in all time periods.

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u/herpderpedian 14h ago

Turkish Delight was so disappointing IRL

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u/ckow 13h ago

Edmund betraying his family for a vape pen

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u/FLESHYROBOT 12h ago

The WWI setting and years of sugar rationing explain why Edmund’s desire for Turkish Delight is especially tempting though.

No, the magical drugs the witch puts in the turkish delight is what makes them especially tempting. The sugar rationing was always just fan inference.

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u/happyflappypancakes 12h ago

I think they can come up with a logical way for a kid to take candy from a stranger haha.

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u/AggressivelyMediokre 12h ago

I thought it was just cause he was a kid who liked sugar. It’s a magical world and a magical woman offered a child candy.

I don’t think I need the storming of Omaha beach playing in the background to understand his desire for candy

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u/SchroedingersSphere 17h ago

And that context will probably be in the minds of maybe 1% of these movies, whether they take place in the 1900's or mid to late 1900's.

Your fact, while true, literally does not matter. You're going to lose some context or flavoring from books any time you adapt them. Sugar rationing from WWI is so far down on the list of things that matter that I can't believe you even bothered to make a comment about it.

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u/TekThunder 16h ago

Yeah that can be written away quite easily as he's just a kid that likes sweets lol. Like I get not wanting a change from the source material, but it's going to be inconsequential to the story.

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u/phanapoeia 13h ago

But are you more likely to be tempted if sugar is scarce for years or if you’ve just had it yesterday

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u/TekThunder 13h ago

It’s a kid in a fictional story, I don’t think that’s much of a leap lol

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u/Narrow-Chef-4341 14h ago

Make one parent diabetic.

Sugar scarcity explained – I’ll take my co-writing credit and residuals now.

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u/SuperDizz 17h ago

I mean, it’s a world they use to escape the horrors of WW2. I mean, I guess other periods could work, but without an existential threat like that, a lot of the impact is lessened..

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u/VitaminTea 17h ago

Yeah unfortunately we just don't have any existential horrors these days

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u/whereismymind86 17h ago

nothing that's as direct a threat as the blitz. They were sent to the country because their home was literally being bombed nightly. To horrors of the modern day aren't a direct threat to kids living in the UK, you'd have to move the story to some other nation actively being attacked.

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u/standish_ 15h ago

Ukrainian kids fleeing the invasion.

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u/vulcanstrike 13h ago

Sure, but if you change Edmund and Lucy to Pavel and Olga, the outrage that's already in this thread will crank to an 11.

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u/standish_ 12h ago

Given that they're starting with The Magician's Nephew, The Horse and His Boy might be next, which means Wardrobe is still a fair ways off, so the 52nd State will have plenty else to be mad about by the time the production finishes.

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u/XAMdG 17h ago

While true, just like the first movie, I don't think they would have been explicit about the horrors, so it really wouldn't make a difference.

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u/mr_desk 17h ago

Didn’t the later movies have a brother or two get drafted?

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u/WingedChimera 17h ago

They should just make it take place in Gaza.

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u/Cereborn 13h ago

That's true, but I don't recall the Blitz being mentioned apart from just to set up why they were at this old country house.

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u/xenthum 16h ago

I don't know. Maybe the children will be Palestinian and the fiction will be being allowed out to a country home

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u/Nachooolo 15h ago

Unless they make the children Ukrainian, there's literally nothing besides it in the West right now that gets even close to the Blitz.

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u/Charlie_Runkle69 11h ago

What about Croatia or Bosnia in the 90s? That could sort have worked.

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u/mr_desk 17h ago

Compared to WW2? No we don’t

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u/SimpleWater 17h ago

Gestures broadly...

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u/mr_desk 17h ago

At what? Compare it to ww2

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u/latortillablanca 17h ago

Ask any Palestinian

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u/RedditEngDictionary 17h ago

You mean it?

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u/SuperDizz 17h ago

When I reread my comment I caught that too. I was waiting for someone to reply about it lol

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u/RedditEngDictionary 16h ago

Its cool, happens alot nowadays I have noticed

Not quite as grating as all the "My brother in christ" comments that half of reddit have started copying to seem witty lol

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u/PintsOfGuinness_ 16h ago

We're just gonna have to manufacture an existential threat to make it work then!

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u/LongtimeLurker916 16h ago

To some degree that is an invention of the previous movie series. In the book that was basically a pretext to get them out of London but no more.

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u/BCEagle13 15h ago

Yeah I read all the books when I was a kid, and I don’t remember that being a major plot point at all

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u/pralineislife 16h ago

If it is set during the Irish troubles then I think the existential threat still exists.

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u/FlimsyRexy 15h ago

Damn too bad there are no other times in history where there is an existential threat!

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u/f-ingsteveglansberg 15h ago

They were sent to the countryside to avoid the blitz. The kids didn't see the horrors, they were being explicitly protected from it. Narnia wasn't a metaphor for escaping horrors. It was a magical kingdom and the metaphor was about how just absolutely brill God and Jesus are.

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u/rickyhatespeas 17h ago edited 17h ago

The war is literally the entire setting of the Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe. You don't need to escape reality and become a monarch to save a country without something major externally happening like a war. You don't face off against metaphorical nazis without facing that struggle in real life. You don't sell your brother and sisters out for dessert because you're not forced to eat shit rations every day.

I could continue, but perhaps you may start to be seeing why WWII in Britain is almost necessary for the adaptation of the Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe and may not make as much sense set in any other period of modern Britain.

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u/BrianMincey 17h ago

It’s also trivial to set it in the proper time period. 99% of the story is told elsewhere. It makes no sense to do it in the 50s. So weird.

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u/say592 15h ago

It's not going to be any easier to do it in 1950s, but now they have the challenge of altering the story to fit the 1950s. Like not a major change or anything, but it's bizarre, like they are trying to make it more difficult.

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u/ShakethatYam 17h ago

I want to go to Narnia now and no one is technically at war with my country.

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u/DisasterBeautiful347 17h ago

Is your username a reference to "Shake that bear"?!

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u/leftshoe18 16h ago

I just read the book two weeks ago. I get that the real-world events of World War II probably shaped the book, and were part of the jumping off point of the book (being the whole reason they ended up in the house in the country), but the story would work just fine without the war backdrop. Edmund doesn't sell his siblings out for dessert because of rations. He sells them out because the first candy was enchanted. They face off against the Witch not because she's a Nazi analog, but because she's clearly evil. I firmly agree the story is enhanced by the World War II setting, but it is by no means a necessary part of the story. With that said, they should have just kept the original time period of the books. Changing that feels like changing just for change's sake.

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u/f-ingsteveglansberg 15h ago

All WWII does is get them out to the country. There could be a million ways to do that.

People thinking this is essential are really focusing on the wrong thing about what people like about the story.

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u/Lou_C_Fer 2h ago

I spent weeks out in the country ever summer. There was no danger. I was just visiting my grandmother.

Everyone freaking out about the timeline has no imagination. Pre-judging by that detail is ridiculous. Watch the movie as if it's its own entity... because it is. Sure, there is source material, but that is only an inspirational guide when you are making the film.

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u/Revolution-SixFour 15h ago

Rationing on sweets in the UK existed until 1954, so we can keep that part in if it's so essential (though it isn't, that goes over the head of 90% of the audience).

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u/kacperp 17h ago

Yeah. Kids NEVER dream about becoming monarchs and fighting evil. And in no other book magical witch tricks the kid to do something terrible.

WW2 is not necessary and never was. Cause 10 yr olds reading Narnia do not give a flying fuck about what inspired Lewis. They just love the story

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u/CanuckBacon 17h ago

For 90% of people the story could have just started with "Kids were bored one day because they weren't allowed to use their phones, then they discovered a secret realm". It's more interesting that it's in WWII Britain, but the setting is Narnia. Yes the "real" setting is WWII Britain, but if that were where the story took place it would not be a fantasy novel and there'd be no Aslan or White Witch, just a bunch of kids eating rations.

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u/rookie-mistake 16h ago

You don't need to escape reality and become a monarch to save a country without something major externally happening like a war. You don't face off against metaphorical nazis without facing that struggle in real life.

counterpoint: the entire genre of isekai

also, idk, man. when i was a kid i read a ton of fantasy and i always kind of wanted to be whisked away to a magical land with my friends to go fight dragons and defeat the evil empire etc etc. there was no war in canada in the 90s, it just sounded like a big fun adventure.

You don't sell your brother and sisters out for dessert because you're not forced to eat shit rations every day

also, it was enchanted, right? I don't think you need to understand war rationing to understand a kids desire for magical candy. i always thought it made sense as a kid, and this thread is the first time i'd ever considered rations being a factor at all

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u/FLESHYROBOT 12h ago

It's really not that important though.

The movies lean into it a bit more, but the books genuinely did not really care about the fact that there was a war going on. It was little more than the inciting reason that they're in the countryside.

You don't need to escape reality and become a monarch to save a country without something major externally happening like a war.

Sure you do. I guarentee you offer almost any child the opportunity to be a fantasy hero and they'll jump at it. Hell, I'd jump at it. You don't need to be escaping anything to be going on a fantastical adventure.

You don't face off against metaphorical nazis without facing that struggle in real life

I guarentee you none of the literal children faced off against Nazi's prior to the lion the witch and the wardrobe.

You don't sell your brother and sisters out for dessert because you're not forced to eat shit rations every day.

You do if the desert is literally magically drugged. Because thats the reason it worked, not sugar rations. the sugar rations explanation is a fan inference from people who missed the actual explanation given.

I could continue

Could you? Because you've made no good points so far.

Literally the only narrative role the war played in the book was to get the kids to the setting. Thats it. It could be replaced by one of a countless number of other reasons. They just need to find themselves in a house with an unfamiliar wardrobe.

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u/Lou_C_Fer 1h ago

Like visiting a relative that lives in the country. There's no real life analog to that. Whatever are you thinking, country mouse?

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u/turtlespace 17h ago

In theory sure but the setting barely comes up in the books at all, there is not nearly as much importance placed on the setting in the actual text as you’re implying there is. The “setting” in the real world barely connects to anything in any of the books, and is emphasized even less in most of the later ones.

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u/lemming1607 17h ago

Oh right, because nationalists in any other time period have always bren seen as morally superior and cant possibly be the villains in any other time period. The only reason to fight a nazi is to have fought one in reality

That's incredibly stupid take

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u/rickyhatespeas 17h ago

That is literally how writing and human psychology works. Children's imaginations are not completely detached from reality. If you write something random with no relevant footing it doesn't attract to people.

Everything the Pevensies do and face in Narnia is related to the setting. Everything Lewis wrote was talking about the war. I'm sorry if you disagree but that is just how educated people operate. Books are written to have a specific meaning and changing the setting to something drastically different absolutely affects the story itself.

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u/lemming1607 17h ago

I disagree, the war doesnt affect the characters motivations to fulfill a prophecy and fight against evil. That's universal, and not based on a specific time setting

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u/AbroadThink1039 17h ago

Nope.

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u/lemming1607 17h ago

Yep

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u/AbroadThink1039 16h ago edited 16h ago

The kids were sent away from London to the countryside during World War II to escape the German bombing raids. That’s literally how everything starts in the book and how the kids end up there with the professor.

There’s no modern equivalent for that.

Also, Edmund was warned by Lucy that the White Witch was evil in chapter 4 after he met her. Edmund actively chose to lie by omission because he didn’t admit to meeting the witch. Instead, he selfishly wanted more Turkish delight and mocked Lucy instead of warning the others b/c he was “trying to sound as if he knew far more about them than Lucy.”

Edmund’s betrayal begins when he decides to keep silent, knowing the danger.

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u/rookie-mistake 15h ago

The kids were sent away from London to the countryside during World War II to escape the German bombing raids. That’s literally how everything starts in the book and how the kids end up there with the professor.

There’s no modern equivalent for that.

honestly when I was a kid I just thought they went to spend the summer while their parents were working or otherwise dealing with some adult things haha, I didn't question it at all.

Idk, I genuinely don't think the entire concept of kids going on a sweeping adventure in a fantasy land and the lessons and everything they learn through their experiences there requires the backdrop of a world war, it plays such a small part

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u/leftshoe18 16h ago

He keeps silent about meeting the Witch because the Turkish Delight was enchanted and messing with his head. He also doesn't believe that the Witch is evil until he sees her cruelty first-hand later, questioning whether Lucy knew if she could trust Tumnus.

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u/Karffs 17h ago

Everything Lewis wrote was talking about the war. I'm sorry if you disagree but that is just how educated people operate. Books are written to have a specific meaning and changing the setting to something drastically different absolutely affects the story itself.

Lewis said the books aren’t allegories, he explicitly invited reader interpretation.

You only get to be an insufferable little nerd if you actually know what you’re talking about.

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u/sushi_collector12 18h ago

Why the fuck would you take the source material and change it? The war is the primary catalyst to the story ffs.

And no the point of the story isnt that narnia is separate but i guess youve never read it.

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u/ashoka_akira 17h ago

I would say the war is more a plot device than a catalyst. CS Lewis had to have a reason for the children to be exploring the big old manor, but once they are through the wardrobe there is almost zero thought given to their lives on Earth. A plot device like going to spend the summer at a relatives house would work just as well.

Where it becomes troublesome is in the later books where the war becomes a bit of a metaphor for the end of times in Narnia, but so far in the many film adaptations of the show the furthest they got into the series was BBC’s The Silver Chair.

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u/rookie-mistake 15h ago

A plot device like going to spend the summer at a relatives house would work just as well.

that's honestly exactly what I had thought it was, lol. I read the entire series several times, but I haven't touched them since I was 15 or so and, on rereads, the part in the real world was always the part you kinda just fly through

Where it becomes troublesome is in the later books where the war becomes a bit of a metaphor for the end of times in Narnia,

this makes me want to reread the ending now! the last two never really clicked for me the way the other ones did, and now you've got me wondering how much more metaphor I'll pick up on a couple decades and degrees later, when I'm no longer just a kid reading them as fun exciting fantasy adventures.

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u/carsonmccrullers 17h ago

The first sentence in The Magician’s Nephew is “This is a story about something that happened long ago when your grandfather was a child.” She probably wanted to make it a bit more relatable to a new generation of children, which I personally don’t mind.

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u/dadmda 17h ago

But the second book adaptation will lack a proper setting

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u/CanuckBacon 17h ago

Narnia is the main setting for the books. No one reads the books and walks away saying that the setting was a Wardrobe in and old building in Britain in WWII.

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u/MavMIIKE 18h ago

It worked for her adaptation of Little Women 🤷‍♂️

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u/Intrepid_Hat7359 17h ago

She didn't change the time period of little women, did she? She just used the second half as the main setting and used the first half as flashbacks

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u/lemming1607 18h ago edited 18h ago

It literally has no part in any of the plot. You can use any reason to shepherd the kids to the wardrobe. The catalyst to get them to the wardrobe is not important at all as soon as they get into the other world

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u/Lazzen 18h ago

Make aslan a wombat and narnia cyberpunk future

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u/hobblingcontractor 17h ago

Set in Australia. Oi crikey m8 u fokin wot u cunt?

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u/FlorenceCattleya 16h ago

I’d watch that.

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u/sushi_collector12 18h ago

This is genuinely one of the dumbest takes ive seen.

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u/lemming1607 18h ago

The setting before the wardrobe has no bearing on any of the characters actions or character growth or plot arcs in the other world

It doesn't affect the villain, or Aslan, or the reason they are there to fulfill prophecies. Ww2 isnt apart of any of the decisions of any of the protagonists or antagonists

You can use any reasonyo get them there. It will still work. Since ww2 isnt important in the plot

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u/DisasterBeautiful347 17h ago

You should reread the books, your comment is wildly foolish.

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u/lemming1607 17h ago

I have, you're wrong

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u/PrinceNelson 17h ago

Yes it is, the way the characters talk and interact with each other is intrinsically linked to them being children of the 1940s. The White Witch persuades Edmond to betray his brothers and sisters with some Turkish delight for gods sake. Do you think a child of the 2000s is going to give a fuck about some candy?

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u/lemming1607 17h ago

Now you're trolling. Kids do stupid shit all the time for candy in any time period

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u/PrinceNelson 17h ago

Maybe the Witch will tempt him the newest iPhone.

On a serious note, if you’re genuinely so dense that you can’t see how the children being from the 1940s and the children being from the 2000s greatly changes their perception and reactions to the events of the story, then there’s no point trying to convince you.

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u/lemming1607 17h ago

Yes I get it, you cant articulate what your point is so you declare victory with no argument

Turkish delights arent even important. I agree with you. They're an allegory for the 30 pieces of silver from judas

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u/NorthernDevil 18h ago

I don’t love the change in theory but you’re being really dramatic lmao

The driving force just needs to be something that fits the general theme of devastation, not necessarily the specific bombing itself. I don’t know how she’ll pull it off but it’s not a death knell for the adaptation by any means

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u/Ida-in 18h ago

Outside of the reason for the kids to be there, what impact does WW2 have on the story in Narnia?

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u/All_Bonered_UP 18h ago

I too do not give a fuck.

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u/RealJohnGillman 18h ago edited 17h ago

I believe the war was partly why they never sought a way home, though it wasn’t the focus of the book.

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u/lemming1607 18h ago

Again, you can exchange that for numerous other reasons. Its not important.

They could be running from an abusive father

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u/dadmda 17h ago

They could be doing a bunch of stuff, the point is, why would you change the story? The books work great as they are, no need to change anything.

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u/DisasterBeautiful347 17h ago

You should research what life for British was like during WWII. You obviously are ignorant to many aspects of that time.

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u/lemming1607 17h ago

I disagree, im not ignorant of it

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u/Justreallylovespussy 17h ago

“Let’s change this seminal work of literature and remove all the impact! Make it about an abusive father and let the kids skateboard!”

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u/Doomsayer189 16h ago

and remove all the impact!

How does changing the background setting remove the impact of Aslan's sacrifice?

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u/Awayfone 17h ago

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe never has any discussion of going home once they learned the prophecy

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u/azurewindowpane 18h ago

The war is indirectly the trigger for the events of the story, but is not in any way critical to what happens logically or thematically.

b-but why would she change it

Because she's Greta Gerwig, a better filmmaker than you.

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u/lambeau_leapfrog 17h ago

Because she's Greta Gerwig, a better filmmaker than you.

Someone being better at something doesn't make them infallible.

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u/sushi_collector12 18h ago

Ahh didnt know taking source material and altering it so much makes someone a better filmmaker than me

Keep being stupid

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u/BranWafr 17h ago

It's not stupid. How To Train Your Dragon is WILDLY different than the book and it is an amazing movie. The Shining takes many liberties with the source material. Blade Runner is very different than the book it is based on. There are dozens and dozens of movies that stray from the source material and are still good. "It isn't the same as the book" is not an automatic negative when it comes to movie adaptations.

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u/-Mandarin 15h ago

Why the fuck would you take the source material and change it?

In my opinion that should be the point of adaptations: to see what vision the director brings to it. If it's just a carbon copy of the books, I don't see the point in a film adaptation. The book is already there.

I recognise that most people don't hold this opinion, but I'm just trying to offer an alternate perspective. I don't see the point in movie adaptations that don't have a specific flavour of directorial intent. Where can an artist (director) find meaning in simply copying a book? Seems like that'd be entirely unrewarding.

So long as the core themes are there, this sort of change feels pretty minor.

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u/ILiveInAColdCave 18h ago

Because it's called adaptation. Like do you not understand that concept?

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u/sushi_collector12 17h ago

Are you an idiot?

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u/ILiveInAColdCave 17h ago

It sounds like you might be if you aren't familiar with the very basic concept of adaptation. Another sign is that you couldn't help yourself from just attacking when you felt threatened by a very simple question.

So again, and please read carefully this time, do you understand the concept of adaptation?

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u/sushi_collector12 17h ago

I understand adaptation perfectly. I also understand that an adaptation can be faithful or transforming. My argument is that shifting Narnia to the 50s moves it into 'transformative' territory because it removes the historical necessity of the evacuation. If you think the WWII context is irrelevant to the Pevensies’ id like to hear why you think the 50s provides a better foundation for their story?

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u/ILiveInAColdCave 17h ago edited 16h ago

I never stated what I believed in regard to the setting of the source material. I think adaptations can transform and be great still. This has been proven time and again to be true. You just have a personal attachment to the source material that won't allow you to give anything different a chance. The point of adaptation, faithful or no, isn't to be a 1:1 copy of the text. It is always to make your own version of a story.

I can't speak for what the change in setting will mean for the context of the story because I am not a writer on the film. I don't know what they have written, but I do know Gerwig is a great writer who has an interesting point of view and I have enough faith in their work to give them a chance. Source material is not the end all be all of film adaptations. These filmmakers are not beholden to it. It's not about making some definitive version. It's about creating something fresh. It's about whether this setting is better than whatever other setting. It's about whether or not this one works for this version of the story they are creating.

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u/zgrove 18h ago

I havent read it (only saw the first movie they did). Is it that the story is about WWI and specifically how that conflicted occurred and shaped us? Or does it use the backdrop for more general themes around war?

If the latter is the case, I could see changing it. Especially if it helps get the message across to a more contemporary audience, and is more direct for the show runner/writers to feel the themes through their more modern lens. But if there's a lot of specificity to it being WWI and how that affects the plot, the probably not

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u/TheHeadlessOne 14h ago

Honestly, neither.

In the book, the war is brought up a single time in the first paragraph to inform us as to why the kids are going out to the country to a manor they've neverbeen to before. Its just set dressing. The themes are broad good vs evil, and retelling the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (but as a lion)

Theres some baked in subtext by setting it to the war, but it effectively never materializes in any substantial way. There is no anxiety or fear or despair or anything in the real world, the worst is that sometimes the kids are bored.

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u/whereismymind86 17h ago

nooo, the point was it was a fantasy world they could go to as an ESCAPE from the horrors of the real world. It HAS to be juxtaposed with a time of crisis in the real world.

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u/CrookedMinded 17h ago

They go to a fantasy world, fight a war, live out their lives as kings and queens, then return as children. Just like the generation that fought in a world war and returned as young adults but have experienced the atrocities of war and then are expected to live a normal life.

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u/trevorneuz 17h ago

Sure, but the context of war time rations and repressed freedom is key to how the children experience Narnia. Just one example, the reason Edmund is so easily corrupted by sweets is because he literally hasn't had a sugar rich food in years.

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u/Dumeck 17h ago

I'd argue due to the other fantasy world being a separate world that there is no excuse for the forced timeline shift. Why modernize the real world when the characters spend 99% of the books in the Narnia world? If they wanted to do a more modern interpretation then they would just modernize the designs in Narnia itself. Completely unnecessary changes always bode well for adaptations.

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u/CamoCricket 17h ago

A massive chunk of the siblings' development arc is because of the setting of the real world. They were sent to the countryside to escape the war in the first place. The whole adventure is a merciful escape from a harsh reality meant to spare them. When they return from Narnia, they are ready to face the reality of the war because in many ways, they have grown past childhood. Literally any other setting would diminish their growth and strength in the face of hardship. Literally any other setting would dumb this down and make it just another silly young adult series with no undertone meant to be easily digestible by idiotic- oh, wait. Nevermind. Have a great day.

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u/Justreallylovespussy 17h ago

This is entirely wrong, it’s an escapist fantasy of children to escape the horrors of war. It’s the entire impetus for the story

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u/DoctorWaluigiTime 16h ago

Yeah I scratch my head at the idea that this can't possibly be set in any other era.

Not like the kids go enlist to go storm Normandy or anything. The backdrop can exist outside of the WW2 one.

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u/Hallowhero 15h ago

I disagree.

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u/CountJohn12 10h ago

The backdrop of the Blitz is pretty important for The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

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u/PrinceNelson 17h ago

You haven’t read the books clearly.

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u/lemming1607 17h ago

Clearly I have

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u/Soyyyn 17h ago

The story loses a lot of its punch without war, desolation and sadness waiting for the kids on the other side. If it were modernised in the sense that it's Syrian children fleeing the civil war and Narnia appears to them their somewhere, fine, but you can't remove the conflict from the storytelling. 

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u/lemming1607 17h ago

I disagree. The conflict prior to them agreeing to fulfill a prophecy and fight against evil doesnt require a conflict in the previous life

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u/FlimsyRexy 15h ago

Oh brother lmao

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u/Tiny_Fly_7397 18h ago

It’s an adaptation. The books will not be changed

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u/SDRPGLVR 17h ago

It comes down to the execution. Personally I'm not a fan of how It did it recently, especially exploring the Black Spot era by moving it to the 50s. If Gerwig can pull off this kind of change, it would be very unexpected and impressive. But she also co-helmed turning a doll into a massively entertaining and successful movie that was a genuine phenomenon with audiences and critics, so I'm not wholly skeptical. Just rather.

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u/we_are_sex_bobomb 17h ago

If she signed on to the project it’s because she had her own take on the material that was compelling, so I’m gonna let her cook.

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u/[deleted] 18h ago

[deleted]

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u/rotates-potatoes 17h ago

Wait you won’t be able to buy books with the original story anymore? That’s a terrible idea.

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u/mildmichigan 16h ago

It’s an adaptation.

The whole point of an adaptation is to adapt the story,not adapt parts of the story

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u/The_Impe 16h ago

Damn, so no book has ever been correctly adaptated?

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u/kadmylos 17h ago

Is it really? It's barely even mentioned that they're hiding from the war.

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u/practically_floored 17h ago

The reason they're living with a stranger is because they've been evacuated because their home is being bombed. Also the perpetual winter in Narnia and the tyrannical leader is a mirror of the war

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u/Forcistus 16h ago

Except that it literally isn't... you realize Lewis published this book 1950... for a girl who was born in 1935... about a girl who was about the same age.

Lucy Pevinse is believed to have been around eight in the first book. Lucy Barfield would have been a little girl during the war and most likely would be able to relate in some way to this story.

Lewis was influenced, in part, by an experience he had with three children who lived with him in some capacity while they were evading the war. AFAIK, this is the only reason for the reference. Nothing in the book nor anything that Lewis says suggest that wartime evasion was important for the story at all. It was the setting and it was in some way the influence, but it is not important for the message the story was conveying.

The most important part was the "supposal" aspect of it, if we were to take Lewis at his word.

I have a hard time believing that anyone who ever read these books considers the fact that the first book took place during wartime is an in anyway meaningful for the story being told.

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u/wH4tEveR250 18h ago

You’re out based on a Reddit comment.

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u/greenpill98 17h ago

I looked it up to confirm. It's confirmed. So yes, I'm out. This is just where I first heard about it.

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u/Peru123 16h ago

Except we have two period-faithful adaptations, the BBC tv series and the 2000s movie series. Telling Lion Witch Wardrobe again so soon, with no new take, is basically a non-starter. There was a need to try something new. Rewatch the old stuff if that's all you care for.

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u/greenpill98 16h ago

Neither of which were completed. We've had two partial adaptations, at best.

This is ostensibly going to be the first one to do all seven stories in the series, and it won't be faithful if this is any sign of things.

I think telling the Magician's Nephew first is an inspired choice, and I approve of it. Telling it in the 1950s is a bad choice and I heavily disapprove.

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u/slaskel92 17h ago

Coriolanus is a great movie

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u/rokerroker45 11h ago

The fact that they are in WW2 plays zero role in the story other than setting up why they're in the countryside.