C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia had an amazing first outing with The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, when the movie premiered in 2005. It’s one of the few adaptations to perfectly capture the book and even leave nods to its past and future. This included a rather large Easter egg that set up a unique opportunity.
With its three films, there was a distinct drop in interest and quality, though the movies themselves remained fun. In fact, its ultimate conclusion eventually led to Greta Gerwig revisiting the world. Now, it’s clear that if the Narnia movies instead focused on the prequel it set up, there could’ve been more for the series to offer as a movie franchise.
The Magician’s Nephew Could’ve Been a Perfect Narnia Prequel
For those who grew up on the Narnia movies alone, it’s easy to assume that The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was the first entry in the series. But, according to the books, it was chronologically the second, following The Magician’s Nephew. In a weird detail, C.S. Lewis, a devout Christian, often paralleled biblical stories in his Narnia books, and The Magician’s Nephew was very much the world’s own creation myth.
Following a young Digory Kirke and his friend Polly Plummer, the two stumble upon the land of Narnia and go on their own adventure decades before the Pevensies. By the conclusion, the story is revealed to be the origin of the wardrobe itself and sets Digory up as a key character in the larger lore of the Narnia franchise.
In the 2005 film, Professor Kirke is largely absent throughout, as he was in the book, but at the end of the movie, he speaks to Lucy with a tone that suggests he knew exactly what they experienced beyond the wardrobe. For the average audience, this is a revelation that likely went over their heads but set up a genius prequel.
Narnia is a deceptively interconnected world not unlike the timeline of The Lord of the Rings, albeit less intense. But even still, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe film marked the height of the franchise at that time, and a prequel could’ve kept audiences wondering what could come next, as it’s a movie that capitalizes on the mystery of the wardrobe and the world of Narnia before the White Witch.
In a world where prequels to franchises like Star Wars were all the rage, and The Hobbit movies would follow just under a decade later, not exploring The Magician’s Nephew was a wasted opportunity. But knowing how the other sequels fared, it becomes more tragic than anything else.
Narnia’s Movies Deserved Much More Than Three Movies
The Chronicles of Narnia did continue, of course, with Prince Caspian and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Where the former was a tried and true sequel from Disney that got the necessary marketing and fanfare, the latter was the victim of a studio transfer and got little to no attention. This was further bolstered by the fact that only two of the Pevensie children were in the story, and casual fans may not understand why, as they were all together as children in two novels.
Needless to say, the Narnia franchise went out with a whimper, and this was due largely to the play-it-safe approach that seems to permeate the films. It wasn’t as adventurous as Pirates of the Caribbean, and it wasn’t as epic as The Lord of the Rings, and while it had a footing, it didn’t have the same attention.
That said, the films deserved more, and had they filmed a Magician’s Nephew prequel in tandem with Prince Caspian, it could’ve ensured the actors wouldn’t age too much while also building on the sprawling world based on an iconic book series. Plus, perhaps more than The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Narnia deserved a strong prequel before moving forward, as the world may look simple, but there’s so much story beneath the surface.
In the end, the Narnia movies have a somewhat infamous reputation as a franchise that fizzled out, even with such a beloved following. But in a world with Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, and other fantasy epics of the time, it never got a chance to truly shine for any target demographic. While it’s getting a second chance on the small screen, it’s hard not to think about seeing a Narnia prequel on the big screen and how it could’ve impacted the movie franchise going forward.
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