Matthew Aldrich Says Netflix Rejected His Vision to “Update” Narnia Series
In his first public remarks on his time as Netflix’s “Creative Architect” for The Chronicles of Narnia adaptations, screenwriter Matthew Aldrich opened up about his original vision for the series, the creative differences that led to his departure, and how Netflix’s decision ultimately set a new course for the project.
Aldrich’s Vision for Narnia
When Aldrich joined the project in 2019, he had a clear vision for adapting Lewis’s seven-book series. Speaking candidly on the Script Apart with Al Horner podcast, Aldrich revealed that he wanted to take a “respectful but not precious” approach to the material, aiming to “update it in some fun ways”.
“I had a very specific idea about what I wanted to do with the Narnia material. I had laid out for [Netflix] a strategy of film and series as a way to adapt the seven books,” Aldrich explained, “in a way that was both sort of respectful, but also not precious, you know, and try to sort of update them in some fun ways. And ultimately that’s not the direction Netflix wanted to go.”
Aldrich described his time working on the project as “uphill sledding.” While he avoided specifics, he noted that creative differences played a significant role in Netflix’s decision to move on from his vision.
“I hate using the words creative differences because it always sounds like a smoke screen, but it actually was creative differences.”
In a post on Threads, Aldrich responded to a critique of the books by a fellow reader, who noted how the Narnia books felt like a “jumbled ‘Land of Make-believe’ game board'” rather than a cohesive world. Aldrich echoed these frustrations, sharing his own experience of the unique challenges in adapting C.S. Lewis’s style of world-building.
“I worked on adapting Narnia for 18 months and I ran into the same walls [the poster] talks about—only he’s able to describe the walls; I merely smashed into them.”
“My only wish,” he also wrote on Threads, “is that folks would stop viewing the adapted category as inferior. It’s ******* hard to write an adaptation—in many ways harder— especially when there is an existing fan base with expectations.”
What’s Next?
Aldrich has moved on to a new project with Warner Bros and DC Studios, recently announced as the writer for Dynamic Duo, a family-oriented Batman and Robin story.
Since Aldrich’s departure, Netflix has set its sights on a new creative direction for Narnia with acclaimed director Greta Gerwig at the helm for at least two films.
“It’s connected to the folklore and fairy stories of England, but it’s a combination of different traditions. As a child, you accept the whole thing—that you’re in this land of Narnia, there’s fauns, and then Father Christmas shows up. It doesn’t even occur to you that it’s not schematic.
I’m interested in embracing the paradox of the worlds that Lewis created, because that’s what’s so compelling about them.”
Greta Gerwig, 2024
Here is everything we know about Netflix’s upcoming Narnia adaptations.
Nice to finally hear from him after 5 years of silence but it’s unfortunate that one of the first things he shares is a critique of the series…
Why are we trying to make Narnia something it’s not? This isn’t just an Aldrich issue either. So many past filmmakers involved in Narnia seem to be fixated on fighting the source material rather than embracing it.
Some of his comments there remind me very much of Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely on the Walden films – two very obviously talented writers (as evidenced by Avengers Endgame) who seemed to become increasingly frustrated by Narnia’s more abstract and whimsical qualities and who struggled to try and fit them into conventional cinematic narratives.
That’s why I’ve been thoroughly delighted with everything Greta Gerwig has said so far, as she not only recognises, but even actively seems to appreciate the dreamlike and “non-schematic” nature of the Narnia stories.
The truth at last… well all I can say is, thank God that didn’t work out!
I’m all for some creative adaptation, in fact I embrace it. But you’ve got to like the stories you’re adapting. If not, then don’t sign on.
I think we should be careful not to overreact to the “update” bit. I’d consider the Walden films an update in many ways.
But, this story does fit with the general perception I’ve had of this production: Netflix ready to toss another fantasy property on the pile, and then Greta Gerwig swoops in with a vision and genuine reverence for the material. Doesn’t mean the final result will be amazing, and I still have my concerns about Gerwig being the right choice for Narnia… But it sure seems like her taking over was probably for the best.
Good riddance. Thanks be to Aslan for Greta Gerwig stepping in, apparently!
I really wanted to like Matt Aldrich – I think Coco was an amazing film – but this is just disappointing to read.
Is it weird that I never really cared about Aldrich’s project being cancelled? Not that it sounded terrible or anything. It just…didn’t sound like anything. We knew so little about it. And now we that we do know something about it…eh.
Like Glumpuddle said, I don’t want to bash Aldrich based on his quotes. Some of what says about wanting to make Narnia more “cohesive” rings alarms bells in my head, I might have found it OK if I actually saw what he wanted to do. Sometimes adaptation decisions sound bad in theory but win me over when I see them executed well. (And FWIW, he does say that he wanted his updates to still be “respectful.”) That being said…yeah, this makes me even less sorry to see him go.
Actually, I’m kind of pleasantly surprised that Netflix may have vetoed his version of Narnia because they felt it was unfaithful. He doesn’t actually say that, but he talks about wanting to update the material and then talks about “creative differences” with Netflix. It seems like a reasonable enough inference.
At least he had planned out all 7 books, which is what us fans hope for. I hope Greta and the team (whoeever they may be) do the same.
If he wanted to change the source material, we dodged a bullet here. But of course, knowing Netflix, they’ll probably still try to change Narnia’s core story and replace it with some weird atheist crap, just like Disney did with A Wrinkle in Time. Like, what even was that movie?! Ugh!
When my daughters became “sort of respectful and not precious ” to me. I would send them to stand in the corner for a bit.
Based on interviews alone, it sounds like Netflix made the right decision here.
“Update Narnia”…yeah…no thank you, Matthew. Next!
Daniel S Benedict, your comment just made my Tuesday. XD
There must be an alternate reality where filmmakers love and admire the written word rather than view it as some disagreeable hieroglyphic mess to be tamed, reformed, and ultimately reshaped into a generic mold.
Juxtaposing Greta Gerwig’s comments with Aldrich’s all the more boosts my hope that she genuinely loves these books and wants to do right by them. So glad she’s interested in embracing the paradoxes of Narnia. I really do hope her films feel like Lewis co-wrote the screenplays. He was something of a talented writer himself, you know.
It would be nice to see the books adapted in a manner that avoids the cheesiness of acting in Walden’s 2nd and 3rd movie, and keeps the nobility, dignity and respect of Prince Caspian and King Peter in Prince Caspian. It is ok to feel British and old fashioned. Imagine how well Peter Jackson did by keeping a sincere, joyous and dark tone to his Rings films.
If people can buy enough tickets to an Agatha Christie movie to make Fox make 2 more of them (in recent years), people would watch British kids behave like 40s kids.
The characters don’t need to argue and be sarcastic as often as in the Walden trilogy.
People watch movies because they are creative and sometimes unique. Narnia is unique! Give us that!
I know we shouldn’t jump to conclusions as to why Netflix dropped his project, but it sounds like it was in the interest of a faithful adaptation, and I find that a little encouraging.
Now I just want to see a version of that “first time?” meme with Joe Johnston talking to Aldrich. XD
Reading this, I can see how difficult adapting Narnia must be. Lewis’s worldbuilding is unique—it doesn’t follow the typical fantasy rules, and I get how that could be tough for a screen adaptation. But it’s worth trying!
Best of luck to Gerwig; I hope she embraces that paradox she mentioned.
Plot twist, his “fun” update was to make Narnia into a musical. It could’ve been genius!
I didn’t love hearing about wanting to ‘update’ Narnia. It’s one thing to adapt it for a modern audience, but I’d hate for it to lose that unique, whimsical fairy-tale charm for sake of what is considered “normal” worldbuilding.
I’m genuinely conflicted.
First of all, betwwen the things Netflix has done horribly wrong over the last decade (Voltron: Legendary Defender, Cuties, and Leave the World Behind stand out prominently), I don’t trust them to do ANYTHING ‘properly’ anymore, ESPECIALLY give Lewis a faithful treatment. And I’m not familiar with any of Gerwig’s previous work (no, I have not seen “Barbie” yet), so I have no baseline for what her concept of a faithful treatment is. I can hope, but ‘hope is not a strategy’, and for me placing faith in corporate media productions is the hopium of the masses.
But after reading through the comments, and seeing that Aldrich not only cursed in a social media post about C.S. Lewis IP, but WANTED TO MAKE THE CHRONICLES MUSICAL!?! – whew, we really dodged a bullet there.
Especially when Lewis fans remember that he himself had no ear for a tune, that is why music hardly figures into his writing at all (yes, I’m thinking of “The Magician’s Nephew” too, let’s not go there now): Making his bestselling fiction into musicals would not only apall many book fans, it would be an insult to the books’ creator.
Although I believe his glorified senses and sensibilities would empower him to join many of us in saying “what a pot of hot mush!” in the end anyways. Some things simply ought not be.
Two comments on Hunting.Targ’s comment. There was nothing in the news article saying that Aldrich was going to make a Narnia musical. That was only said in a comment.
Also, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe has been adapted into musical theatre in the past. I once saw such a production and I think it was very well done. Musical theatre is just one medium to adapt a story. There are others like radio drama, television series, movie, picture book and so on.
If Lewis wasn’t going to approve a musical theatre version, I would have to disagree with him because it’s just another adaptation method and it can be done excellently.
@Johnathan Paravel, while I don’t want Netflix’s Narnia to consist of musicals, FWIW, I don’t “get” what Hunting. Targ was saying about music being irrelevant to Narnia. It’s not just Aslan’s song in The Magician’s Nephew. There’s also the song Ramandu and his daughter (and the birds) sing in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Reepicheep’s song from the same book. The birds’ song in Aslan’s country and the funeral music for Caspian in The Silver Chair. The tune Tumnus uses to try to put Lucy to sleep in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. I wouldn’t be surprised if fans could think of other examples. (I wasn’t going to say this because I don’t want to start a fight but since you said something on the subject, I might as well do the same.)