If Netflix is smart, they'll adapt MN first, whether in movie or tv show form. 

1) Chronologically it's the first story in the series, and if they're going to be treating the book series as an overall cinematic/tv universe with spinoff potential, it makes sense to start there. 

2) It's the only book that could be adapted as a one-off, where you wouldn't be hampered by choosing specific actors that would have to come back or would have to be used as the basis for the younger actors when it comes time for them to be cast (like the Pevensies in HAHB). 

True, there's Aslan and Jadis, but both could be fairly easily recast. Voices for CGI characters get changed all the time, and Jadis' change of appearance could be handwaved away as her wicked magic affecting her visage. 

3) LWW is undoubtedly the most popular book in the series, in terms of general audiences at least. That's why it's important they don't adapt it first. I know this logic seems somewhat backwards but keep in mind, look at what happened with the Walden movies.

Because LWW made over $700 million as the first movie, every subsequent one seemed like a failure, even though PC and VOTDT actually had very consistent returns ($419 million and $415 million respectively). 

4) In addition to this, it also makes sense to adapt MN first as a kind of pilot and if the numbers aren't up to what Netflix are expecting they can not only reconfigure the elements of the show, but also bring out the big guns with LWW as the next adaptation.

That makes really good sense, @LentenLands! When it comes to reading the books, I'm a big advocate of publication order over chronological order, but the same doesn't have to apply to screen adaptations. The Magician's Nephew is one of the three remaining books that have never been adapted for TV / film in any way, so it's a totally fresh start, and it happens to be one of the most brilliant and downright exciting stories in the series (though I love them all and can never pick a favourite!). I would love to see what Netflix might do with it.

Really good point, too, about it being the only truly "one-off" book in terms of whether or not the same actors need to be used in subsequent stories — I hadn't thought of that, nor of your point that if they start with LWW, they've already used up their big drawcard. I hope someone from Netflix might be reading this thread and paying attention!!  

@lentenlands

There's a flaw in part 3 of your logic. Caspian didn't "seem like" a failure. It actually was a failure. Between the high budget, the marketing, and the fact that studios don't get all of the box office money (not even close), it took Disney a really long time to make it's money back on Caspian. If the first movie had performed that badly, Disney would never have made a second.

Not sure how long it took Fox to make it's money back on VDT.

@wendoleneramsbottom That actually proves my point. The overperformance of LWW made Disney think that it would be worth pumping hundreds of millions more into the sequel's budget and marketing. In actuality both the box office returns of PC and VOTDT, suggest that any non-LWW Narnia movie would only do about $410-ish million dollars. 

LWW would have also absolutely still been considered a hit if it had done those numbers, especially on its comparatively lower budget of $180 million.

Remember, back in 2005, China didn't allow as many foreign movies into its cinemas, and the international box office, in general, wasn't as big as it is today. This meant that lower returns were far more common and acceptable. 

For example, Batman Begins cost about $150 million to produce and only made back about $373 million in return, but that was still considered such a success that it got a sequel (The Dark Knight) with an even bigger budget. 

Side Note: While I can't personally confirm that VOTDT made Fox a profit, I did have a conversation with an assistant executive who used to work there a while back (I work in film and he's friends with an old boss of mine) which suggested it did.

The conversation we had was actually about the 2004 adaptation of the Lemony Snicket books, but this man mentioned that in 2010, Fox had serious discussions with Paramount Studios (who owned the rights to those books) about potentially doing a sequel. 

After VOTDT came out, one of the major ideas rolling around at Fox was that it might be worth buying out other stalled* young-adult franchises, from other studios and instead of rebooting them, bringing back the old cast members and cutting the budgets. 

It ultimately never went anywhere past talks and potential deals but it certainly suggests that VOTDT made money.  

*Stalled in this case meaning that the last instalment did make a significant amount of money and got decent reviews, but was so expensive that it still lost money anyway. 

Posted by: @glenwit

I could see them making the "main" Chronicles storyline (LWW, PC, VDT, SC + LB) into a series, with the books that are more "anthology"-like (HHB + MN, that don't quite fit into the linear storyline) being made into movies.

I really wouldn't mind a series over movies since there would be room for expansion (such as battle scenes and the like - my guilty pleasure) without needing to cut any other important story aspects for time.  To me it's a win-win. 

 

 

This is how I would see it too.  It's so tough to see how they could fit in otherwise.  They could be feature films released on Netflix at the holidays.  Maybe MN the Christmas before season 1 is released and HaHB the Christmas the final season is released.  It would be out of order but it is the sort of story it doesn't really matter where in the series it is jammed in -- especially if it is treated as an outside "spin-off" for lack of a better term at the moment.  It could be filmed at the same times as the series, using the adult actors playing the adult Pevensies from the end of LWW.

As for how the seasons would be broken down, I guess it would be 2 seasons of about 6 episodes each, give or take. LWW, PC and VoDT could be season 1.  TSC and TLB could be season 2.  

I still think their best bet is to do just a tv series of all the books. Then it is just one thing called Narnia or whatever. Then it won't matter that no one has ever heard of VDT because it will just be the next season of Narnia.

It seems like they aren't going to do this though because they want to do shows and movies and just make up their own Narnia content, so who knows.

I would certainly prefer a single connected series.  I just can see the trouble that the disconnected timelines and changing main characters would have on those doing the adaptation.

If this ends up being like Amazon's attempt to make their own Lord of the Rings content then I certainly would have zero interest.  Even targeted for kids I would not have much faith in them doing anything to stay true to Lewis' intentions.

I really think there is a way to thread all the books and changes of characters. I think that you start with LWW ending with the coronation and Aslan leaving. Then go to HHB, maybe moving the kids returning to our world from LWW until after HHB allowing the introduction of the Calormens. Then PC, Then VDT which introduces Aslan's country and Eustace. Then SC which introduces Jill. Then MN which connects the professor from the first season. The could even end that season showing us Digory and Polly on the train platform with the professor. Show an older Polly call him Digory. Then the train accident happens at the beginning of the last season, but we don't know that it has happened until the end. We meet Tirian and then have all the kids join the battle as Narnia ends and show young Digory and Polly and then the Aslan's country and all that.

HHB is the hardest to place. I still think this is the best plan. I don't think they are going to do it.

Posted by: @decarus

I think that you start with LWW ending with the coronation and Aslan leaving. Then go to HHB, maybe moving the kids returning to our world from LWW

I wouldn't like that because it'd ruin to ending of HHB to have some pointless LWW stuff tacked on to the end. Well, maybe ruin is too strong a word. But it'd make it hard to enjoy that adaptation as a story itself. Instead of making it feel less random, I suspect it'd make it feel like padding.

There are three significant questions that I think need to be considered:

1) Does Netflix actually have the right to create new stories beyond the books? The Lewis Estate has been extremely, extremely resistant to any new Narnia stories, even the insurmountably amazing Spufford tale, which really belongs next to the other 7 Chronicles and would sell hundreds of thousands of copies… if they are so resistant, will they sign off on Aslan and Narnia being used in non-book-based stories?

2) Will they work to retain and even emphasize the planetary themes discussed in Planet Narnia? My hope is YES- I suspect Lewis himself would have done this had he been able to do his re-write of the series. But once again the Estate (Gresham, et al.) appear to not endorse Ward’s thesis so unfortunately, I doubt it’ll make it in.

3) How much control will Gresham have in this production? If he is allowed to veto anything he doesn’t like, it would certainly impact the format of each story.

If history has a way of repeating itself, then The Last Battle may have multiple endings, like Return of the King did.. it might even be a two-part movie.