Original Chronicles of Narnia star Ben Barnes has shared his thoughts about Greta Gerwig’s upcoming reboot of the series at Netflix, Screen Rant reports.
First appearing as the titular character in 2008’s Prince Caspian and then 2010’s The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, the second and third entries in the franchise, respectively, the actor discussed the upcoming remake with excitement, saying,
With classic literature, there’s no end to the ways they can be adapted as long as it’s being fresh and it’s speaking to a new generation…I think that those stories have this one; some fantasy really allows you to tell beautifully allegorical stories about hope, goodness, and faith. I think that it’d be really interesting to see her take on that. I’m thrilled that [“Narnia”] is getting retold.
Gerwig, who became attached to the project in 2020, will reportedly start with an adaptation of The Magician’s Nephew, the sixth book in the series, but the first story chronologically, with the synopsis being, “One cold, wet summer in London, Digory and Polly meet and become fast friends. Their lives take a sudden turn when Digory’s Uncle Andrew, who fancies himself a magician, sends them hurtling to…somewhere else. They arrive in Narnia, just as it is born from the song of the great Lion, Aslan. Along the way, they encounter the evil sorceress Jadis, whose dark magic threatens everything.”
Barnes, who has played a variety of darker roles over the past few years in projects such as Westworld, The Punisher, and Shadow and Bone, likened his newest role of Tim Jamieson in MGM+’s adaptation of Stephen King’s The Institute to playing Prince Caspian, saying,
When I was in my early twenties, I was involved in telling those stories for the next generation. So, to get back to playing a man with a real firm grasp on his moral compass, who is fighting to stand up for what’s right. It was something that I was really interested in.
Greta Gerwig’s adaptation of The Chronicles of Narnia is set for IMAX theatrical release on Thanksgiving Day, 2026, before appearing on the Netflix streaming platform, while The Institute is now playing exclusively on the MGM+ platform.
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