Netflix Planning Eight Movies for Greta Gerwig’s ‘Narnia

IMAX CEO Rich Gelfond let the cat out of the bag when it comes to Netflix’s franchise hopes for Greta Gerwig’s upcoming ‘Narnia,’ and its 2026 theatrical release on IMAX screens:

This was a really great movie [for us] because I think there are like eight movies planned … and what IMAX does best is launch franchises and launch events, [and] this is the kind of movie that is very conducive to an Imax release.

You didn’t read it wrong. Netflix plans to make eight movies out of C.S. Lewis’ books. Gerwig currently has a two-movie deal with the streamer, and I doubt she’ll go further than that.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t there only seven Narnia books? If we were to take Gelfond’s word as gospel, and there will in fact be eight movies milked out of this franchise, then I expect some of them to be split up into two separate chapters.

Regardless, filming and rehearsals for Gerwig’s franchise launcher, rumored to be “The Magician’s Nephew,” are scheduled to take place in the UK from June through Christmas 2025. A fall production start is being eyed on the film. We still have no casting updates, but auditions are currently taking place for a boy and a girl, portraying characters that are “10 or 11 years old.”

There have been persistent rumors, which I confirmed last year, that Gerwig had set aside a key ‘Narnia’ role for her “Lady Bird” star Saoirse Ronan. Other than that, there’s been no other news on the casting front. Some actresses have shown interest in being a part of Gerwig’s Narnia-verse. Daisy Ridley has been one of them. Selena Gomez, Natalie Portman and Brie Larson have also reached out with great interest.

Gerwig’s “Narnia,” which has an IMAX November 2026 release planned, is set to start production later this year. A recent report (via Observer) claimed that the budget on the film would probably “exceed” $200M.