As I mentioned yesterday, there's been trouble brewing behind the scenes when it comes to Greta Gerwig's "Narnia: The Magician's Nephew."
The InSneider is now further reporting on friction between Netflix film chief Dan Lin and Greta Gerwig over 'Narnia,' the fantasy epic that's reportedly carrying a $280M budget, with some saying it's much higher than that.
One source tells Sneider the tension is very real, and that people at Netflix think the movie is "awful," calling it "a genuine problem.” A second source, who attended a test screening over the summer, compared it to Ava DuVernay's "A Wrinkle in Time," the 2018 Disney adaptation that reportedly lost the studio close to $100M. According to that source, the mood in the room was deflated once the lights came up.
That screening reportedly led Netflix to order reshoots. The same source flagged a structural issue that may still be fixed in post: the characters apparently don't reach Narnia until the third act. For a movie called 'Narnia,' that's a curious choice.
Sneider also reports that Gerwig has had outside help in the editing room with an experienced editor or director, possibly both, quietly brought in to help shape the film. Nick Houy was the sole credited editor on "Lady Bird," "Little Women" and "Barbie," but 'Narnia' lists three editors, with Wyatt Smith and Andrew Weisblum joining Houy. Of course, similar worries arose with "Barbie" at Warner Bros, which had Pam Abdy and Mike De Luca interfering in the editing room, and that film went on to gross $1.4 billion.
My take? The trailer, released yesterday, and cut to Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven," looked visually beautiful, albeit VFX-heavy, and I also dug the grainy texture of '50s London. But when multiple sources are describing what seems to be a problematic movie, Netflix has reason to worry. I have no idea what the final result will be, but I had also heard about the mixed test screening reactions, but that was also a cut with barely half-finished VFX.
'Narnia' is aiming for a PG rating and stars young performers David McKenna and Beatrice Campbell, while Meryl Streep, Daniel Craig, Emma Mackey, Ciarán Hinds and Carey Mulligan round out the ensemble. Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt composed the score.
"Narnia: The Magician's Nephew" is scheduled for a wide theatrical rollout, with a 49-day exclusive window in theaters, on February 12, 2027.
Back in March, Paul Greengrass was all set to direct "Test Drive" for 20th Century Studios, with cameras expected to roll in Q4 2026.