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A Christian, a Narnia Fan, and a Filmmaker Watch the Trailer

A Christian, a Narnia Fan, and a Filmmaker Watch the Trailer

Last updated on: October 26, 2026 at 6:23 pm by Nathan Clarkson

A Christian, a Narnia Fan, and a Filmmaker Watch the Trailer 2026-10-26T18:23:10-07:00 Nathan Clarkson

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Courtesy of Netflix

Watching The Narnia Trailer As A Fan And A Filmmaker

Ever since the news dropped that Netflix was producing a new adaptation of C.S. Lewis’ Narnia series, conversations across the internet have flown, virtually nonstop, between film lovers, theological nerds, and Narnia fans. In the back-and-forth between each of these groups, there has been a cautious optimism that this beloved allegory, rooted in the Christian imagination, would be given new life. This healthy anticipation quickly shifted when Greta Gerwig was announced as writer and director; shortly thereafter, she said she had cast Meryl Streep as the voice of Aslan, changed the original time period, and reimagined the story as a rock opera with music from artists like Led Zeppelin and David Bowie. The sense of uneasiness grew even more as Greta’s own comments about God and her discomfort with organized religion resurfaced. Since then, lines have been drawn and teams have been formed. A sharp division now exists between tribes engaged in yet another tiring culture war. I find myself instinctively and equally repulsed by both of these sides that have formed — the first of which is determined to like the movie and approve of all of Gerwig’s creative choices no matter what, in what seems a pathetic attempt to both impress secular culture and at the same time, differentiate themselves from the unenlightened and (more importantly) uncool, theologically conservative Christians. And on the other side, you have a conglomeration of puritan-esque Christian separatists who have decided to dislike the film no matter what, based on their wrongheaded aversion to anything new and their constant (and nearly century old) fear of the dreaded secular culture and Hollywood.

I find both of these groups insufferable and illogical, as both allow their preconceptions, perceptions, and predictions to be formed by tribalistic bias rather than a measured and informed artistic analysis.

As a Christian kid who grew up with the tales of Narnia read aloud to me, I have a vested interest in the handling of these stories. They not only inspired my imagination but also informed my faith, which is the most integral part about me. But at the same time, I have spent almost two decades as a film and television actor and a Netflix-trending filmmaker, living and working in Hollywood. Because of this, I find myself in a unique position to evaluate this Narnia reboot from multiple perspectives. As I watched the most recent trailer, I found myself interacting with it from three unique places that I’ll list below, and how each of these vantage points informs the whole of my ever-changing opinion on this movie.

Christian:

First and foremost, I am a Christian. My faith is central to everything I am and do. So when it comes to a modern adaptation of one of the most important modern Christian myths, I’m naturally going to have thoughts and feelings. Narnia was written by one of the most influential Christian thinkers of the last one hundred years, and it is explicitly a Christian allegory. Like A Christmas Carol, Les Misérables, and A Wrinkle in Time, Narnia is a story that has given life to my faith and informed the Christian imagination of countless others. So, it can be a difficult thing to see someone who doesn’t share that tradition, faith, or lived experience attempt to transform that rich, theological story into a vision of what they think it should be, rather than what it was written by the author as. It’s especially frustrating when Hollywood goes out of its way in allowing other communities — be they ethnic, religious, or cultural — to tell their own stories, but doesn’t show that same deference in allowing Christians to tell ours.

Narnia Fan:

Narnia was one of the first stories I fell wholly into as a child. It was a world that captured my imagination and became deeply meaningful on my own journey as a storyteller, writer, and filmmaker. Like other great, fantastic literary worlds, Narnia has its own unique fingerprint of spirit, ethos, and aesthetic. Through Lewis’ words, a particular world was created. So the filmmaker’s job — and this goes for any film adaptation of literary source material, be it a Marvel superhero comic or a serious piece of literature — is to capture and reflect that world accurately. It’s not to say that the filmmaker can’t bring their own interpretation of the author’s work into the film adaptation, but they must be careful to interpret the author’s vision and not rewrite the material into their own. We have seen this done successfully in the film versions of the Harry Potter series and Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings series, each praised by critics and audiences alike. But we’ve also seen the opposite take place, such as with the 2017 Netflix series, Anne with an E, based on L. M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables, and the 2018 film adaptation of Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time. The creators of these adaptations seemed to ignore the authors’ creation and instead tried to use their stories as a vehicle for their own ideas, resulting in adaptations disliked by both audiences and critics. It’s also worth noting that both the Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings series are ranked as some of the highest-grossing franchises in history, while A Wrinkle in Time never even had its sequel, as it lost an estimated 100 million dollars, and Anne with an E was canceled due to insufficient viewership.

Filmmaker:

Shortly after attending film school in New York, I started my own production company in Los Angeles. For over a decade, I have written, produced, and directed numerous feature films that have been distributed around the world and seen by millions. I deeply appreciate the art of filmmaking and know firsthand the difficulty and value of this craft. So, that being said, I am a huge fan of Gerwig’s past work and think she is one of the most talented filmmakers working today. She has shown she can work brilliantly across genres and adapt classic literature in a way that honors the source material and the author’s vision while still bringing her own engaging, unique style. This ability was displayed in her fantastic 2019 adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, which went on to both financial and critical success. So even with many people’s misgivings about the aforementioned issues surrounding her being named director of the Narnia films, and while understanding she might not check theological or even aesthetic boxes, I was optimistic that, at the very least, she’d be up to the task of making a high-quality film. So, as I watched the first half of the most recent trailer, I found myself excited as its radiant and intriguing shots drew me in and created a visually compelling world through a skillful use of color and composition. My inner filmmaker was comforted by the fact that, if nothing else, it would be a good film. But then the second half started. Suddenly I was accosted with a nonstop barrage of CGI slop that looked like it had been lifted straight from one of any number of countless, forgettable movies Hollywood has pumped out and shoved down our throats over the last two decades. What began with excitement ended with disappointment at seeing someone I’ve come to trust as a quality filmmaker utilize such a derivative and cheap method to bring the aesthetically rich world of Narnia to life. We expect that from a comic book movie, but not from an Oscar-nominated director tasked with a beloved literary adaptation.

So, these are the three perspectives I found myself vacillating between in evaluating both the most recent trailer and the progression of this story’s adaptation as a whole. But the caveat is, none of us have actually seen the movie yet. And while I, and others, might have reservations, it’s important to remember that a trailer is just a few minutes of a multi-hour-long film. So, I’m going to stay away from aligning myself with a particular tribe to involve myself in some sort of culture war. Instead, I’m going to reserve my full evaluation until I see the entire film and give it a fair shake.

Most likely, this movie will end up being a mix of things that I think work and don’t work. But regardless of this particular adaptation, these stories are important, especially the ones like Narnia that have served to strengthen and define our most deeply held beliefs and enliven our human imaginations. Neither their value nor their longevity is dependent on someone’s cinematic interpretation of them. Take comfort that the world of Narnia will always remain an unadulterated tale, whose words have been written inalterably across both the pages of books, as well as our hearts and minds. And no matter what, we’ll always have the 1988 BBC Narnia series. No one can take that away from us.

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About Nathan Clarkson

Nathan Clarkson is an award-winning television and film actor who's appeared in numerous network shows and blockbuster movies. A Publishers Weekly bestselling author of multiple books, including Finding God in Hollywood. A hit-indie filmmaker whose original films have been seen by millions trending on Netflix. And an iTunes Top 100 podcast philosopher on the multi award-winning show, The Overthinkers. Nathan has been featured in Variety, The LA Times, Relevant Magazine, Religion Unplugged, The Collision, NBC's The Today Show. Nathan lives between the streets of New York City and the lights of Los Angeles. You can read more about the author here.

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