A “Narnia” superfan is taking action amid the ongoing debate over the next film installment based on C.S. Lewis’ beloved book series.
Chaz Migliacci, who has studied Lewis’ work for the past 20 years and runs a Narnia fan community of more than 81,000 members, created a Change.org petition asking Netflix to remove director Greta Gerwig from future film versions of the popular stories.
Gerwig’s upcoming rendition of “The Magician’s Nephew” has sparked controversy over the casting of Meryl Streep — a woman — to play Aslan the lion, widely known as a representative of Christ in the “Narnia” series, among other issues.
“Originally, a lot of the fan base and the fan community had initial concerns, and there was a little bit of anxiety involved,” Migliacci told CBN News. “We initially [saw] reports coming out describing ‘Narnia’ as being all about rock and roll, and it just escalated from there.”
He continued, “Our initial concerns revolved around the fact that the whole premise of rock-and-roll is a clash with the essence of what ‘Narnia’ is. ‘Narnia’ has a bit more of an ethereal feel to it, where rock-and-roll — it just doesn’t fit the premise at all. Rock-and-roll is more of a modern tone, and … that’s not something that C .S. Lewis was very fond of.”
But that was only the beginning, as Migliacci said that concerns only mounted as every update on the new film seemed to stray “farther and farther” from what fans believed it should be.
“[Lewis] was very much against what he called chronological snobbery. It was the idea that because something is newer it therefore must be better,” Migliacci said. “Really, that’s what it feels like is being done with his own series. … the stripping of his theology, his philosophy, and even some of his personal life from his own life’s work. That’s really what began the petition.”
If Netflix decides to continue adapting the seven books in the series, Migliacci said he wants them to choose a different director who understands Lewis’ intentions and has a “respect for the foundation of the series.”
Regardless of Gerwig’s preparation, he said an understanding of faith and the Gospel is essential.
“Without that fundamental respect for the foundation of the series, which would be the Gospel, you can read everything that this man wrote and walk where he walked, but that doesn’t mean that you are going to have an intrinsic understanding of what it is that he intended or what he specifically believed in or felt when writing this series,” he said. “And so we are asking that Netflix … find somebody that is more akin to C.S. Lewis’ heart if they’re going to continue to adapt the series.”
Migliacci spoke on Streep’s casting, which had long been a rumored concern before its confirmation, and also took aim at the setting for “The Magician’s Nephew.”
“Pulling [it] out of the 1900s and putting it into the 1950s, it fundamentally doesn’t make sense,” he said.
The Streep issue also left fans scratching their heads.
“When we speak about Meryl Streep, that’s most definitely a point of contention,” Migliacci said. “I find it to be a subversion of the Christian faith, and a subversion of Lewis’ intentions,” he said. “But … that’s not the only part that is being subverted. She’s doing this in a majority of ways, and it’s very blatant to see, and it’s very concerning.”
Migliacci’s petition, “Demand: Netflix to replace director of the Narnia films,” already has more than 8,200 signatories, with the organizer noting he wants to “protect” Lewis’ work.
“I want Netflix to take a lot more care with who they choose to spearhead these projects to make sure that they get it right,” he said.
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