The families of David and Douglas Gresham, stepsons of C.S. Lewis, have supported Greta Gerwig and her film "Narnia: The Magician's Nephew". In a statement distributed through Netflix, the writer's relatives spoke about their communication with the director and their visit to the set in London, and also expressed hope for further cooperation:
"In our ongoing conversations with Greta Gerwig, we have personally witnessed her genuine passion for Narnia. Her lifelong love for C.S. Lewis's work is evident to everyone involved in the project. We saw this enthusiasm during our visit to the set in London. We are delighted to work with such a talented and accomplished director and film crew and would like to continue our collaboration on future projects. We hope that the film will achieve great success and that all of "The Chronicles of Narnia" will be worked on by professionals of this caliber."
The statement appeared amidst new rumors about problems with the adaptation. This week, insider Jeff Sneider spoke about creative differences between Gerwig and Netflix's head of film, Dan Lin. According to his sources, the film is being called "terrible" and a "real problem" within the company.
However, it is too early to interpret the words of Lewis's relatives as a review of the film itself. As NarniaWeb found out, by the time the statement was published, they had not yet seen footage of the film or heard its soundtrack. Therefore, they are primarily praising Gerwig's approach and the work of the team they had the opportunity to meet personally.
"The Magician's Nephew" will tell the story of the origin of Narnia. David McKenna and Beatrice Campbell played Digory and Polly, Meryl Streep voiced Aslan, and Emma Mackey played the future White Witch. The cast also included Daniel Craig, Carey Mulligan, and Ciarán Hinds.
"Narnia: The Magician's Nephew" will be released internationally on February 12, 2027, and will appear on Netflix on April 2.