OutKick: Netflix Faces Turmoil as Greta Gerwig's 'Narnia' Trailer Draws Heavy Backlash and Studio Executives Exit
OutKick's Ian Miller argues the $250 million-plus adaptation looks like a flop in the making, citing a poorly received trailer, a delayed release and a week of film-executive departures at Netflix.
This is a summary of a commentary piece. The views belong to OutKick writer Ian Miller, not to RightNewsRightNow.
The setup. Miller says Hollywood keeps misreading audiences and now Netflix may be next. In 2023, Netflix hired director Greta Gerwig to make at least two films based on C.S. Lewis's "Chronicles of Narnia." Filming on "Narnia: The Magician's Nephew" began in 2025, and the first trailer arrived this October ahead of a 2027 release.
The reaction. Miller calls the trailer "awful." He writes that the visuals look overblown and too modern, and he mocks the choice of Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven" for a story set around the turn of the century and early World War II. He says browser extensions that track YouTube dislikes counted more than 65,000 of them, while granting there were positive reactions too.
The faith question. Miller argues Gerwig's version risks stripping out the Christian meaning of Lewis's stories. He cites a 2018 interview in which Gerwig said she is "uncomfortable" with "Jesus is my lord and savior" talk and finds it "creepy." He also points to Meryl Streep voicing Aslan, a character he notes represents Christ, and a trailer scene in which the Eagle and Child pub, where Lewis and Tolkien met, is destroyed.
The business side. Miller says Netflix reportedly gave Gerwig a budget of at least $250 million. He notes the release slipped from late 2026 to February 2027 and says there are rumors of reshoots after weak test screenings. He also writes that Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos fired Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria this week, followed by film head Dan Lin and his deputy Doug Belgrad. He says there are likely other factors beyond "Narnia," but that the moves hint at broader problems in Netflix's film division.
His caveat. Miller allows that the film may turn out better than expected. Still, given the test screenings and Gerwig's track record, he is not optimistic.
Note for readers: the budget, rumors and executive departures are as stated by the author. We have not independently verified them. Fox's headline gives the budget as $280 million, and the article text says at least $250 million.