Adaptations of old books present a tricky problem: how can you tell if a movie or show does its source material justice if the original creator isn’t there to give feedback? What would Bram Stoker think about Nosferatu? Would Mary Shelley prefer Guillermo Del Toro’s Frankenstein or Lisa Frankenstein?
That’s the dilemma Netflix faces with Greta Gerwig’s new take on C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia books. Gerwig is making fundamental changes, including to the era in which they’re set, and some fans of the book series are skeptical. Lewis is no longer with us, but we do have word from his family, which should offer at least some reassurance to cautious purists.
