Almost 20 years ago, Netflix launched its streaming service, and the way we watch movies and TV shows changed forever. From more serious adventures like Lord of the Rings to more comedic takes like The Princess Bride or Shrek, audiences spent many years primarily watching fantasy stories in movie theaters, rather than in an episodic format from the comfort of their own homes. That was, at least, until streaming services like Netflix altered how we consumed broadcast media. While the best Netflix movies of the last few years have continued to stand out alongside Hollywood’s biggest titles, the streamer’s success in the fantasy genre has generally come from TV shows like The Witcher or The Sandman.
However, all of that is about to change. While Netflix’s fantasy TV shows are still well worth a watch, one of the service’s upcoming movies will see the genre redefined all over again. With auteur director Greta Gerwig taking the reins, Netflix’s Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew will hopefully take the fantasy genre back to its glory days.
It’s worth noting that while there have been some epic fantasy movies as of late, the era of streaming has somewhat dominated the genre, so there have typically been more fantasy TV shows than films in recent years. A lot of this is to do with titles like Game of Thrones, which took George R. R. Martin’s rather complex and detailed novels and delved into them in finer detail than a two-to-three hour feature film ever could. Not to mention, binge-worthy TV series often fetch a generous budget, especially if they can prove they can keep bringing audiences back again and again, regardless of how much time there is between installments.
Even though Greta Gerwig’s Narnia is set to stream on Netflix, the film will first have a major seven-week theatrical release. While the new Narnia film isn’t the first Netflix movie to be given such an opportunity, no other title has ever been given such a lengthy run in cinemas before. Clearly, Netflix wants audiences to see Narnia in all its glory up on the silver screen, and it’s a title that deserves the full-blown cinematic treatment, especially with Gerwig behind the wheel.
This reminds me of the golden age of fantasy movies, which was mainly in the 1980s, but the genre’s later resurgence has resulted in many of us considering this era to cover the ’90s and early 2000s as well. The peak of fantasy cinema includes titles like the Lord of the Rings movies, Excalibur, the Harry Potter series, and Pan’s Labyrinth, to name a few. Gerwig is one of the very few auteur directors to take on the fantasy genre for the first time with a complex, lore-heavy title, and not since Peter Jackson with Lord of the Rings or Guillermo del Toro with Pan’s Labyrinth have we really seen something like this. Of course, Narnia‘s theatrical release isn’t the only title that proves the fantasy genre is returning its focus to the movie format.
While details surrounding A24’s Elden Ring adaptation are still pretty under wraps, we do know it’s currently set to release in cinemas on March 3, 2028. The Odyssey will be released later this month, too, and following the TV show The Rings of Power, the Lord of the Rings franchise will return to a cinema setting in December 2027 with The Hunt for Gollum. Although there are still plenty of great fantasy shows, both currently ongoing and upcoming titles, it’s apparent that the fantasy genre is shifting back towards movies, rather than prioritizing HETV.
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