Narnia Movies in Order: Release Order, Chronological Order, and Where to Start

The three existing Narnia films, in release order

1. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005) The Pevensie children discover a wardrobe that leads to the magical, wintery land of Narnia, ruled over by the tyrannical White Witch.
2. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008) The Pevensies return to Narnia to find centuries have passed there, and help the title character reclaim his throne.
3. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010) Two of the younger Pevensie children, along with their cousin, join King Caspian on a sea voyage to the edge of the world.

Three films is where the original film series stopped. A planned fourth film, adapting The Silver Chair, went through years of development limbo at multiple studios and was ultimately never made under that production banner, which is part of why this franchise has felt unfinished for well over a decade.

How does this compare to C.S. Lewis's book order?

This is where it gets genuinely confusing, because C.S. Lewis's seven Chronicles of Narnia novels have two different accepted orderings, publication order and internal chronological order, and they don't match each other.

Publication order (the order Lewis actually wrote and released them in): 1. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe 2. Prince Caspian 3. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader 4. The Silver Chair 5. The Horse and His Boy 6. The Magician's Nephew 7. The Last Battle

Chronological order (the order events happen within Narnia's own internal timeline): 1. The Magician's Nephew 2. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe 3. The Horse and His Boy 4. Prince Caspian 5. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader 6. The Silver Chair 7. The Last Battle

The films adapted books 1, 2, and 3 in publication order, which conveniently also happens to be books 2, 4, and 5 in chronological order. So the three existing films are in the correct order relative to each other either way you slice it, the confusion only kicks in once you start thinking about where a prequel like The Magician's Nephew would eventually slot in.

Which order did Lewis himself actually prefer?

This is a genuinely debated point among Narnia scholars and fans, and it matters here because it directly affects how the new Netflix films are likely to be sequenced. Later in his life, Lewis wrote a letter to a young reader suggesting that chronological order, starting with The Magician's Nephew, was the "right" way to read the series, since it lays out Narnia's creation before showing its later events.

Many literary scholars and longtime fans push back on that framing, however, pointing out that publication order preserves the sense of mystery and discovery that Lewis originally built into The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe specifically, where the reader is meant to be just as unfamiliar with Narnia as the Pevensie children are. Reading The Magician's Nephew first spoils some of that intentional mystery, since it explains upfront where the wardrobe, the lamppost, and the White Witch all actually come from.

What's happening with the new Narnia films?

Netflix's new Narnia franchise, officially titled Narnia: The Magician's Nephew, is directed by Greta Gerwig, adapting the series' own origin story exactly as its title suggests. Filming wrapped on January 31, 2026, with a cast that includes Meryl Streep, Carey Mulligan, and Daniel Craig. It's set for a theatrical release on February 12, 2027, followed by a Netflix streaming debut on April 2, 2027. That choice of starting book is a notable one given the publication versus chronological order debate above, since starting with The Magician's Nephew signals the new franchise is leaning toward chronological storytelling rather than following the original films' publication order approach.

Given Gerwig's track record with large scale, critically acclaimed adaptations, expectations for this new era are genuinely high, and the project represents the franchise's biggest relaunch attempt since the original trilogy stalled out after Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

Who's in the cast of the original film trilogy?

• Georgie Henley as Lucy Pevensie the youngest sibling and often the emotional heart of the original trilogy.
• Skandar Keynes as Edmund Pevensie whose arc across the first two films is one of the trilogy's more compelling threads of betrayal and redemption.
• William Moseley as Peter Pevensie and Anna Popplewell as Susan Pevensie the two eldest Pevensie children.
• Ben Barnes as Prince Caspian introduced in the second film and continuing into the third.
• Tilda Swinton as Jadis, the White Witch the first film's central antagonist, in a performance widely considered one of the trilogy's strongest elements.
• Liam Neeson as the voice of Aslan the lion who serves as Narnia's central moral and spiritual figure across all three films.
• Will Poulter as Eustace Scrubb introduced in Voyage of the Dawn Treader as an initially insufferable cousin whose arc becomes one of that film's better surprises.

Why does this franchise keep coming up in conversation despite stalling out?

Part of it is simply nostalgia, the original trilogy, and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe in particular, was a genuine holiday season cultural event in 2005, and an entire generation grew up with these films the way an earlier one grew up with the books. But a bigger driver right now is the confirmed Netflix relaunch, which has reopened the entire "how do these films fit together" conversation for anyone trying to catch up before the new era arrives.

There's also a broader trend of major fantasy literary franchises getting fresh adaptation attempts, and Narnia sits in an interesting position within that trend, beloved enough to guarantee built in interest, but with a film franchise that never actually finished telling Lewis's full seven book story, which leaves genuine unclaimed narrative territory for a new attempt to work with.

My honest take on watching order and the franchise's future

For the three existing films, I don't think this is actually a difficult decision, watch them in the order they were released, which is also correct chronologically for those specific three stories. The debate about publication order versus chronological order really only becomes relevant once The Magician's Nephew enters the conversation, and my honest opinion sides with the fans who prefer publication order for first time viewers. Walking into Narnia through the wardrobe alongside the Pevensie children, with no prior knowledge of where any of it came from, is a genuinely well constructed piece of narrative mystery, and I think front loading the creation story undercuts that.

That said, I understand the appeal of chronological order for a rewatch, or for viewers who specifically want to see Narnia's full history unfold in the order it actually happened. It's not a wrong way to experience the story, just a different one, with different tradeoffs.

As for the Netflix relaunch, I think Greta Gerwig is a genuinely inspired choice for this material. Her work has repeatedly shown an ability to take material with real emotional and thematic weight, the kind that could easily tip into either saccharine sentimentality or joyless prestige seriousness in the wrong hands, and find something that's both faithful and genuinely alive. Narnia's mix of childhood wonder, real moral complexity, and Lewis's underlying allegorical concerns is exactly the kind of tonal balancing act her filmography suggests she's equipped to handle, and a cast anchored by Meryl Streep, Carey Mulligan, and Daniel Craig only raises those expectations further. Whether the new films ultimately adapt all seven books or take real creative liberties remains to be seen, but this is the most promising the franchise's future has looked in over a decade.

Frequently asked questions

How many Narnia movies are there? Three films currently exist: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Prince Caspian, and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, with a new Netflix franchise now in post production.

What order should I watch the Narnia movies in? Release order, which for these three films also matches the internal chronology of those specific stories.

Why did the original Narnia film series stop after three movies? A planned fourth film adapting The Silver Chair went through years of stalled development across multiple studios and was ultimately never produced under the original production banner.

Is the book order different from the movie order? Yes. The books have both a publication order and a separate internal chronological order, and they diverge starting with The Magician's Nephew, which was published sixth but is chronologically first.

Should I read or watch The Magician's Nephew first? Many scholars and longtime fans recommend publication order for first timers, saving The Magician's Nephew for later, to preserve the sense of discovery built into The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

Who is directing the new Narnia movie? Greta Gerwig is directing Narnia: The Magician's Nephew, the first film in Netflix's new Narnia franchise.

Which book is the new Netflix Narnia movie based on? The Magician's Nephew, the series' own origin story, as the film's title confirms.

Who voices Aslan in the original trilogy? Liam Neeson provides the voice of Aslan across all three original films.

Is Prince Caspian a sequel to The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe? Yes, though centuries pass within Narnia's own timeline between the two films, even though only a few years pass for the Pevensie children in the real world.

When does the new Narnia movie come out? Narnia: The Magician's Nephew is set for a theatrical release on February 12, 2027, followed by a Netflix streaming debut on April 2, 2027.

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