A Prequel To This TV Show With 91% On Rotten Tomatoes Would Be Netflix's Biggest Narnia Competition

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The Magicians

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Netflix's Chronicles of Narnia reboot is sure to be a huge hit among fantasy lovers, but a prequel to The Magicians could rival it in terms of popularity. The Magicians is heavily inspired by C.S. Lewis' world, but Lev Grossman's books — and SyFy's TV adaptation — put a darker spin on the concept of Narnia. Given that The Magicians follows young adults, it has a much different feel than The Chronicles of Narnia. Its backstory, however, is much more similar, as it involves young siblings discovering the doorway to another world and consistently using it.

The Chatwins' backstory makes The Magicians ripe for a prequel, but nothing has been greenlit. Given The Magicians' cancelation, it's unclear if we'll ever see spinoffs of the hit SyFy series. The Magicians' 91% Rotten Tomatoes score makes a case for expanding its world, though, and a prequel centered on the Chatwins could easily rival Greta Gerwig's Narnia reboot. It would even have one advantage over it, allowing NBCUniversal to compete with the upcoming films.

It's Disappointing A Magicians Prequel About The Chatwins & Fillory Hasn't Happened Yet

It's Easily The Best Direction For A Magicians Spinoff

A prequel series covering the Chatwins' discovery of Fillory would be The Magicians' best possible spinoff, and it's disappointing it hasn't happened yet. Jane Chatwin is a fascinating character in the original series, and it'd be exciting to dive deeper into her backstory. Likewise, Martin Chatwin makes an intriguing and tragic villain in The Magicians. A prequel show could set up his descent into villainy and explore the trauma he faces at the hands of Fillory and Further author Christopher Plover.

This would make a Magicians prequel darker than the original series, but that wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing. After all, the bleak and realistic themes of The Magicians are what made the series so popular in the first place. And a spinoff centered on the Chatwins would also be able to dig further into Fillory's history. This would make it feel similar to The Chronicles of Narnia in some ways, perhaps even allowing it to become the Netflix reboot's biggest competition.

Why A Fillory Prequel Series Could Be Netflix's Biggest Narnia Competition

A Spinoff About Fillory Would Appeal To A Similar Audience

While Netflix's Chronicles of Narnia reboot will have no shortage of fantasy shows and movies to compete with, The Magicians' similarities to Lewis' books make it a bigger competitor. The audience The Chronicles of Narnia appeals to is likely to overlap with that of The Magicians. In fact, since The Magicians is aimed at a more mature audience, those who grew up reading the Narnia books might even check out the SyFy show as they age into adult fantasy.

The Magicians being over makes it unlikely to have an impact on Netflix's upcoming Narnia reboot, but a spinoff could be a different story.

Of course, The Magicians being over makes it unlikely to have an impact on Netflix's upcoming Narnia reboot, but a spinoff could be a different story. If The Magicians were to get a prequel series about the Chatwins, those looking for movies and shows like The Chronicles of Narnia might be inclined to pick it up. Knowing how long Netflix takes with its new releases, they could turn to a Magicians prequel between Narnia movies. If the spinoff could turn seasons around faster than Netflix, viewers might even find themselves more endeared to The Magicians franchise.

A Magicians Spinoff Would Have 1 Huge Advantage Over Netflix's Narnia Reboot

It's Darker & Aimed At A More Mature Audience

The Chatwin kids stand together in The Magicians

A Fillory-centered spinoff of The Magicians would appeal to fans of The Chronicles of Narnia, but it would also have one significant advantage over the Netflix reboot. Thanks to shows like Game of Thrones, darker fantasy stories are becoming more and more popular. People want mature and realistic takes on fantasy narratives, and The Magicians meets that demand. A prequel would follow suit, while Netflix's Narnia movies seem less likely to go that route. Lewis' books take on a more hopeful and uplifting tone, and while that's far from a negative thing, it might not fit into today's fantasy landscape.

A Magicians prequel would deliver a similar concept in a darker package, making it more in line with modern fantasy trends. The Narnia books are classics, so this may not do much damage when it comes to diehard fantasy fans. However, The Magicians prequel would likely appeal to more mainstream viewers, especially if they're unfamiliar with either book series. By contrast, the Narnia movies could get written off as more childish by such audiences. Fortunately for Netflix, it doesn't look like its Narnia reboot's biggest potential competition will ever come to fruition.

Source: Rotten Tomatoes

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