Greta Gerwig’s Narnia film is the exception to Netflix’s stance on theatrical releases

In case things slipped through the cracks here, Greta Gerwig has a Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew adaptation in the works at Netflix, but unlike other releases, it’s a theatrical one, slated for next year. Now, Netflix’s film chairman, Dan Lin, has stepped in to assert this is an exception and not the rule surrounding their stance on releasing films to theaters. They also know there are filmmakers they will never work with because they want theatrical releases and not to have it tied down to just Netflix.

Speaking to The New York Times (via Deadline), he asserted he wants to make Netflix “the best place for filmmakers to work.”

“There is a group of filmmakers who still want theatrical. Those are filmmakers that we’ve accepted we just won’t work with. Because I have such a huge slate, my job is very different from other studio chairmen’s [sic] jobs. I can’t impose my taste on the slate. But I can impose a way of making movies. I can impose a way of how we want to work with filmmakers. I think people on the outside are pretty clear on what I’m going for: making someone’s favorite movie in a specific genre, focusing on variety and quality and making Netflix the best place for filmmakers to work.”

Now, to be fair, Netflix has done theatrical works before — KPop Demon Hunters was a success and they’ve done limited runs, like Stranger Things‘ finale. They also have Once Upon a Time in Hollywood‘s sequel slated to release in IMAX this December.