Ages of the Kids - Books vs Adaptations
Posted: May 29, 2019 10:34 am
Polly, Digory, Peter, Susan, Edmund, Lucy, Shasta, Aravis, Caspian, Eustace, Jill & Tirian: There are 12 main human characters in The Chronicles. All are different ages. Or so we all thought. I’m interested in this topic, one that’s been posted elsewhere already. However, this time, I wish to focus on what we Narnia fans will expect from the Netflix adaptations, regarding the different ages of the child characters from the books.
As a kid reading the series, I imagined Peter in LWW was about 12 years old, Shasta & Aravis in HHB were both about 12, Digory & Polly in MN were both about 10 years old, and Eustace & Jill in SC both about 12... and then 13 in LB
I was surprised when I read C.S. Lewis’s timeline, which implied Jill & Eustace we’re both 9 years old in SC instead of 12 (and 16 in LB instead of 13), while Shasta is 14-15 years old, instead of 12 (he’s older than Peter in LWW, who’s 13.)
[Also, the timeline itself is different than what I imagined as a kid: Instead of LB taking place 1 year after SC, which I thought takes place 1 year after VDT, LB takes place 7 WHOLE YEARS after SC, which itself takes place only a few weeks after VDT.]
If those are the ages Lewis imagined for the characters, I will accept that. However, I am not at all obligated to, because Lewis never actually states the ages of the characters, leaving it to the imagination (except for Tirian who’s 20-25 in LB which is around Peter’s age in that book).
I hope the Netflix adaptations bring some variety and purpose to the different ages of the kids, particularly if they decide to film the books in chronological order.
One such possibility:
MN (2020)
Digory & Polly: 13 & 12 years old
LWW (2021)
Peter & Susan: 14 & 13 years old
Edmund & Lucy: 11 & 9 years old
HHB (2022)
Shasta & Aravis: 15 & 14 years old
PC (2023)
Peter, Susan & Caspian: 16 & 15 & 16 years old
Edmund & Lucy: 13 & 11 years old
VDT (2024)
Caspian: 17 years old
Edmund & Lucy: 14 & 12 years old
Eustace: 11 years old
SC (2025)
Jill & Eustace: Both 12 years old
Caspian Cameo: 18 years old
LB (2026)
Tirian: 20 years old
Jill & Eustace: Both 13 years old
(Acting Cameos:)
Digory & Polly: 19 & 18 years old
Peter & Susan & Caspian: 19 & 18 & 19 years old
Edmund & Lucy: 16 & 14 years old
Shasta & Aravis: 19 & 18 years old
And that’s assuming the same acting kids reprise their roles in all adaptations!
Sorry, this is so long. I’m done now, thanks!
As a kid reading the series, I imagined Peter in LWW was about 12 years old, Shasta & Aravis in HHB were both about 12, Digory & Polly in MN were both about 10 years old, and Eustace & Jill in SC both about 12... and then 13 in LB
I was surprised when I read C.S. Lewis’s timeline, which implied Jill & Eustace we’re both 9 years old in SC instead of 12 (and 16 in LB instead of 13), while Shasta is 14-15 years old, instead of 12 (he’s older than Peter in LWW, who’s 13.)
[Also, the timeline itself is different than what I imagined as a kid: Instead of LB taking place 1 year after SC, which I thought takes place 1 year after VDT, LB takes place 7 WHOLE YEARS after SC, which itself takes place only a few weeks after VDT.]
If those are the ages Lewis imagined for the characters, I will accept that. However, I am not at all obligated to, because Lewis never actually states the ages of the characters, leaving it to the imagination (except for Tirian who’s 20-25 in LB which is around Peter’s age in that book).
I hope the Netflix adaptations bring some variety and purpose to the different ages of the kids, particularly if they decide to film the books in chronological order.
One such possibility:
MN (2020)
Digory & Polly: 13 & 12 years old
LWW (2021)
Peter & Susan: 14 & 13 years old
Edmund & Lucy: 11 & 9 years old
HHB (2022)
Shasta & Aravis: 15 & 14 years old
PC (2023)
Peter, Susan & Caspian: 16 & 15 & 16 years old
Edmund & Lucy: 13 & 11 years old
VDT (2024)
Caspian: 17 years old
Edmund & Lucy: 14 & 12 years old
Eustace: 11 years old
SC (2025)
Jill & Eustace: Both 12 years old
Caspian Cameo: 18 years old
LB (2026)
Tirian: 20 years old
Jill & Eustace: Both 13 years old
(Acting Cameos:)
Digory & Polly: 19 & 18 years old
Peter & Susan & Caspian: 19 & 18 & 19 years old
Edmund & Lucy: 16 & 14 years old
Shasta & Aravis: 19 & 18 years old
And that’s assuming the same acting kids reprise their roles in all adaptations!
Sorry, this is so long. I’m done now, thanks!