Director Greta Gerwig is no stranger to taking risks. Her message-oriented, comedically-minded take on Barbie was a major gamble for a studio that may have been looking for a more straightforward approach to the iconic Mattel toy. However, her creative efforts paid off, and Barbie became a box office sensation while also garnering stellar reviews from critics. After such success, fans were confident in Gerwig's ability to adapt the C.S. Lewis book series for Netflix's Chronicles of Narnia project. However, the Lady Bird filmmaker revealed that she is in a state of “terror” when it comes to her vision for Narnia.
Gerwig recently chatted with BBC Radio 4’s Today program about the incredible phenomenon that is Barbie, and her upcoming Chronicles of Narnia adaptation. The Frances Ha star’s deep love for the source material seems like the catalyst for making Narnia her next project. On the other hand, her personal reverence is also what's making her most nervous about approaching the beloved fantasy series. She said (via Deadline):
I'm slightly in the place of terror because I really do have such reverence for Narnia. I loved Narnia so much as a child. As an adult, C.S. Lewis is a thinker and a writer. I'm intimidated by doing this. It's something that feels like a worthy thing to be intimidated by.
Gerwig additionally explained that her sense of responsibility towards Narnia also comes from the fact that she's not English. C.S. Lewis is famously an icon of British literature, and she understands how important the author is to the nation, making her feel even more pressure. The director continued to say:
As a non-British person, I feel a particular sense of wanting to do it correctly... it's like when Americans do Shakespeare, there's a slight feeling of reverence and as if maybe we should treat it with extra care. It is not our countryman.
The Little Women filmmaker also expressed her anxiety towards the Narnia project when it was first announced, and it seems like those butterflies still haven’t gone away. It’s understandable that she would be intimidated by the project, especially considering three movies based on the C.S. Lewis books have already been made. However if her previous work is any indication, Gerwig’s own personal style will likely distinctly separate her from previous iterations. With such a love of the books present, I have no doubt in Gerwig’s ability to create something truly magical for the new films.
Netflix has been in possession of the rights to The Chronicles of Narnia since 2018, and originally planned on adapting Lewis’s series into a TV show. However, plans seemingly changed over time, and it was announced as a film series when Gerwig became attached. A most recent update for Narnia suggests that they will be starting with The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, which is the first and most iconic book in the series, and the rest of the arc is still being determined. There is no cast announced yet, but some fans are hoping that frequent collaborators Timothée Chalamet and Saoirse Ronan will return to the Greta-verse for the much anticipated film.
It may be a while before we get more news about Narnia, as it’s still in the pre-production stage, but Greta Gerwig’s involvement alone is enough to get audiences excited. Fans of the director can check out her latest film, Barbie, which is currently streaming now with a Max subscription. For more information on other projects, like Narnia, that are landing on Netflix in the near future, make sure to consult our feature on everything new and coming soon to Netflix.
