Barbie director Greta Gerwig's next film might be coming sooner than most fans expected.
"Well, I think people know that we’re aspirationally trying to get Greta Gerwig’s [The Chronicles of] Narnia together and get that movie, which will be next year," said Chairman of Netflix Films, Scott Stuber in an interview with Collider.
Netflix announced in July 2023 that Gerwig has been hired to write and direct two film adaptations of C. S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia novel series. According to Gerwig's agent, the project is a continuation of the director's desire to move beyond small, indie dramas and to dive into big-budget tentpoles.
Prior to Barbie, Gerwig was best known for directing 2017's Lady Bird and 2019's Little Women. Lady Bird is what put Gerwig on the map as that film garnered 5 Oscar nominations as well as 3 BAFTA nominations.
Gerwig hasn't spoken in detail about her The Chronicles of Narnia adaptation but back in July, she stated, "I haven’t even really started wrapping my arms around it. But I’m properly scared of it, which feels like a good place to start. I think when I’m scared, it’s always a good sign. Maybe when I stop being scared, it’ll be like, ‘Maybe I shouldn’t do that one.’ No, I’m terrified of it. It’s extraordinary. And it’s exciting."
For those who are unfamiliar, C. S. Lewis wrote The Chronicles of Narnia, a series of seven fantasy novels, between 1950 and 1956. The stories, set in the mythical land of Narnia, follow the exploits of several generations of English children who go to Narnia from our world and play a profound part in its history. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, the first novel in the saga, is widely recognized as the series' best and most popular title.
Previously, Disney acquired the film rights to the series and released three live-action films that covered the first three books in the series- 2005's The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, 2008's Prince Caspian: The Return to Narnia and 2010's The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.
The first film was a box office hit, earning $745 million worldwide from a production budget of $180 million but Disney saw diminishing returns on the next two installments.
An adaptation of the fourth novel, The Silver Chair was also planned but the film rights lapsed and Netflix swooped in to create a new take on the beloved children's novels with Gerwig.
Currently, fans of Narnia are keen to learn whether Gerwig's two-film adaptation will cover the first two books or if they two-film project will attempt to cover the entire saga.