Greta Gerwig may direct ‘Chronicles of Narnia’ movies for Netflix
As part of a lengthy New Yorker piece about “Barbie,” toy company Mattel’s attempts to turn its intellectual properties into Hollywood blockbusters, and Greta Gerwig, news has slipped that the Oscar-nominated filmmaker may soon partner with Netflix for an adaptation of C.S. Lewis’s “Chronicles of Narnia.”
Here’s the relevant passage, tied to her work on the upcoming “Barbie” film: “There would be other adaptations in her future – she has a deal with Netflix to write and direct at least two films based on C. S. Lewis’s ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’ – but she wasn’t likely to make another movie about a toy: ‘It would have to be something that has some strange hook in me, that feels like it goes to the marrow.’ She added, ‘I don’t know if there’s a doll that anyone is as mad at.’”
Netflix hasn’t yet commented on the news. But the streaming service does have big plans for “Narnia.” Back in 2018, Netflix revealed it had struck a deal with the Lewis estate to create films and books on the author’s work.
“C.S. Lewis’ beloved ‘Chronicles of Narnia’ stories have resonated with generations of readers around the world,” said Netflix boss Ted Sarandos at the time. “Families have fallen in love with characters like Aslan and the entire world of Narnia, and we’re thrilled to be their home for years to come.”
At the time, Netflix acquired rights to all seven of the “Narnia” books. It’s unknown which books Gerwig might tackle with her adaptations.
That the “Lady Bird” and “Little Women” auteur will follow “Barbie” with another potential blockbuster franchise is not necessarily a surprise. As noted in the New Yorker piece, Gerwig wants to elevate her industry standing.
“Greta and I have been very consciously constructing a career,” Gerwig’s agent, Jeremy Barber, said to the publication. “Her ambition is to be not the biggest woman director but a big studio director. And ‘Barbie’ was a piece of I.P. that was resonant to her.”
“Barbie” is out this month and is tracking to score big at the box office. That would be a welcome relief for many parties, including Gerwig, Mattel, Warner Bros., and the industry itself – especially after disappointing ticket sales for expected hits like “The Flash” and “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.”
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