Following the mammoth success of Barbie, Greta Gerwig is set to adapt another childhood favourite to screen with The Chronicles of Narnia for Netflix. Gerwig will write and direct two films adapted from the classic C.S. Lewis series.
The Chronicles of Narnia was first adapted to film in 2005 with Andrew Adamson’s take on The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. The movie earned over $700 million at the box office and two sequels.
Netflix acquired the rights to the series in 2018. Earlier this year, Gerwig’s involvement as writer and director was announced. Producer and Netflix executive Scott Stuber has now provided an update on the series.
Speaking with Variety, Stuber explained, “[Gerwig] grew up in a Christian background. The C.S. Lewis books are very much based in Christianity. And so we just started talking about it. And like I said earlier, we don’t have IP, so when we has the opportunity [to license] those books or the [Roald Dahl Co.] we’ve jumped at it, to have stories that people recognize and the ability to tell those stories.”
“I’m just thrilled to be in business with her. And she’s just an incredible talent,” he enthused before providing an update on the series itself.
“Obviously, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is kind of the preeminent one,” he began, “but there’s such an interesting narrative form [to the Narnia series] if you read all of them. And so that’s what she’s working on now with [producer] Amy Pascal and Mark Gordon and they’re trying to figure out how they can break the whole arc of all of it.”
Earlier this year, Gerwig shared her anxieties and excitement surrounding the series in a conversation with Inside Total Film, stating, “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.”
Revisit the trailer for the original The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe film below.
