Greta Gerwig is reportedly being eyed to direct two installments ofNetflix’sChronicles of Narniafilms after the streamer secured the rights to C.S. Lewis' novels in 2018.
The Chronicles of Narniais the name given to Lewis' classic seven-novel run through his fantasy world, something he made at the same time his buddy J.R.R. Tolkien was conjugating elvish verbs for his Middle-Earth novels. The works of Lewis had been purchased byNetflixwith an eye toward their mega fantasy franchise.
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What’s on Netflixhas released a new report that not only is Netflix starting to move forward on their acquisition, but that they’ve been eyeing Gerwig, theLady BirdandLittle Womendirectorwho’s recently been hard at work on herBarbiemovie based on the Mattel doll for Warner Bros. Netflix reaching out to Gerwig to direct the first two entries in their newChronicles of Narniafranchise, with no word on if the films would be adaptations of one book or more than one. The outlet also notes that Netflix is “likely” to have Gerwig helm the twoChronicles of Narniafilms, suggesting talks with the filmmaker will go well.
Netflix first announced their acquisition of theNarniarights back in 2018. Shortly after, word dropped that Matthew Alrich, one of the writers behindCocoandLightyear, will be their creative architect, overseeing the direction the franchise is going to go. This is similar to how Disney let Andrew Adamson ofShrekandShrek 2overseeThe Lion, the Witch, and the WardrobeandPrince Caspian.
The Chronicles of Narniahas seen two major attempts at adaptation to date: the charmingly hokey BBC take from the late 1980s and the Disney films from the early 2000s that used theLord of the Ringsbrain trust at Weta to help them come to life. Gerwig, who moved on to directing from her early career as an actor, has been critically acclaimed for everything she’s touched. Her most recently finished movie (beforeBarbie) was another adaptation of a novel, that of Louisa May Alcott’sLittle Women, the perennial classic. The film showed she has the chops for smart adaptation, something theNarniabooks will need.
Netflix getting in on the fantasy game makes sense since Disney currently hasStar WarsandWillowand Warner Bros. Discovery still hasthe rights toHarry Potter,Game of Thrones, and theLord of the Ringsfranchises. There’s not a ton left to take on after that, but Lewis' beloved novels have that same global reach and the pop culture cache to make them a sound investment for anyone with an eye toward their blockbuster fantasy adventure series.
