Back in November, well before the world was obsessed with the upcoming “Barbie” film, it was reported that Greta Gerwig was going to ditch the world of pink plastic and make her way to the fantasy realm of “The Chronicles of Narnia.” Since then, we have just been waiting for some sort of confirmation that this was the case. Now, months later, it appears it’s true—Greta Gerwig is set to direct two new ‘Narnia’ films for Netflix.
According to THR, Greta Gerwig is attached to two new “Chronicles of Narnia” films being set up at Netflix. In 2018, the streaming service revealed that it bought the film and TV rights to C.S. Lewis’ classic tale. Then, as mentioned, in November, it was revealed that Gerwig was in the mix to direct the films after “Barbie.” Well, it’s happening. And it marks yet more proof that the filmmaker has her sights set on the biggest gigs being offered to directors and doesn’t seem to have any desire to go back to indie filmmaking anytime soon.
“The Chronicles of Narnia” novel series is one of the most beloved fantasy series of all time. The story follows a group of young children who find themselves in Narnia, a world with all sorts of fantastical things, such as magic and talking animals. It’s unclear what the plan is to adapt the novels. Will Gerwig adapt the first two novels for the first two films? Or is she splitting the original book, “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe,” into two parts? We’ll have to wait and see.
As of now, it’s clear that Gerwig’s main focus is making sure “Barbie” is a massive hit for Warner Bros. That film has the possibility of kickstarting a new comedy franchise, and if early tracking is any indication, it might actually double the box office of its biggest competitor on July 21, “Oppenheimer.” If that’s the case, then suddenly Gerwig is definitely going to ascend into the upper echelon of filmmakers working today.
