Greta Gerwig to direct new adaptations of “Chronicles of Narnia” for Netflix.
The ‘Barbie’ writer-director officially has “at least” a two-movie deal to bring the beloved novels back to life, this time on the streamer. Four years after Netflix announced a multi-year partnership with The CS Lewis Company, The New Yorker confirmed rumors that had been circulating for several months that three-time Academy Award nominee Gerwig would be attached to direct the “Narnia” films.
The news was shared in an extensive interview with Mattel executives and Gerwig’s team for the New Yorker that focused on “Barbie” and the ever-expanding quest to find more IPs to fit.
“Greta and I have consciously built a career,” Gerwig’s UTA agent Jeremy Barber told the publication. “Her ambition is not to be the greatest female director, but a great studio director. And Barbie was a piece of IP that was resonant to her.
Gerwig added of her upcoming film “Barbie” that she most likely won’t be making a movie about a toy again.
“It should be something that has a weird hook in me, that feels like it gets to the core,” she said. “I don’t know if there is a doll that anyone isASangry with.”
Gerwig recently appeared in Noah Baumbach’s Netflix film “White Noise” and wrapped production on “Barbie,” which she directed and co-wrote with Baumbach. Gerwig’s previous literary adaptation “Little Women” was nominated for an Academy Award. She also co-wrote Disney’s live-action film “Snow White” with Rachel Zegler, star of “West Side Story.”
‘The Chronicles of Narnia’ was brought to the big screen in a film trilogy spanning from 2005 to 2010. The first film, ‘The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’ grossed over $745 million. dollars all over the world. The fantasy film, based on Lewis’ 1950 novel of the same name, starred Liam Neeson (voicing the lion Aslan), Tilda Swinton and James McAvoy.
The 2018 Netflix deal is the first time a single company has obtained the rights to all seven Narnia books. Mark Gordan, Douglas Gresham and eOne’s Vincent Sieber will executive produce all upcoming films and TV series based on the novels.
“Narnia is one of those rare properties that spans multiple generations and geographies,” Gordon said in a 2018 press release, via Expiration. “We look forward to the start of the multiple productions we hope to undertake.”
Ted Sarandos, chief content officer at Netflix, added: “CS Lewis’ beloved ‘Chronicles of Narnia’ stories have resonated with generations of readers around the world. The families have fallen in love with characters like Aslan and the entire world of Narnia, and we are thrilled to be their home for years to come.”
Author Lewis’ stepson Douglas Gresham said: “It’s wonderful to know that people around the world are eager to see more of Narnia and that advances in production and distribution technology have allowed us to give the adventures of Narnia. around the world. Netflix appears to be the best medium in which to achieve this and I look forward to working with them to achieve this.”
IndieWire has reached out to representatives of Gerwig and Netflix for comment.
