Greta Gerwig isn’t ready to dive into the lion, the witch, and the wardrobe just yet.
The “Barbie” writer-director, who is set to helm at least two Netflix movies based on CS Lewis’ “The Chronicles of Narnia” novel series, told Total Film (via Game radars) that she’s “terrified” about taking on the IP project.
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“I haven’t even really started to put my arms around her,” Gerwig said. “But I’m really scared of it, which seems like a good place to start. I think when I’m scared it’s always a good sign. Maybe when I stop being scared it’ll be like, ‘OK. Maybe I shouldn’t do that one. No, I’m scared of it. It’s extraordinary. And so we’ll see, I don’t know.
She continued, “I hope to make all kinds of films in the time that I have to make films, which – it’s long, but it’s also limited. I want to do big and small things and everywhere in between, and having another big canvas is exciting and also intimidating.
Gerwig previously directed the new adaptation of “Little Women” and the original films “Lady Bird” and “Nights and Weekends” before teaming up with Mattel for “Barbie.”
Gerwig’s involvement in the new iteration of “Narnia” was confirmed earlier this year.
“Greta and I have built a career very consciously,” Gerwig’s UTA agent Jeremy Barber told The New Yorker. “Her ambition is not to be the greatest director but a great studio director. And Barbie was a piece of intellectual property that resonated with her.
‘The Chronicles of Narnia’ premiered on the big screen for a trilogy of films spanning 2005-2010. The first film, ‘The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’, grossed over $745 million worldwide and starred Liam Neeson (voice of the lion Aslan), Tilda Swinton and James McAvoy. A deal was struck in 2018 with Netflix to secure the rights to all seven “Narnia” books.
eOne’s Mark Gordan, Douglas Gresham, and Vincent Sieber are set to serve as executive producers on all upcoming movies and TV series based on the novels.
Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos said at the time of the rights acquisition, “CS Lewis’ beloved ‘Chronicles of Narnia’ stories have resonated with generations of readers around the world. 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.
To read Gerwig’s recent “Barbie” interview with IndieWire, click here.
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