Greta Gerwig isn’t ready to dive into the lion, the witch, and the wardrobe just quite yet.
The “Barbie” writer-director, who is slated to helm at least two Netflix films based on C.S. Lewis’ “The Chronicles of Narnia” novel series, told Total Film (via Games Radar) that she is “terrified” about tackling the I.P. project.
“I haven’t even really started wrapping my arms around it,” Gerwig said. “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. Maybe when I stop being scared, it’ll be like, ‘OK. Maybe I shouldn’t do that one.’ No, I’m terrified of it. It’s extraordinary. And so we’ll see, I don’t know.”
She continued, “I hope to make all different kinds of movies in the course of the time I get to make movies, which — it’s a long time, but it’s also limited. I want to do big things and small things and everywhere in between, and having another big canvas is exciting and also daunting.”
Gerwig previously helmed the novel adaptation of “Little Women” and original films “Lady Bird” and “Nights and Weekends” before partnering with Mattel for “Barbie.”
Gerwig’s involvement with the new iteration of “Narnia” was confirmed earlier this year.
“Greta and I have been very consciously constructing a career,” Gerwig’s UTA agent Jeremy Barber told The New Yorker. “Her ambition is to be not the biggest woman director but a big studio director. And Barbie was a piece of I.P. that was resonant to her.”
“The Chronicles of Narnia” was first brought to the big screen for 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 worldwide and starred Liam Neeson (voicing the lion Aslan), Tilda Swinton, and James McAvoy. A deal was struck in 2018 with Netflix to obtain 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 films and TV series based on the novels.
Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos said at the time of the rights acquisition, “C.S. 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’re thrilled to be their home for years to come.”
To read Gerwig’s recent “Barbie” interview with IndieWire, click here.
