Life in plastic may be fantastic but it’s Barbie director, Greta Gerwig, who’s maximising the Ken-ergy in Hollywood. Enlisting in Aslan’s army, the 39-year-old is the newest director-in-chief for Netflix’s upcoming adaptation, The Chronicles of Narnia.
While the C.S. Lewis series witnessed a lukewarm response back in the aughts, the multimillion-dollar streaming platform hopes to inject a newfound fervour with Gerwig’s entry. Although official announcements are yet to be made, movie enthusiasts are already flocking to social media to predict what the Academy Award winner will bring to the fantasy franchise.
What is known about Greta Gerwig directing ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’?
While Netflix had green-signalled the film and TV rights to the book series back in 2018, not much was revealed about the adaptation up until now. Ted Sarandos, the CEO, said at the time. “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.” A report in The New York Times places two films under Greta’s wing, who currently seems to be galloping her way to the top.
The C.S. Lewis series has been adapted before, through an ostentatious BBC series, which was set to rival the skyrocketing popularity of Harry Potter at the time of its release. Before Netflix acquired the rights, Disney made adaptations of the novels The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe in 2005 and Prince Caspian in 2008. Fox released The Voyage of the Dawn Treader in 2010.
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Netflix has long talked about franchise ambitions and has been collecting IP to bolster those efforts, including acquiring Roald Dahl Story Company. The streamer released a movie musical adaptation of Dahl’s Matilda while Wes Anderson recently completed an adaptation of the author’s The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar. In its ongoing streaming war with HBO, Disney, and Amazon Prime Video, it appears like a lot of hope is pinned on the success of The Chronicles of Narnia.
As for Gerwig, Narnia solidifies her status as one of Hollywood’s most sought-after directors too, with a penchant for adaptations. Following her breakthrough with Lady Bird in 2017, which netted five Oscar nominations, Gerwig helmed Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women for Sony before jumping on the Margot Robbie-fronted Barbie.
Are you excited to see Greta Gerwig’s adaptation of The Chronicles of Narnia? Watch this space for more updates.
(Main and featured image: BBC, Don Arnold/ Getty Images)
This story first appeared on Prestige Online Malaysia
