Christians who love “The Chronicles of Narnia” by C.S. Lewis understandably have been nervous since it was announced that Greta Gerwig would direct new film adaptations for Netflix. Afterall, she may be best known for last summer’s blockbuster “Barbie.”
However, she said the stories will be true to the source material. “It won’t be counter to how the audience may have imagined those worlds, but it will be bigger and bolder than they thought,” Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos said.
Gerwig is a fan of Lewis’ works. “I would say the two big books of my childhood were ‘Little Women’ and the ‘Narnia’ books,” she said. “So I had that, you know, instant excitement, but instant terror that comes from trying to tackle something that has shaped me.”
Gerwig said she is drawn to Lewis’ “euphorically dreamlike” stories.
“It’s connected to the folklore and fairy stories of England, but it’s a combination of different traditions,” she said. “As a child, you accept the whole thing — that you’re in this land of Narnia, there’s fauns and then Father Christmas shows up. It doesn’t even occur to you that it’s not schematic. I’m interested in embracing the paradox of the worlds that Lewis created, because that’s what’s so compelling about them.”
Sarandos called Gerwig an “incredible visionary” and said her adaptation will be “rooted in faith”, which is to be expected when adapting the work of C. S. Lewis. Before “Barbie Gerwig adapted Louisa May Alcott’s “Little Women,” which made waves among critics and audiences.
Gerwig’s Narnia films currently have not been cast, but rumors say that cameras are set to roll this year. A release date sometime in 2026 is anticipated.
–Alan Goforth | Metro Voice
Photo: Books: public domain. Greta Gerwig: Diana Ringo Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0
