"I'm Scared": Greta Gerwig Finally Addresses Directing Narnia Movies
The director admits that she is scared of adapting the cult classic books.
It was recently announced that Greta Gerwig, mainly know for Lady Bird, Little Women and, of course, Barbie, will be directing a new adaptation of the C. S. Lewis fantasy cycle, The Chronicles of Narnia.
Gerwig will be directing at least two movies based on Lewis' books – they will be released on Netflix, which acquired the film rights back in 2018, but did not take any action until recently.
In the recent interview, Greta finally shared how she feels about directing the iconic franchise:
"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, 'Okay. 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."
It is not surprising that the director is afraid. The Chronicles of Narnia is a series of seven fantasy novels written by Clive Staples Lewis.
They tell about the adventures of children in a magical land called Narnia, where animals can talk, magic surprises no one, and good fights evil.
The books have been translated into many languages and have sold more than 120 million copies since they were first published.
The first film adaptation was released in 2005. The Chronicles of Narnia franchise was once Harry Potter 's main rival, but it ended in three movies and ultimately failed to achieve the same fame.
Meanwhile, the first two installments, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and Prince Caspian, are still high-quality movies and true fantasy classics. Only the third movie, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, received mixed reviews, which seems to be the reason why the fourth installment was never made.
Walt Disney and 20th Century Fox's films are not the first attempt to bring Narnia to the big screen. In the late 1980s, the BBC released a television series based on four of the books. However, they were incomparably less spectacular than the movies.
The Hollywood adaptations gave Lewis's books scope and realism, allowing them to add modern special effects to their plots.
Source: Total Film