Greta Gerwig may have just helmed one of summer’s biggest blockbusters with the Barbie movie — but she still has nerves about jumping into her next project.
Gerwig, 39, is set to direct and write at least two of the upcoming Chronicles of Narnia films, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The movies, which are based on the beloved C.S. Lewis novels, will premiere on Netflix and mark Gerwig’s fantasy debut. The director, for her part, feels the pressure to deliver — but sees it as a positive thing.
“I haven’t even really started wrapping my arms around it, but I’m properly scared of it, which feels like a good place to start,” Gerwig said on the Thursday, July 20, episode of the “Total Film” podcast. “I think when I’m scared, it’s always a good sign. Maybe when I stop being scared, it’ll be like, ‘Maybe I shouldn’t do that one.’ No, I’m terrified of it. It’s extraordinary. And it’s exciting.”
This isn’t the first time cinema has headed into the land of Narnia. Three adaptations — The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Prince Caspian and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader — were released by Disney in 2005, 2008 and 2010, respectively. Lion, in particular, was a soaring hit for critics and fans alike, earning over $745 million worldwide. In 2018, Netflix revealed they landed the rights to popular book series.
“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,” Gerwig said on Thursday of wanting to keep her work multifaceted. “I want to do big things and small things and everywhere in between, and having another big canvas is exciting and also daunting.”
While Gerwig has previously helmed smaller indie movies including 2017’s Lady Bird and the 2019 adaptation of Little Women, 2023’s Barbie was the first bigger-budget film she’s tackled, writing and directing the project after being approached by executive producer — and titular star — Margot Robbie.
“It felt sparky to me in some way that felt kind of promising,” Gerwig told Vogue in May, adding that she would only agree to the job if her partner Noah Baumbach cowrote it with her. “I was the one who said, Noah and I will do this.”
Will Ferrell, America Ferrera, Michael Cera, Issa Rae, Dua Lipa and Simu Liu eventually joined the cast alongside Robbie, and the women found their perfect Ken in Ryan Gosling. The comedy, which premiered on Friday, July 21, is predicted to dominate the summer 2023 box office alongside Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, delivering one of the biggest moviegoing weekends since 2019.
While Gerwig has clearly got the chops to navigate a major franchise, when asked on Thursday if she would ever consider trying her hand at a James Bond film, she replied, “Oh my God. We’re going to just stick with some lions and some dolls for the moment. You never know. I really like [Bond producer] Barbara Broccoli, so.”
