Greta Gerwig’s upcoming Chronicles of Narnia films will cover more than just The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, according to Netflix Films’ Scott Stuber.
Speaking with Variety, Stuber was asked about Gerwig’s upcoming Narnia films and how “committed” she is to the project. In July 2023, it was announced that Gerwig had been hired to write and direct two films based on C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia book series, though it wasn’t immediately clear at the time which novels the Barbie director was looking to adapt.
“Obviously, The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe is kind of the preeminent one, but there’s such an interesting narrative form [to the Narnia series] if you read all of them,” Stuber said. “And so that’s what she’s working on now with [producer] Amy Pascal and trying to figure out how they can break the whole arc of all of it.”
Scott Stuber on Greta Gerwig: ‘She’s just got this great soul’
Speaking as to why Netflix hired Gerwig to helm the Narnia movies, Stuber said, “Greta’s been a friend for a while. Her husband, Noah Baumbach…we’ve made I think three films. We’re starting another one. We have a big deal with them. If you don’t know her, she’s truly one of the greatest people, not an artist, but a human being. She’s just got this great soul. When we had Marriage Story and she had Little Women, we all spent quite a bit of time on the awards trail together at dinners.
“[Gerwig] grew up in a Christian background. The C.S. Lewis books are very much based in Christianity. And so we just started talking about it. And like I said earlier, we don’t have IP, so when we had the opportunity [to license] those books or the [Roald Dahl Co.] we’ve jumped at it, to have stories that people recognize and the ability to tell those stories. So it was just a great opportunity and I’m so thrilled that she’s working on it with us and I’m just thrilled to be in business with her. And she’s just an incredible talent.”
Earlier this month, Stuber revealed Gerwig’s first Narnia movie is looking to go into production in 2024. The cast has not yet been announced.
