What Greta Gerwig Told Her 4-Year-Old About Narnia
Writer/Director Greta Gerwig recently appeared on the WTF podcast, and was asked about her upcoming Chronicles of Narnia movies for Netflix. You can listen to her reply at the 1:23:01 mark of the episode.
Here is a rough transcript:
I was given Narnia to do what I want. So, that’s a very stressful, exciting but scary endeavor. I do wake up in the middle of the night worrying about Narnia. I told my son—we haven’t read Narnia yet to him. But it’s amazing to me, these things that are resonant without even knowing what they are. He was asking me, “Are there other movies you’re gonna make after Barbie?” Because he doesn’t know—he’s four and a half. And I said, “Oh yes, there will be other movies.” And then I said, “I’m gonna make something about a place called Narnia.” And instantly his eyes got big and he said, “Where is Narnia?” And I was like, “Well…” (laughs). And then he didn’t say anything about it for a while. And then he was going to bed and he said, “Tell me about Narnia.” And he remembered the name. It’s that strange resonance that you don’t know where it’s from, but C.S. Lewis tapped into something. To remember a name like that. He had that kind of lean in. And then I thought, “Well, that’s why it’s great.”
Greta Gerwig
Gerwig has two children with her husband Noah Baumbach (Barbie co-writer).
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Love the story about talking to her son about Narnia!
I like what she said, don’t get me wrong. It’s sweet, and the magic she speaks of truly is tangible. But I’m confused and concerned. What does being “given Narnia to do what I want” mean?
I do think that any little kid would ask where Narnia is, given how curious little kids usually are (especially at four year olds). It does make me somewhat better that she has read Narnia. I’m sure she will eventually read them to her two children (when they’re old enough in a few years).
This story speaks to the depths Lewis poured into Narnia. It’s such a special and memorable world that I haven’t seen replicated. I hope Greta can tap into that for her movies!
Gerwig having free-reign will be concerning for a lot of fans but she has good sensibilities as a director. These are beloved stories and she’s clearly treating (or at least talking about) them with respect.
I wonder if her sons will read Narnia first or watch her adaptations…
‘given Narnia to do what I want’ – I think this is a very throwaway description, and she would certainly know that there are limitations and conditions for this adaptation.
I am not worrying about it.
This is so wholesome, I love this story very much
It’s so nice that Gerwig is actually talking about adapting Narnia unlike Matthew Aldrich. Maybe it’s not fair of me to phrase it like that. If Aldrich were famous, perhaps people would have interviewed him, and he would have mentioned it. Anyway, it’s nice.
In terms of the comment about being “given Narnia to do what I want”, I would take that as being further confirmation (if it was even needed) that the Matthew Aldrich version of the Netflix Narnia project got completely scrapped.
i.e. she is not saying she was given Matthew Aldrich’s blueprint and told to work within his grand master-plan or whatever he actually came up with as the “creative architect”.
She’s starting from scratch with a blank canvas.
I believe by “do what I want” she’s just referring to her power as a director. The level of fear she keeps expressing over it tells me she still has a healthy respect for the books.
And it would be a great exercise for her to read the books to her son as she makes the films!
I think the power was in the word ‘Narnia’.
Quote from the article:
” And then he was going to bed and he said, “Tell me about Narnia.” And he remembered the name. It’s that strange resonance that you don’t know where it’s from, but C.S. Lewis tapped into something. To remember a name like that. He had that kind of lean in. And then I thought, “Well, that’s why it’s great.””
There are so many original and creative names and characters in the Narnia books. They become very memorable, in part because of the design (consider how the ‘ears’ design of Mickey Mouse is iconic). But also because of the emotional connection the reader has with the characters and the drama.
I think it’s great that her child recalled the name Narnia. It speaks to the creative power of Lewis. I hope they read the books together before her movies come out.
In terms of being given free reign, I think that is a good thing for the creative adaptation she might do (changing timelines, adding layers of emotion etc) that she is good at in other scripts. But hopefully she has a desire to remain devoted to the core storylines and themes from the books.
By the way, I was looking forward to some TV series of Narnia. I’m a bit sad that they are going to be movies instead 🙁