Director Greta Gerwig is ‘Full Speed Ahead’ on Netflix’s ‘Narnia’ Movies
It might have been a quiet summer for Narnia movie news, but according to writer and director Greta Gerwig, she’s been going full force on her new adaptations for Netflix.
Gerwig was recently honored as this year’s Pioneer Of The Year at the 2024 Will Rogers Pioneer of the Year Dinner in Beverly Hills, where Pete Hammond of Deadline caught up with her about her next project:
Gerwig told me it is full speed ahead for her next film based on the Narnia books, a very ambitious project she is going to direct for Netflix, who had a table with [Netflix executives] Dan Lin, Lisa Taback and others right near Gerwig’s. “After that I think I just want to make a movie set in a cafeteria,” she laughed.
Deadline
Gerwig attended the dinner with her stepson Rohmer, who she says is the first “test audience” for movies she makes. (Previously, Rohmer gave Gerwig the thumbs up for Barbie.)
Gerwig has said that the prospect of adapting C.S. Lewis’s beloved Narnia books is terrifying for her, but Gerwig is leaning in to the challenge:
There are easier ways to make money, less terrifying businesses, but there are none that are more exciting and filled with this much joy and wonder. And I’m willing to bet that everyone in this room had the same experience I did, which is going to a dark theater, watching the lights go down and be transported. Those were my favorite memories growing up, and they’re my favorite experiences now.
Greta Gerwig
There have yet to be any casting announcements for Greta Gerwig’s Narnia films. Saoirse Ronan, who has already collaborated with Gerwig twice, has previously hinted about asking for a role in Narnia, while Narnia star William Moseley has said that his involvement is unlikely. (Although actor Louis Partridge was reported as being cast in Narnia earlier this month, this rumor was confirmed to be false.)
Want to catch up on all the news about Netflix’s Narnia? Here’s everything we know.
You know, I was surprised by how pleased I was to see this little story. Earlier, I was like, “stop telling us that it’s going to be great or that you’re doing it and say something specific!” But after so long with nothing…just telling us that they’re doing it is kind of refreshing. LOL. (I know we’ve had stories about actors being interested or suggesting other actors, but I don’t pay much attention to those unless they’re from Greta Gerwig herself or someone at Netflix.)
I’m still at the “come ON, say something specific!!” phase… I’m also glad just to hear Gerwig is definitely working on this, but (probably like a lot of others) I would really, really, really love to hear some details. Even a few. Like, for example, which book is she starting with??? But I guess this is just further assurance that we will find out in due course…
I hope they start with the first book and not jump straight into the second one
FFS please make the magicians nephew! Its literally the origin story and TLTW&TW is always remade. Ive seen 3 remakes……please lord lol make TMN!
I take this as a good sign! Right now I’m guessing at an early 2026 release… provided things stay at full speed.
World of Reel is saying Saoirse Ronan might be in the movies. It also says the movie has more than seven months of production schedule for 2025. Has any confirmed these news?
@Philipe
“After checking with our sources, we can say reports of Saorise Ronan being cast in Netflix’s Narnia movies are NOT accurate. Of course, that does not mean it definitely won’t happen (she has been in two of Greta Gerwig’s films), but she has not been cast at this time.”
NarniaWeb’s post on Twitter! Also, that 7 months production schedule note was likely based on a report from What’s On Netflix (which was removed) earlier this year.
Given the past decade of Narnia adaptations being in various stages of development hell, silence can always be a little worrying. I’m glad to hear this project is still moving forward.
@L, I sympathize with being tired of LWW being the only Narnia book that gets adapted. But I don’t think you can really say it’s been “remade.” The 1988 miniseries wasn’t a remake of the 1979 cartoon and the 2005 movie wasn’t a remake of the miniseries. They were all different adaptations of the book, independent of each other.
@col-klink I actually agree. There so many adaptions of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde or A Christmas Carol or The Three Musketeers or The Prince and The Pauper, so it does not make them remakes. It’s just different ways of filmmakers of adapting them. So it’s kind of the same with Narnia.
I cannot wait for this movie to come out! 🙂
It is very nice to hear the words “full speed ahead”.
Are you running out of ways to make a graphic with a photo of Gerwig and an image representing the Narnia books? te he 🙂 This one looks quite good.
I’m so excited! I really think Greta Gerwig will surprise fans in a good way!
“her next film based on the Narnia books”
Does this mean that the film will combine more than one of the books? I think that’s what has been hinted at for some time now.
@Will
Oof, you could be right. I could see Netflix doing that. I hope that’s not the case though…
Love how Gerwig’s stepson is her test audience! Adds a personal touch to her creative process. Excited to see how she brings Narnia to life.
@Will
I wouldn’t read too much into that line, especially since it’s not from anyone involved in the production. t’s purposely vague because no one knows what Netflix’s plans are at this point. If you recall in Time Magazine’s interview from earlier this year, the author wrote that Gerwig was adapting “the first book” but never explicitly said MN or LWW.
It’s really quite frustrating!