Greta Gerwig Is Rightfully Terrified To Direct New Narnia Movies
As of this writing, Greta Gerwig's new satire "Barbie" is poised to rake in close to $100 million in its opening weekend, making it a bone fide hit. Because it is opening alongside the equally hyped Christopher Nolan biopic "Oppenheimer" and the less-ballyhooed but well-reviewed horror film "Cobweb," the summer of 2023 is beginning to resemble the diversity of the 1990s. One might recall the weeks in 1995 when "The Brady Bunch Movie" was playing in theaters at the same time as "Outbreak," "Muriel's Wedding," and John Carpenter's "In the Mouth of Madness." Aesthetic diversity is back, baby.
Prior to "Barbie," Gerwig directed the semi-autobiographical coming-of-age drama "Lady Bird" and the awards darling "Little Women." With "Barbie," Gerwig has moved solidly into the realm of "commercially proven," leading to a well-moneyed Netflix offer for the director to make two new "Chronicles of Narnia" movies. Despite how 1995 everything feels, no one seems preoccupied with the notion of Gerwig "selling out." That part appears to be dated.
Author C.S. Lewis' "The Chronicles of Narnia," of course, began with the publication of "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" in 1950. It followed a group of British siblings as they hid from the violence of World War II in a remote country house. In the house, they find an enchanted wardrobe that is actually a secret portal to a fantasy kingdom called Narnia. In Narnia, they meet an evil ice queen, friendly fantasy creatures, and a Messiah-like talking lion named Aslan.
Three of Lewis' seven Narnia books were adapted into films in 2005, 2008, and 2010.
In a new interview on the podcast "Inside Total Film," Gerwig admitted that she accepted a sizeable job with Narnia, a decision that has left her feeling utter terror.
'I'm properly scared of it, which feels like a good place to start'
C.S. Lewis, it should be noted, was friends with his contemporary J.R.R. Tolkien. At the same time, both authors constructed elaborate fantasy universes full of unique creatures and their own mythologies. Lewis created Narnia as a Christian parable (Lewis frequently wrote essays on his Christianity) while Tolkien created Middle-Earth from his "Lord of the Rings" novels as an antiwar parable — and also as an excuse to play around with linguistics and fictional languages.
Dealing with a large, beloved, extant fantasy universe is going to be a careful balancing act for any filmmaker. How does one give respect to the original author while still making the story seem fresh and relevant? And, golly, all those characters and fantasy costumes seem overwhelmingly complicated. Gerwig told Inside Total Film:
"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. [...] 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."
The previous "Narnia" movies were also massive hits, earning about $1.5 billion between the three of them. Many readers know the Narnian tales, their Christian underpinnings, and their warrior characters quite well. Some might see this as a reason to stay away from a job that massive. Gerwig, who has now made one mellow indie comedy, one period piece, and one studio-product fantasy, is ready to try something even bigger.
Treading by dawn
Small films are all well and good, Gerwig seems to feel, but why not play big? She said:
"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. [...] I want to do big things and small things and everywhere in between, and having another big canvas is exciting and also daunting."
To date, all three of the director's movies have been excellent, and she seems wholly capable of handling small, intimate material as well as broad, visually striking studio entertainments. Fans of "Barbie" may want her to keep on making studio pictures, while fans of "Lady Bird" might prefer that she stick to more soulful, low-budget dramas. There is no reason, however, to doubt that Gerwig cannot make an excellent pair of films based on the works of C.S. Lewis.
Indeed, Gerwig was asked about whether or not she may want to slip into the realm of super high-budget action-adventure franchises, namely helming a James Bond movie. Gerwig has no plans, but would, it seems, be open to the idea. She said, "Oh my God. We're going to just stick with some lions and some dolls for the moment. You never know. I really like Barbara Broccoli, so ..."
Gerwig attended a Catholic school and was raised a Universalist Unitarian (although she currently adheres to no one faith). Her "Barbie" can be seen as a Garden of Eden story, and the director admitted it was a spiritual film; she even wrote an Apostle's Creed about it during production. She certainly seems properly poised to take on the Christian allegories of Narnia.