Greta Gerwig might have simply helmed one in all summer time’s largest blockbusters with the Barbie film — however she nonetheless has nerves about leaping into her subsequent undertaking.
Gerwig, 39, is ready to direct and write a minimum of two of the upcoming Chronicles of Narnia movies, in response to The Hollywood Reporter. The films, that are based mostly on the beloved C.S. Lewis novels, will premiere on Netflix and mark Gerwig’s fantasy debut. The director, for her half, feels the stress to ship — however sees it as a constructive factor.
“I haven’t even actually began wrapping my arms round it, however I’m correctly afraid of it, which seems like a superb place to begin,” Gerwig mentioned on the Thursday, July 20, episode of the “Complete Movie” podcast. “I believe once I’m scared, it’s at all times a superb signal. Perhaps once I cease being scared, it’ll be like, ‘Perhaps I shouldn’t try this one.’ No, I’m scared of it. It’s extraordinary. And it’s thrilling.”
This isn’t the primary time cinema has headed into the land of Narnia. Three variations — The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Prince Caspian and The Voyage of the Daybreak Treader — have been launched by Disney in 2005, 2008 and 2010, respectively. Lion, particularly, was a hovering hit for critics and followers alike, incomes over $745 million worldwide. In 2018, Netflix revealed they landed the rights to fashionable ebook collection.
“I hope to make all completely different sorts of films in the midst of the time I get to make films, which — it’s a very long time, but it surely’s additionally restricted,” Gerwig mentioned on Thursday of wanting to maintain her work multifaceted. “I wish to do massive issues and small issues and all over the place in between, and having one other massive canvas is thrilling and likewise daunting.”
Whereas Gerwig has beforehand helmed smaller indie films together with 2017’s Girl Hen and the 2019 adaptation of Little Ladies, 2023’s Barbie was the primary bigger-budget movie she’s tackled, writing and directing the undertaking after being approached by govt producer — and titular star — Margot Robbie.
“It felt sparky to me in a roundabout way that felt sort of promising,” Gerwig advised Vogue in Could, including that she would solely comply with the job if her associate Noah Baumbach cowrote it together with her. “I used to be the one who mentioned, Noah and I’ll do that.”
Will Ferrell, America Ferrera, Michael Cera, Issa Rae, Dua Lipa and Simu Liu finally joined the solid alongside Robbie, and the ladies discovered their good Ken in Ryan Gosling. The comedy, which premiered on Friday, July 21, is predicted to dominate the summer time 2023 field workplace alongside Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, delivering one of many largest moviegoing weekends since 2019.
Whereas Gerwig has clearly received the chops to navigate a significant franchise, when requested on Thursday if she would ever take into account attempting her hand at a James Bond movie, she replied, “Oh my God. We’re going to simply persist with some lions and a few dolls for the second. You by no means know. I actually like [Bond producer] Barbara Broccoli, so.”
