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Greta Celeste Gerwig is an American actress, screenwriter, director, and producer best known for her work in Little Women and most recently, Barbie. In a recent Total Film podcast, Gerwig sat down to discuss a variety of topics, including, for the first time, her plans to write and direct multiple films based on C.S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia books, and whether or not she’d direct a Bond film (a question that has also recently been asked from Christopher Nolan, Gerwig’s box office competitor who directed Oppenheimer).
What did Greta Gerwig say about the ‘Narnia’ projects?
While rumors about Gerwig tackling Narnia had circulated for some time, it was only confirmed in a recent interview with Gerwig and Barbie toy creator Mattel in The New Yorker. Netflix’s announcement of a Narnia project had been anticipated for some time, given the streamer’s signing of a multi-year contract for rights to the novels in 2018. The fantasy books tell the story of three siblings coming of age during WWII who escape through a wardrobe to an enchanted land known as Narnia, where they play an integral part in fending off the advances of evil, which has previously been adapted into three films from Disney and Fox, grossing over $1.58 billion worldwide.
On the topic, the Barbie director said that the notion of directing such large-scale films makes her nervous, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing for her. “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,” continued Gerwig in her recent Total Film podcast appearance. She went on to declare that she aspires to do “all different kinds of movies” in her career including “big things and small things and everywhere in between” even if “having another big canvas” with Narnia is as “daunting” as it is thrilling.
“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.’ But yeah, no. I’m terrified of it. It’s extraordinary and it’s exciting.”
Greta Gerwig about helming new ‘Narnia’ movies
What did Greta Gerwig say about the possibility of directing a movie from the ‘James Bond’ franchise?
Gerwig also addressed the possibility of directing a James Bond film in her podcast interview, avoiding it for the time being. “Oh my God. We’re going to just stick with some lions and some dolls for the moment,” the filmmaker explained. “But you never know. I really like [Bond franchise producer] Barbara Broccoli, so…”
On the other hand, Christopher Nolan had a very different response to this question saying that the influence “of those movies in my filmography is embarrassingly apparent. It would be an amazing privilege to do one.” On the podcast Happy Sad Confused he continued, “At the same time, when you take on a character like that you’re working with a particular set of constraints.”