Following the stunt that Greta Gerwig pulled with Barbie,
rivaling Oppenheimer
in all her pink glory, it is safe to say that she is now in the major leagues. While the director was already a favorite among cinema enthusiasts with movies like Lady Bird
and Little Women
, it was with Barbie
that she reached the headquarters. Therefore, with her next movie being an adaptation of The Chronicles of Narnia
, the stakes are quite high.
Netflix, which has the rights to the books, is adapting a very specific approach for Narnia
, from its making to its release, something that the CEO Ted Sarandos has himself reflected upon,
What are Netflix’s Narnia plans?
With offers raking in from all directions, Netflix went through hell and back to get Narnia
to join its team. However, the journey post-deal has not been all too smooth, with a lot of confusion arising regarding the movie’s release. While it was reported that Gerwig is going full IMAX mode for her next, Ted Sarandos describes it as a two-week event exclusively designed to pump up the movie’s popularity, meet festival requirements, and all the award brouhaha. Other than that, in the fourth quarter earning a call as reported by Deadline
, he made clear his intentions of giving members exclusive first-round movies.
For now, the movie is set to release in IMAX on Thanksgiving Day in 2026
and then subsequently on Christmas day on Netflix, leaving it a two-week run in the theaters that could make or break Greta Gerwig’s record as the blockbuster miracle. Despite the gravitas of the names attached to the movie, it is quite a shocker that the updates have come down to the release process.
Read More: Netflix Prepares for a Minions Takeover With Multiple Animated Movies Making Their Way to Streaming
The Narnia
adaptation, apart from all the technical prowess that it will boast off, is set to also be a cinematic extravaganza for many reasons.
Why Narnia will change Netflix’s track record of mediocre adaptations?
Despite the sheer range of originality that the streamer possesses, Netflix has an affinity towards adapting popular materials, be it classics such as The Picture of Dorian Gray or mangas like Death Note. However, given Greta Gerwig’s spotless track record of belting out cinematic masterpieces if not blockbusters, the stage is set for Netflix to redeem itself.
going from Barbie then announcing she’s going to be writing AND directing 2 Narnia films … it’s truly greta gerwig’s world we’re just living in it pic.twitter.com/9GF78h6bXB
— 🏹๋˚ (@witchofcharn) July 3, 2023
The Chronicles of Narnia
is essentially a movie about kids discovering a world within their wardrobe, and if there is a modern-day director capable of making this an attractive spectacle to audiences of all ages, it is Greta Gerwig. Therefore, it makes sense that Netflix would go the extra mile to ensure that it enjoys both a theatrical run and a streaming one.
What do you think about Netflix’s Narnia-
specific plan? Let us know in the comments below.
