Chronicles of Narnia: Everything we know about Greta Gerwig’s reboot

Barbie director Greta Gerwig will soon be swapping the toybox for a magical wardrobe and a mystical land after it was revealed that she’ll helm two Chronicles of Narnia movies for Netflix.

Gerwig shot to fame following her multi-award-winning solo directorial debut Lady Bird in 2017, following it up with a take on the historical drama Little Women in 2019. Later this year, her work will be back in cinemas as Margot Robbie leads her new Barbie movie, with early rumblings suggesting she could be onto a bonafide pink-hued hit.

For her next film, the filmmaker will have to stock up on Turkish Delight as she tackles C.S. Lewis’ much-loved fantasy series the Chronicles of Narnia. It’s still early days but here’s everything we know about it so far.

When is Greta Gerwig’s Chronicles of Narnia released?

News that Gerwig would turn her attention to the Chronicles of Narnia was first mentioned in a lengthy interview that the director conducted with the New Yorker in promotion of Barbie.

According to the outlet, Gerwig didn’t fancy adapting another toy-based feature after her time with Barbie and Ken - despite Mattel’s growing hunger to capitalise on all of its playtime intellectual property. Instead, the publication revealed that Gerwig “has a deal with Netflix to write and direct at least two films based on C. S. Lewis’s “The Chronicles of Narnia.”

For anyone unfamiliar with this popular franchise, these two features are The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe and Prince Caspian: Return to Narnia. With both of these movie adaptations still in the early stages of production, no release date details are currently available.

Who is starring in Greta Gerwig’s Chronicles of Narnia movie?

Gerwig has proven herself as a director with a strong eye for choosing the right talent to lead her features.

Saoirse Ronan delivered an Oscar-nominated performance in her feature debut Lady Bird and joined the director for her second feature Little Women, rounding out an ensemble that also featured Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Eliza Scanlan and Laura Dern.

Despite these early indicators of Gerwig’s tastes when it comes to her favoured actors, it’s still too early to know who will be fronting her take on the Chronicles of Narnia.

Read more: The Chronicles of Narnia: The controversy behind CS Lewis's book series explained

Anyone familiar with Lewis’ books will know that the story follows four English children and siblings Peter, Edmund, Lucy and Susan - so that’s four lead characters that Gerwig will have to find to deliver her latest venture.

Will she go with recognized names or cast complete unknowns? Will Ronan reteam with Gerwig for a new take on the White Witch? As soon as we know, you will too. Of course, there are plenty of other characters that play a big part in the two films Gerwig is due to tackle and details of who-is-playing-whom will no doubt start to be rolled out in the coming months.

What is the plot of the Chronicles of Narnia?

Released in 1950, The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe is the first instalment of C.S. Lewis’ seven-boo Chronicles of Narnia anthology and the first part of the story that Gerwig will bring to screens.

While it’s too early to tell whether the writer-director will make any major diversions from Lewis' original text, we do know the general gist of the tale and roughly what we can expect from Netflix's retelling of the adventure.

The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe is set during wartime England and follows siblings Edmund, Lucy, Peter and Susan Pevensie as they escape their perilous reality through a magical wardrobe and find themselves in a land of talking animals, historic legends and evil queens.

Ruling the land is the sinister White Witch. By working with Narnia’s talking lion leader Aslan, the children discover that they each play a key part in an ancient prophecy that will restore peace to this fantastical realm.

Gerwig’s two-film Netflix adaptation isn’t the only time Lewis’ work has been brought into reality. Back in 2005, Disney adapted The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe with Tilda Swinton as the White Witch and James McAvoy as the bespectacled fawn Mr. Tumnus.

In 2008, the studio released Prince Caspian, casting Ben Barnes in the titular role, with Fox later translating the third book in the series in 2010, with The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

Is there a trailer for Greta Gerwig’s Chronicles of Narnia?

As of writing, there is no trailer or finished footage available for Gerwig’s take on the Chronicles of Narnia.

Greta Gerwig’s Chronicles of Narnia is coming soon to Netflix.