Even though it is highly anticipated, Greta Gerwig’s upcoming Chronicles of Narnia movie may struggle to continue an impressive streak. After the mᴀssively successful Barbie, which grossed $1.4 billion at the box office, Gerwig committed to directing two Chronicles of Narnia movies for Netflix. Even though Netflix is producing the film, the director’s first Narnia movie will receive an unprecedented IMAX release in theaters all around the world.

Based on this detail, it seems like the upcoming Chronicles of Narnia movie could be one of the biggest films of 2026. Additionally, the film, which will adapt The Magician’s Nephew, which is chronologically the first novel in author C.S. Lewis’ series, will start an exciting new franchise for the streamer.

Because of Gerwig’s involvement and the scope of the world of Narnia, there are plenty of reasons to be excited about this upcoming franchise. It seems like Netflix and Gerwig are also eyeing A-list actors to star in The Chronicles of Narnia, which will set the first movie up for success. However, while the first Chronicles of Narnia movie will undoubtedly be successful, I’m doubtful it will be able to continue Gerwig’s impressive Best Picture streak.

Greta Gerwig’s Three Movies As A Director All Landed Best Picture Nominations

Gerwig Has Directed Several Incredible Movies

Since Gerwig is now one of the most well-known filmmakers in the world, it’s surprising that she has only directed three movies. All three of these films, Lady Bird, Little Women, and Barbie, were nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars. While none of these films won the top prize at the Academy Awards, this is still a very impressive streak.

It must be noted that Gerwig also co-directed the 2008 film Nights and Weekends. However, since she was not the sole director of the project, it does not need to be considered for the purposes of this article. Furthermore, since Night and Weekends came out in 2008 and is technically the first directorial effort of Gerwig’s career, it does not break her current Best Picture streak at all.

Since her last three movies were all recognized by the Academy, many will expect The Chronicles of Narnia to also be an awards season standout. It’s likely that Gerwig’s upcoming fantasy movie will receive some awards recognition, but actually being nominated for Best Picture may be more difficult.

Could Chronicles Of Narnia Get A Best Picture Nomination?

The 2027 Best Picture Group Could Be Stacked

Obviously, it’s far too early to accurately predict whether there’s a chance The Chronicles of Narnia could be nominated for Best Picture. After all, it is currently scheduled to release in theaters on November 26, 2026, which is still well over a year away. However, on a surface level, The Chronicles of Narnia is not the type of movie that the Academy would typically nominate for Best Picture.

Outside of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, fantasy hasn’t necessarily been a standout genre at the Academy Awards throughout the 21st century. Of course, there are exceptions to this. For example, The Shape of Water is a grounded fantasy film that actually won Best Picture in 2018. Additionally, Wicked, which has a lot of fantastical elements, was nominated for Best Picture this year.

Furthermore, the Academy has nominated a lot more big-budget blockbusters for Best Picture in recent years, which could be good news for Gerwig’s next movie. However, The Chronicles of Narnia will definitely have a lot of compeтιтion leading up to the 2027 Oscars. Blockbusters like The Odyssey and Dune: Part Three, in particular, may already be locks for a Best Picture nomination. Therefore, there may simply not be enough spots for The Chronicles of Narnia to be nominated, as well.

Chronicles Of Narnia Will Hopefully End Another Gerwig Oscars Streak

Gerwig Has Been Snubbed At The Oscars Before

Even if The Chronicles of Narnia doesn’t end up getting nominated for Best Picture, there’s a strong chance that Gerwig will still be in the running for other awards at the 2027 Oscars. For example, it would be amazing if the fantasy movie could keep Gerwig’s Best Screenplay streak alive. For her last three movies, Gerwig has been nominated for either Best Original Screenplay or Best Adapted Screenplay at the Oscars.

While Gerwig has always been recognized as a writer at the Oscars, she unfortunately hasn’t always been nominated for Best Director. She received a directing nomination for Lady Bird, but was snubbed for both Little Women and Barbie, which sparked outrage from her fans.

After these two controversial snubs, perhaps the Academy will make things right and nominate Gerwig for Best Director for her work on The Chronicles of Narnia. Since it is getting a special IMAX release, it seems like Gerwig’s Chronicles of Narnia adaptation will be visually stunning, which could definitely earn her a nomination for Best Director.

Chronicles Of Narnia Shows How Greta Gerwig’s Career Has Changed

Gerwig Is One Of The Biggest Directors In The World

While she co-directed the aforementioned Nights and Weekends and had some writing and acting credits in the late 2000s and early 2010s, Lady Bird was very much the start of a new era for Gerwig. However, even Lady Bird, which ended up being a major commercial and critical success, only had a budget of $10 million.

To compare, according to Observer, Gerwig’s The Chronicles of Narnia movie will reportedly have a budget of around $200 million. Similarly, Barbie had a budget of about $150 million. Therefore, her newest movies prove that Gerwig has transformed from an indie filmmaker to a true blockbuster director.

However, even though the scale of her movies has increased, Gerwig has managed to make sure they are still full of heart and complex, intriguing characters. This is precisely why Barbie was such a major success. Therefore, hopefully Gerwig can accomplish this once again with The Chronicles of Narnia. If she does, then perhaps her Chronicles of Narnia adaptation will continue this Best Picture streak, after all.

Source: Observer