Life in plastic may be fantastic, but it looks like Greta Gerwig isn’t stopping at Barbie when it comes to bringing new life to childhood favourites.

Following rumours swirling last year that Netflix was eyeing Gerwig to direct its upcoming The Chronicles of Narnia adaptation,The New Yorker appeared to confirm the news in a story about Mattel’s continuing Hollywood ambitions.

While neither Netflix nor Gerwig has spoken out, the publication reported she will direct at least two films based on the C.S. Lewis series.

The news is sure to have anticipation ramping up for the upcoming adaptations, with the Oscar-nominated Gerwig having garnered many fans thanks to her work on films including 2019’s Little Women and this year’s much-hyped Barbie flick.

Narnia adaptations

Netflix first acquired the rights to develop new series and film projects based on the original series in 2018, under a multiyear deal with The C.S. Lewis Company.

“Families have fallen in love with characters like Aslan and the entire world of Narnia, and we’re thrilled to be their home for years to come,” Ted Sarandos, Netflix chief content officer, said at the time.

Since the initial 2018 announcement, there hasn’t been been much from Netflix on the adaptations.

In contrast, the streaming platform’s competitor, Amazon, released The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power in 2022 after beating Netflix for a $250 million (A$374 million) rights deal with the Tolkien estate in 2017.

But Netflix may be justified in taking its time with the The Chronicles of Narnia; each of the three film adaptations released between 2005-2010 raked in hundreds of millions of dollars. The movie adaptions were by Disney and grossed a whopping $US1.5 billion globally.

While Netflix might not be planning cinematic releases, it could be looking to add to its stable of iconic – and original – content to keep subscribers hooked.

The streaming platform may also be taking notes from the reception of Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power; because just 37 per cent of viewers finished the entire series.

While Amazon’s show has been green-lit for a second season, with five seasons planned in total, Netflix reportedly tends to pull the plug on content that draws in a completion rate below 50 per cent.