Filming has begun in London, England, for the much-anticipated adaptation of The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis, in a Netflix movie written and directed by Greta Gerwig.
Gerwig, known for directing the 2023 fantasy comedy “Barbie,” is bringing the Narnia prequel to the big screen, with the movie set for release in late 2026. The film will debut in IMAX theaters for four weeks starting on Thanksgiving Day.
Actors for the new movie have not been officially announced by Netflix. However, fan site “What’s on Netflix” has scrutinized set photos and identified — though not confirmed — David McKenna and Beatrice Campbell in the lead roles of Digory Kirke and Polly Plummer.
Hollywood actress Meryl Streep is reportedly expected to take the main role of Aslan. Other casting rumors from “What’s on Netflix” include former James Bond 007 actor Daniel Craig, possibly as Uncle Andrew Ketterley, and Emma Mackey as the White Witch. Carey Mulligan is also rumored to be appearing as Digory’s mother.
Scenes from the new film were reportedly sighted around London over the past weekend, including at The Royal Exchange and Bank Station. A post-war 1950s background was created with extras wearing wartime clothes for the filming.
“Filming on Greta Gerwig’s The Magician’s Nephew adaptation finally got underway in London this morning, with scenes being shot on public roads in the City of London near Cornhill and the Royal Exchange,” reported independent online fan base NarniaWeb.
“The set appears to depict a 1950’s street scene in a post-war reconstruction-era Britain, the highlight of which is a giant billboard for a new housing development, featuring a magnificent golden-maned Lion,” the report continued.
According to NarniaWeb, this confirms that multiple scenes within the movie will be set in the 1950s “rather than entirely in 1900 as per the book.” It remains unconfirmed whether this represents a shift for the entire story or simply the addition of a framing device corresponding to the year the novel was published in 1955.
“The rest of the street scene features various items of street furniture appropriate to the 1950s, as well as taxis, cars and buses of that era,” the fan site reported.
Published in 1955 by The Bodley Head in England, The Magician’s Nephew is the sixth book in the Narnia series by C.S. Lewis, but chronologically it provides a powerful allegory of the creation of Narnia by Aslan, with echoes of the biblical book of Genesis. For that reason, some Narnia fans believe the story should be read first before the other Narnia tales.
The plot involves two children, Digory Kirke and Polly Plummer, who are tricked by Digory’s Uncle Andrew into traveling to other worlds. They accidentally awaken the evil Queen Jadis from a dying world called Charn and bring her back to London before traveling to a new world created by the lion, Aslan, and witnessing the creation of Narnia.
Netflix first announced the adaptation of a new series of Narnia films in October 2018, following a “multi-year” deal between Netflix and The C.S. Lewis Company. Douglas Gresham, stepson of C.S. Lewis, was a co-executive producer at the time.
“It is wonderful to know that folks from all over are looking forward to seeing more of Narnia, and that the advances in production and distribution technology have made it possible for us to make Narnian adventures come to life all over the world,” Gresham said at the time of the 2018 announcement. “Netflix seems to be the very best medium with which to achieve this aim, and I am looking forward to working with them towards this goal.”
Last August, NarniaWeb disclosed that Gresham was suffering from a prolonged illness “from which he is not expected to make a recovery” and was receiving care at his home on the island of Malta.
