The first set photos from Greta Gerwig’s upcoming Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew, the first instalment in her new Netflix film series, reveal a massive change from the original source material. After writing and directing acclaimed movies including Lady Bird, Little Women, and Barbie, Greta Gerwig was announced to be adapting at least two of C. S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia books for Netflix, starting with The Magician’s Nephew. Filming in London has now begun on the first instalment, but set photos posted by What’s on Netflix suggest the movie will be set in 1955, instead of 1900.
Set photos from the production of Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew see the area around Bank Station and the Royal Exchange transformed into post-war 1950s Britain. This is in contrast to the Victorian-era setting of Lewis’ The Magician’s Nephew, which retroactively became the first volume in The Chronicles of Narnia, despite being the sixth of seven books released in the series. The novel begins during the summer of 1900, so the movie adaptation’s shift to 1955 suggests the entire franchise’s timeline may also change, drastically impacting the events of subsequent stories, notably The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe takes place in 1940 during World War II, but the fact that The Magician’s Nephew is a prequel to this story means the adaptation’s 1955 setting makes a WWII setting impossible. If the timeline remains the same, but simply moves, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe’s new adaptation could be set around 2000, so it remains to be seen what story might unfold. Photos from Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew reveal lavish and enticing sets, and confirm young actors have been cast as Digory Kirke and Polly Plummer, raising anticipation.
C. S. Lewis’ The Magician’s Nephew novel from 1955 was set 40 years prior to the events of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, which was the first published story in The Chronicles of Narnia. The Magician’s Nephew featured a young Digory Kirke – the professor from LWW – who becomes embroiled in a world of magic and otherworldly travel alongside his Uncle Andrew and his close friend, Polly. Their adventure leads to them inadvertently unleashing the evil White Witch on the streets of London, however, before they all witness the creation of a new world, Narnia, by the lion Aslan.
Emma Mackey has been cast as the White Witch in Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew, replacing Tilda Swinton from Andrew Adamson’s 2005 adaptation. Daniel Craig has been reported to be in negotiations to portray Uncle Andrew, while Carey Mulligan is in the running for an undisclosed role, and Meryl Streep is the favorite to voice Aslan, taking over from Liam Neeson. Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew is expected to see a brief theatrical release in November 2026 before hitting Netflix for Christmas, so it won’t be long until we get a better idea of the new Narnia film series’ timeline and stories.
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