Greta Gerwig Not Shooting Narnia Using IMAX Film Cameras?
Back in January, when it was first announced that Narnia would be releasing exclusively in IMAX cinemas come November 2026, one detail which went largely unnoticed in the fanfare was that Greta Gerwig had still not decided as to whether she was going to shoot the film using the IMAX 70mm film camera as well.
We now potentially have an answer to that question, and it looks like she will not.
According to an IMAX Investors Briefing from April 2025, Narnia is not currently listed as one of the films due to be shot using the IMAX Camera. With only two months left till shooting begins, it would seem unlikely for that fact to now change.
For many filmmakers, the IMAX film camera is one of the biggest draws for the format, as the full-frame 70mm film print offers a much greater image size, and a far greater picture quality, than standard digital cinema cameras provide.
Very few films however are shot entirely on IMAX cameras, as not only is it much more expensive than shooting on digital, but the cameras themselves are much larger, difficult to maneuver, and somewhat noisy to operate. The IMAX camera is therefore often better suited for large-scale outdoor action scenes, rather than for smaller and more intimate character moments.
One further potential advantage to Greta Gerwig choosing not to shoot her film in IMAX 70mm is that it means Narnia fans who choose to watch the film in cinemas will all view the same version of the movie, regardless of which IMAX theater they attend. Typically, for films shot on IMAX film, only IMAX screens with the 70mm film projector will show the film in its full size and aspect ratio (1.43 to 1). For the majority of IMAX screens however which utilize the lower-specification “Digital IMAX” format, the top and bottom of the image are typically chopped off to fit the smaller screen and wider aspect ratio (1.9 to 1).
It therefore looks likely that Gerwig will be shooting the film using an IMAX-approved digital camera, as is the case for the majority of mainstream movie productions these days. It is also worth noting that Netflix also tend to enforce their own standards for camera selection on all their original productions, therefore it is possible that this also swayed the decision.
Learn more about the IMAX format:
I’m no filmmaker, but I love the art of filmmaking – and that goes for the art of cinematography as well. However, because of an awful casting rumor that seems to be the real deal, my interest in this Narnia project has become practically non-existent. Unless there is some kind of promise from the filmmakers that Meryl Streep with NOT play Aslan (and that He will not be gender-swapped) I don’t care for this film. My enthusiasm for new adaptations of C.S. Lewis’ books does not extend to a horribly tone-deaf artistic decision such as that.
I remember this video essay on how using IMAX cameras improved Christopher Nolan’s directing. https://youtu.be/v92uAesOimQ
I’m personally neutral on this film using IMAX cameras, though I think it shows that the theatrical experience is more important to Gerwig than IMAX specifically.
I live in Australia and there’s an IMAX in Melbourne. When Dune 2 came out – or was it Oppenheimer? – I read an article about how there’s only 1, guy, max 2 guys, in the Southern Hemisphere who know how to operate the 70mm film projector 🙂 They were very busy!
I am looking forward to seeing the new Narnia movie, no matter which kind of camera Gerwig uses.
For me, as a film fan, shooting Narnia on 70mm would definitely have been a plus – A sure fire sign that Netflix were committed to making a genuine work of cinema, and not just another disposable piece of “content”.
Obviously it can still be the former without shooting on film, and in the grand scheme of things it’s definitely not the top priority, but I’d say that for a cinematic experience, you definitely can’t beat seeing a movie projected on film, in a full-frame IMAX theatre.