Greta Gerwig’s ‘Narnia’ Gears Up to Film, Location Shoot Planned in England
Following last month’s report of a possible filming delay, new developments now point to production on Greta Gerwig’s Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew gearing up to begin soon.
Film industry website ScreenDaily previously reported that filming might be pushed to later this autumn. A delay aligned with other signs our team had picked up on, casting doubt on producer Amy Pascal’s earlier claim that filming would begin in July.
Since then, multiple behind-the-scenes developments have signalled that the project is finally ramping up. We’ve learned that electricians, lighting technicians, and on-set VFX crew began work in the past few weeks, which is a strong indicator that production is entering its final prep stages.
NarniaWeb can also confirm that some filming is scheduled to take place on location in London, England starting in September (exclusive details are available to our Patreon supporters on Discord).
Meanwhile, Netflix and IMAX are moving forward with ambitious distribution plans—despite reported pushback from some theater chains. During its Q2 2025 earnings call, IMAX reconfirmed that it is “working closely” with Netflix on a two-week theatrical run for Narnia over November 2026 which will include a dedicated marketing push.
To date, only two cast members—Emma Mackey and Carey Mulligan—have been confirmed, though Daniel Craig and Meryl Streep have been in persistent rumors. Likely, most of the cast is already finalized, but Netflix tends to reveal these details on its own timetable.
Here’s everything we know about Netflix’s Narnia!
Probably production would probably begin after the premiere of Jay Kelly at Venice and TIFF (maybe, maybe not be) and assuming rehearsals begin roughly a month before there might be more news coming soon
This is fantastic news! I hope they release the rest of the cast soon (and that Meryl Streep isn’t on it). I think Hugh Laurie would make a perfect Uncle Andrew but there haven’t been any rumors that he’s playing the role, so it’s really unlikely.
It’s obvious they’ve delayed this because Meryl is filming The Devil Wears Prada 2 right now.
they don’t have delay, for a voice role
No normal film production delays filming over voice over cast especially a film with a predetermined release date and intensive postproduction. I think when Amy spoke, the filming date hadn’t been fully finalized, after all it was in 2024 November, so not really a delay.
But maybe Meryl isn’t voice over?
To be honest, the only reason I have faith in this film project is solely due to the fans here on Narnia Web. I hope I’m wrong and that I’m just being overly pessimistic.
@W
I also believe in the possibility of her not being the narrator, and if so, I believe she would only narrate the singing parts, hoping that’s it.
I’m so appreciative of this community that most of us think Meryl is not a good idea for this role. I’m holding out hope until we get the casting of Aslan down. This will make or break this project for me.
@HisWarrior
I’m with you on that, I hope they announce the cast of Aslan soon, and that it’s not Meryl.
I’m still holding out hope that maybe Meryl is cast as Mrs. La Fey in a fleshed out backstory. She’d be an excellent fit for that. But if it comes out that she really IS Aslan, then I am totally out.
Honestly, since Netflix is producing this, I have no hope for it. [MODERATOR REMOVED] …
Think about the masterpieces that Shakespeare wrote. When they were written (and ever since), they have been adapted and re-adapted to reflect casting norms of the period in which they were produced: men playing women, women playing men and all sorts of other permutations – particularly the time period in which they are set. Shakespeare himself never let historical accuracy get in the way of a good story and nor have many, many successful productions in the centuries since it was written. The point is not “is this production exactly as I myself imagine the author intended it?”, but simply: “is this a great interpretation?”. Great stories survive repetition over long periods not because they are all rigidly sticking to one fixed concept of what they depict, but because they develop and change over time, making them – if well executed – more interesting to each new audience. When Shakepeare’s own audiences were watching boys play women, or boys playing women pretending to be boys, did the audiences throw up their hands and walk away, or did they just get caught up in the story and suspend disbelief? His success as a playwright suggests the latter.
Lions can’t actually speak English. If you can accept that completely fictional idea and still enjoy the story, I’m sure other developments regarding the lion’s speaking voice are minor in comparison.
I’m glad they’re shooting at least partially on location, as I was worried they would settle for sound stages and backlots for The Magician’s Nephew. There’s still so much we don’t know about this project but my fingers are crossed!
@pipkin
good goy, just gobble up our slop and let us ruin your stories
Please no Meryl!
I get there’s been a lot of skepticism towards Greta and Netflix since the Streep rumors, but I don’t know. I’m still really looking forward to seeing what she’s able to do for Narnia… I think she’s one of the most talented filmmakers working in Hollywood today and she’s only spoken of how much she respects Lewis and loved Narnia growing up.
I’m going to give it a chance with an open mind 🙂
@Impending Doom: Agreed. I was thinking that the best news is that it is “filming on location”.
Having said that, in the novel, Digory and Polly’s homes are in a long row of houses connected together in an early twentieth century London street. I don’t imagen there’s many locations in London today which could pass for early twentieth century London.
Perhaps if there are flashbacks to Digory’s time as a boy living in the country, or the finale shows Digory’s family moving to the house where one day the Pevensies will discover Narnia through Digory’s wardrobe there could be something to shoot on location.
Beyond that, maybe the ‘Wood Between the Worlds’ or parts of Narnia could use parts of Britain as location.
If any location on earth is used as location for the ruins of Charn then I feel like that could actually be offensive to whoever lives there.
DavidD, yes, they won’t want Charn to look too much like the ruins of somewhere on earth.
I’m not British, but I think many building facades in Britain are in the same style as they were 100 years ago. Maybe they could cover modern things in greenscreen and just replace them with the computer. It’s exciting nowadays when a production films in a location instead of in front of a greenscreen. The actors can interact more with the environment and people can visit the location in real life. Netflix using real locations is cool, but until they address the Aslan rumor, I will try not to get my hopes up.
I hate that it is ‘Netflix’s Narnia!