Location Filming Continues on ‘Narnia’, Scene Shot Along River Thames (Video)
After drawing crowds during a very public location shoot on August 10, director Greta Gerwig has kept her upcoming ‘Narnia’ film mostly undercover as production continues in London.
We’ve confirmed that some filming took place along the shore of the River Thames at low tide, between the Albert and Battersea Bridges at Battersea Park last week.
By all accounts, the character actors involved in the scene were Beatrice Campbell and David McKenna (or possibly their body doubles), along with a number of extras. Local residents were notified in advance by Netflix that filming would take place near them, with the letter noting that the story was set in the 1950s.
You can catch a brief glimpse of the children’s new costumes (bottom right) and the riverside location in this video provided exclusively to NarniaWeb:
Filming is set to continue at Manchester’s historic Victoria Baths, where casting notices have called for around 40 boys aged 11–14.
Thanks to Dave Collins for the use of his photo of the extras on set.
It’s all confirmed, people. The film is set in the 50s, end of story. Time to stop theories about it just being a framing device.
The more of these sneak peeks we get, the more likely it looks that it’s set in the 50’s. Ugh.
They wouldn’t have been able to film too long with the tide coming back in… I’m predicting a Digory and Polly montage of sorts near the beginning of the film!
Who cares about timeline of sets as long the adaptation is good
I live in London an want to become an extra, how can i be one, do you know?
Well, @Aslan says we shouldn’t care about the timeline change, so I guess that settles it LOL
Also, this bridge was built in the Victorian era, much like the Victoria Baths, where they will be filming. If it’s all confirmed @DE, how do you explain that? 😉
@Aslan, agreed!
Why are those guys on the bridge barefoot?
@Anna because Netflix specified in the casting call for Victoria Baths that it’s set in the 50s.
Greetings fellow Narnia fans! Been a fan of this site for years, but never thought to comment until now. The 1950’s setup for this film kinda confirmed a theory I had. Since MN takes place in that time frame, I’d have to guess that Lion, Witch, & the Wardrobe has to be set in modern times. But what would force the Pevensie children to leave the city and stay at the Professor’s manor? The only thing that makes sense is if LWW is set during the pandemic. Stuck in the manor, the kids would be more inclined to explore and “escape” into other worlds. Pretty controversial theory, I know. But it’s been argued that MN fits easily within a Cold War context to a certain point, so maybe LWW, within a modern context, could work. There could be parallels between the pandemic and the White Witche’s wintery spell over the pupulace and land. Loved to see what others think!
Why is the prequel set in the 50s when TLTWATW is set during WW2?
@Jake L. That’s a great theory–maybe making it more “appealing” to the Gen Z and further generations by making it something that they experienced. Tho not sure how you can make LWW any more appealing (talking animals, good guys, bad guys, everything amazing:) I will miss the classy outfits of the 1940s (think Lucy’s outfit when she meets Mr. Tumnus *sniff*) But as long as they keep the medieval feel of Narnia, that would be my main thing. And at least MN is still in the 1900s. Great thought, tho!
Ugh. The future isn’t looking too hot for Narnia right now. Heaven forbid WW3 occurs before this “modernized” take on the Narnia series is complete, because that will completely skewer anything these filmmakers may want to say about “modern times”. Setting the series before WW1, during WW2 and immediately after WW2 is the only good decision for Narnia onscreen. But these filmmakers are arrogant.
They’re on location today at the Tower of London.
Not sure if I’ll get to see much, but there will be a stunt involving a motorbike at some point!
A motorbike? Sigh. What is Greta doing. Turning Jadis into some kind of punk. I’m so worried about this movie.
Unrelated to the Thames scene, but I’m so curious about Elliott Macnab. Elliott means “The Lord is my God,” and it wasn’t a common first name in midcentury Britain, which means Gerwig chose it deliberately. Macnab is Cabman.
Is this our updated King Frank? A humble, pious contractor who ends up ruling Narnia instead of a building project?
Or someone new altogether?
@Franklin
I don’t think the change had anything to do with arrogance so much as trying to attract a new audience. I would have loved to have seen a version set in Victorian times, as I’ve always loved that period and its atmosphere, but a more contemporary update (relatively speaking) is not necessarily a bad thing.
In any adaptation, there is always room for reinvention and reinterpretation, so I’m cautiously interested to see a fresh take on this very old series. A modern take on the Pevensie story could work, especially of it is set in the pandemic era. Don’t be too cynical too soon.
@Mr Wilde, is the 1950s really that much more appealing to young children than the Edwardian era? Neither of them strikes me as particularly trendy.
@Col Klink, It’s probably not about being ‘trendy’. The likely reason THIS Narnia movie takes place 70+ years in the past and not in 1900 (or in a more modern time) is because director Gerwig is planning to keep the time-jump (“when your grandfather was a child”) from the original series. It takes place in the past so that the rest of the series can take place in more contemporary times (1995-2025). It’s like Captain America 1 taking place in the 1940s, with the rest of the series taking place in the 2010’s/2020’s. The only thing that’s trendy is setting it in modern times with modern kids etc… and the main character is elderly professor, and not a buff m-looking super soldier haha.
This film is going to suck so unbelievably hard. These arrogant filmmakers always have to make everything such an Einstein project instead of just adapting the novels faithfully. Waiting this long for news only to have them dashed because of Hollywood hubris is so devastating. Another criminal waste of potential to throw on the pile.
@Drake couldn’t agree more. The book is perfect, just stick to it instead of trying to modernise and change things that don’t need changing. I’ve lost my enthusiasm for this film.