Confirmed: Mark Ronson Working on the Score for Greta Gerwig’s Upcoming Narnia Movie
Is Mark Ronson headed to Narnia?
According to a new interview with Today, the British-American DJ, songwriter, and music producer is “working on the music” for Greta Gerwig’s new film for Netflix.
Netflix did not respond to a request from Today for comment on whether or not Ronson was referring to Narnia, but the only known collaboration between Greta Gerwig and Netflix is her upcoming adaptation of C.S. Lewis’s beloved fantasy series.
This will be Mark Ronson’s second time working with Greta Gerwig after composing the score of Barbie with co-composer Andrew Wyatt. Ronson had never composed an entire film score prior to Barbie, and he initially joined the project to write a song for the dance party sequence and the character of Ken, which would become “Dance The Night” and “I’m Just Ken” respectively.
Speaking to Variety in 2023, Ronson talked about his collaboration with Gerwig for Barbie:
It started off with me only doing two songs, but they came out well, and I got on really well with Greta. I think she felt like I’d be a good kind of sparring partner to help realize her vision for the music, and working on the soundtrack sort of blossomed into scoring the film as well.
Ronson’s most famous songs include “Uptown Funk” featuring Bruno Mars and “Valerie” featuring Amy Winehouse. He also co-wrote “Shallow” with Andrew Wyatt for A Star Is Born, which won the Academy Award for Best Original Song.
Given producer Amy Pascal’s cryptic “It’s all about rock ‘n’ roll” comment last December, the news about Mark Ronson’s involvement may give some Narnia fans pause. However, it’s worth noting that the scale of Ronson’s contributions is not yet known for Gerwig’s Narnia. No composer for the project has been officially announced at this time.
Update: Variety has now confirmed that Mark Ronson is working on the score for Greta Gerwig’s Narnia adaptation.
I’m not super familar with his work, but from what I can tell, Ronson is mainly connected with pop, electronic, funk, disco, soul, hip-hop, and rock… and none of those are music genres that I would choose for a film adaptation of Narnia! Maybe he’ll be doing a credits song, or a song for the 1950s-era scenes in London?
His Barbie score was really good, gave me classical Disney Snow White , really beautiful orchestral music from a genius.
Kinda funny he is Meryl Streeps son in law đ . FYI I donât believe Meryl is Aslan(but you do you)
To be fair Greta has used the term Rock and Roll to describe the work of the Little women cinematographer Yorick Le Saux, he isnât a musician nor radical and his work on Little Women was quite classical and beautiful without being âstodgy or stayedâ.
So I wouldnât necessarily put much weight on the term.
https://youtu.be/3–_qcpMFUE?si=bC5u8Q7h1gA3JG3h
Not gonna lie, that’s a pretty unexpected direction to take things in, especially given the period setting and tone they seem to be going for..
That said, I guess if you were looking to create a completely unique musical vibe for the Creation of Narnia, then hiring a music producer with such a diverse range of hits, across a wide range of genres as Ronson isn’t totally crazy?
If he was able to do an orchestral score for Barbie in addition to the musical numbers, he may well do so for Narnia. It wouldn’t be the first time a rock/synth composer has turned classical (Hans Zimmer!)
This is thought provoking! I haven’t watched Barbie so I don’t know what his music sounds like, but perhaps I can listen to a few songs on YouTube. I might have listened to Uptown Funk, but I am probably thinking of a different piece.
Unexpected⊠I liked how Barbieâs songs had themes/cues reoccurring in the films score.
Whether or not heâs composing the score, one thing that Iâm taking away from his involvement is that Narnia will definitely have an album comprised of big-time musical artists doing âinspired by the movieâ tracks. Might even have a song or two embedded in the film itself.
Iâm guessing this is what IMAX boss Rich Gelfond was alluding to in his most recent interview.
Will be interesting to see which direction they take the music. Admittedly, itâs very hard to picture any non-period music being featured prominently anywhere in Narnia.
The casting of Digory and Polly, the awful Jadis costume, the movie being set in the 1950s, Aslan potentially being voiced by a woman, now this. Does Netflix want me to hate this movie? [MODERATOR REMOVED]
@Alex Anaros Kinda funny he is Meryl Streeps son in law? So she’s voicing Aslan? [MODERATOR REMOVED]
I hope there aren’t modern-sounding songs in the film, at least until the credits. They were used in A Wrinkle in Time, which was moved to modern day, and it just didn’t work.
Meryl Streep is Mark Ronan’s Mother-In-Law. Let that sink in. I’m now certain that the rumors are true. This is bad. Very, Very bad. I might throw up.
The soundtrack to “Barbie” sounds like the kind of music you hear when you call the DMV and they put you on hold, so I cannot even fathom what kind of horrors await us if Mark does Narnia. There is no curse in Elvish, Entish, or the tongues of Men for this mess. Woof.
I think this is where the Meryl Streep rumors are coming from. He was probably in negotiations months ago!
The fact that Mark Ronson is married to Meryl Streep’s daughter is a fun fact, but purely coincidental.
Greta Gerwig has a pre-existing and independent professional relationship with Streep (from Little Women) and with Ronson (from Barbie), therefore his martial status has absolutely no bearing on who is being cast for what role.
Streep is still highly likely to be voicing a Male Aslan as far as i can tell, but it has nothing to do with Mark Ronson, or vice-versa.
i’m an absolute fein for movie scores, and there have been times when non movie composers have done really really good at movies, like Son Lux in Thunderbolts or Daft Punk in Tron. But I would have been interested to know what Hans Zimmer’s take on Narnia would have been. I hope the music stands out.
I’m just saying that if there’s a Dua Lipa song in the actual movie… that will be a sad day LOL
Have all the pop stars you want do songs and feature them on the soundtrack but don’t put them in the film, please! It seems like he’s a super-versatile guy, going by his wiki. Hopefully, he’ll get a chance to make a unique score (if that’s really what he’s doing) outside of his pop roots.
I’m shocked by how the fans here criticize every new development without even knowing how it will play out on screen. Remember, Alanis Morissette contributed to the soundtrack for the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe movie… Mark Ronson already won an Oscar for Best Original Song, and that’s huge. It reveals that Gretta is working with a top team for the film. And about it not being a copy and paste of the book… it’s an adaptation, and I’m immensely happy to be able to see a Narnia movie in theaters again. Remember, Disney’s “faithful” films were canceled, and it’s all part of an industry that needs a comeback.
@Artur, FWIW, there are probably plenty of movies (and songs) that the Oscars people liked and I disliked. I also don’t go to movies because I want to save the moviemaking industry. I go to see them because they look good to me.
@Col Klink Taste is really a personal thing, and that doesnât change the fact that thereâs a film industry that needs to make a profit. The first Narnia movies were canceled because the financial return wasnât what Disney, and later FOX, expected. I also like the Narnia stories as they are in the books, and Iâll always have the books to reread whenever I need. But the movie audience canât be sustained only by book fansâit also needs to reach the general public. For all 7 movies to make it to the screen, a lot will be at stake. Iâll say it again: just being able to see Narnia come to life on the big screen again, after 16 years, is already worth it to me in some way.
And honestly, itâs exhausting to see only negative comments about something we donât even have certainty about yet. Some people canât even absorb news properly and interpret it. Itâs like seeing this announcement and immediately assuming Mark Ronson is going to make an âIâm Just Aslanâ and turn Narnia into a musical⊠people need to calm down. He has produced many works of art in music not only pop, funk, or rock but a wide range, many of them Grammy and Oscar-winning. That tells me they really want to turn Narnia into a HUGE project, with an IMAX premiere, a soundtrack probably leading to an album with original and film-inspired songs, and everything else possible for excellent marketing.
Thanks for the comment and perspective, @Artur! Iâm glad to hear you’re feeling excited for Mark Ronson and the film as a whole.
I’ll speak generally here: I don’t think the concern is so much just about Ronson for the negative reaction, but the accumulation of little things… Meryl Streep being attached, the time-period change, Jadisâs unusual costume, Amy Pascalâs comment, etc. Each one on its own might not be a big deal, but together they start to add up in fansâ minds. It’s definitely created a bit of a “dark cloud” over individual news stories.
I think *most* people in the NarniaWeb community, even those who are really worried about the rumours and apparent changes, will still go into the theatre with an open enough mind to give the film a fair shot. Just judging on this comment section alone, I am sort of surprised at how open fans are to Ronson’s involvement but people are always welcome to share their honest opinions, even if negative.
For me, one of the best parts of following these films early on is the discussion, debate, and getting to hear opposing perspectives, which makes anticipating a new Narnia adaptation on NarniaWeb so fun. It all helps us think more deeply about the books we love. So if you’re actually liking a change or certain addition, please feel free to share as your perspective makes for great discussion!
I have things I’m excited for and worried about in Gerwig’s Narnia but I’m hoping for the best. Glad you’re on the journey with us!
Thanks to @Alicja for the feedback on the previous version of this comment. It’s been edited to better reflect my intentions đ
For me, I am generally positive about the new Narnia movie and quite optimistic! Maybe I should post more on the Narniaweb news stories to ensure there are more positive comments. I have just been focussing more on the Narniaweb Discord for the past few months.
I see talented and skilled and award-winning people attached to the film and am very pleased. There is a lot being invested into this film and I believe they are doing so in a way to get a return from their investment.
I think “Narnia” has enough cultural resonance to get people into IMAX as long as there is a great trailer and press tour etc. I sometimes think I am “over-optimistic” but I am just so excited and encouraged that this is finally happening! 3 years ago I wouldn’t have been surprised if Netflix announced they had dropped the project. And now THIS! We have all this news!
And Mark Ronson is talented.
I do like seeing the pictures from the set and hearing about people working to make a Narnia adaptation, but I will not buy a ticket unless I know that Aslan is not changed. I don’t just mean gender, I mean his character qualities too. Also I have other worries. I have watched a lot of Netflix stuff and they often push romance into kids’ stuff where it doesn’t really fit. So, no, I won’t watch it until I can read the Plugged In review because unlike things like A Series of Unfortunate Events or Julie and the Phantoms, Narnia was my favorite series during my childhood and teen years and major changes in it’s themes don’t feel good to me.