New Photos and Video Show Detail on Jadis’s Stunt Wand and Costume
As we previously reported, set videos from last weekend’s location shoot in Bradford revealed a scene which appeared to show Jadis using her wand in our world as part of her ongoing horse-based rampage through the streets of 1950s London.
Now, thanks to new photos from What’s On Netflix and a new video from Lina Firantaitė, we have our best look yet at Jadis’s new weapon — and her costume.
Although this is very likely a stand-in prop for the purposes of this stunt scene and it may be altered in post-production, fans can still presumably deduce design details as well as its general size.
These photos show a long, thin wand made out of multiple colors of metal (or perhaps other materials), with the majority of the shaft appearing shimmering and textured, while the tip of the wand is a markedly different bronze-like color.
In The Chronicles of Narnia books, Jadis is only described as having a wand in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Perhaps more notably, however, she loses her magical powers once arriving in London in The Magician’s Nephew, and wreaks havoc throughout the city with her physical strength alone.
In a set report posted to Facebook by Jeremy Sladdin, he described Jadis pulling “a wand from her boot” and using it to “blast one of her pursuers aside.”
Watch the zoomed-in video that shows the moment during filming:
Additionally, a video from Lina Firantaitė shows the wand being handed to the stunt woman in preparation for filming the next scene, where she tucks it inside a silver covering over her riding boot.
This new video also offers our best look yet at the stunt double’s costume, which appears to be a short dress made of silvery diamond-shaped shards of metal fastened together in a chain mail-like fashion, sporting a silver belt at the waist and several long, dangling strands of smaller diamond-shaped metallic pieces cascading from the top which flow freely around her as she moves.
Although the stunt double costume may only be a rough approximation of Emma Mackey’s costume, these new details likely provide a clearer idea of what the official costume will look like.
How do you feel about Jadis using her powers in our world? Is it an unnecessary deviation from the book, or a justified change to heighten the dramatic tension and visual spectacle? Leave your thoughts in the comments below, or check out the discussion on NarniaWeb Forum!
Right now the reason I assume they have given her the wand is so that she does not have to use physical strength to throw people. I am hoping the wand is only going to be used to throw people and no other powers work with the wand in our world. I still dislike the fact that they gave her the wand right now, in this movie, but, at least if it only used in this way, I will not worry so much.
Agreed – Emma Mackey does not look like the strongest woman in the world. Creating effects for her picking up and throwing Aunty Letty or ripping the bar off the lamp post (or even beating policemen with the bar) may be a lot less believable than having her throw them with a wand. Using magic may also be less violent and allow a Film Rating that allows younger audiences to see the movie too.
Tilda Swinton could’ve done it without a wand.
Why do movie execs think things need changing. The books as they were written were amazing. Don’t add more drama or other garbage. Stick to what the author wrote. Jadis IS that strong. She’s not of Earth.
Unnecessary deviation for sure, why did that need to be changed?
I’m constantly amazed how each news story manages to lessen my enthusiasm for this film even further. I would love to see a company like Angel Studio take a stab at a Narnia adaption.
Appalling. This is going to be awful. I’m a little concerned about the length of the dress – in the book, Aunt Letty is horrified that Jadis has bare arms because it’s seen in that time as immodest. They might be taking that a bit far with this one by having her wear a mini dress…yikes. And the short hair is…something. Woof.
I mean, I do think that Jadis being incredibly more physically powerful than the average human was important to Lewis because I think Charn is a world where things and people were more powerful, thus words were more powerful too.
Jadis being able to use magic in our world kind of makes it not seem like our world. Overall, though, I doubt the change will hurt the movie’s popularity.
@Rosenquartz, I’m with you on the dress but I’m pretty sure Emma Mackey’s hair is not going to look like the stunt double’s wig.
As much as I don’t have faith in this production, I’m afraid I have to disagree with the above comments.
I never saw Jadis’ strength as purely physical (well, maybe a little) but as mostly supernatural. An inherited trait in her species of half Giants and half Djinn (the spawn of Lilith, as the Beavers in the LWW believed). And in the Illustrations, it didn’t show Jadis as physically muscled, just a beautiful woman with superhuman, supernatural strength (to which I take as a default trait in the people of Charn).
Nectary, yes, I don’t think she has to look like a body builder, but that everything is more powerful in Charn so her muscles are stronger by the pound. I hope I am explaining correctly.
@Col Klink
If it doesn’t, then there will be a horrible continuity error…
The costume looks better in these photos, more like chain mail. And it is interesting to get a closer look at the wand. Is it made partly of wood? That doesn’t seem very Charnian to me, but I like the rest of it. If they have to put the wand in the movie, I’m glad it’s a cool wand.
Definitely don’t like the Dudley Moore hairdo they gave her. She’s supposed to have long black hair down her back. This weird do makes it look like she cut it herself with an old sword. And the boots? Is she going go-go dancing later?