Oscar-Nominated Editor Andrew Weisblum Working on Greta Gerwig’s Narnia
Last week, NarniaWeb received a tip that Andrew Weisblum will serve as an editor on Greta Gerwig’s upcoming adaptation of The Magician’s Nephew.
Weisblum is a frequent collaborator with Darren Aronofsky and Wes Anderson. His past credits include:
- Caught Stealing (2025)
- The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (2023)
- tick, tick… BOOM! (2022)*
- The Whale (2022)
- The French Dispatch (2021)
- mother! (2017)
- Noah (2014)
- Black Swan (2011)*
* Twice he has received Academy Award nominations for Achievement in Film Editing.
Following the report, we identified a photograph taken on the first day of public filming that appears to show Weisblum seated beside Gerwig inside a covered tent near video monitors. Weisblum’s presence was not reported at the time.
While Weisblum has yet to publicly mention Narnia or The Magician’s Nephew (his agent did not respond to a request for comment), he recently discussed his approach to editing adaptations in an interview promoting Darren Aronofsky’s Caught Stealing, based on the novel by Charlie Huston.
I did not read [Caught Stealing]. I thought about it and decided the film is not being made exclusively for people who are aficionados of the book, and I want the story to be clear for people who love the book or people who don’t.
I needed to keep my objectivity as much as possible in reading the script and in communicating what needed to be communicated in the film, not subconsciously rely on information that I had from the book that maybe wasn’t being conveyed in the movie, if that makes sense. It needed to stand alone. The story needed to stand alone.
You know, it’s funny, I’ve worked on a bunch of projects that are based on source materials, some more well-known than others. And right now, I’m working on a film that’s very well, the source material is very well known. Once again, I’m choosing not to refer back to that material because we’re doing our own take on it. You know, we did our own take on that.
I think that’s been true pretty much every time, not to treat any material, even the script, as sacrosanct, because you have to listen to the movie, listen to the footage, listen to the performances, and be open to rewrite or rethink things that aren’t 100% what they need to be.”
Andrew Weisblum, Art of the Cut
Production on Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew has wrapped in London. Alongside Gerwig and editor Andrew Weisblum, production design was led by James Chinlund, cinematography by Seamus McGarvey, costume design by Jacqueline Durran, and the score by Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt.
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Do editors have their own “styles” as other heads of departments? Like, does Andrew have specific edits that he’s known for, or is it just the directors he works with? I (clearly) don’t know a lot about editing, so I’d be curious to hear more!
@Ethan, I agree, it’s very hard to unpick the Direction from the Cinematography from the Editing when it comes to assessing the overall visual aesthetic of a film.
Wes Anderson films in particular have one of the most distinctive visual styles of any filmmaker out there (editing included), but there’s obviously no reason to suspect that Wiesblum would edit another director’s film in that same unique style, independently of the director’s own particular vision.
“And right now, I’m working on a film that’s very well, the source material is very well known. Once again, I’m choosing not to refer back to that material because we’re doing our own take on it.”
Not referring back to the book? This movie might look better visually, but the heart will not be there.
All we’re going to get is a dressed-up Puzzle.
Narniaweb is on a roll with these scoops!
@Corin I think in context, he’s talking less about disregarding the book and more about assuming the audience already knows things because you and I, as readers, know them.
When you’re deeply familiar with a story, it’s easy to forget what is actually being communicated on screen versus what you’re subconsciously filling in from the source material. Having a bit of distance as an “outsider perspective” can help make sure character motivations and emotional beats are clear to someone encountering the story for the first time.
A film adaptation has to stand on its own. You shouldn’t expect viewers to understand why Digory is so driven to speak to Aslan when he meets simply because they’ve read the book — the movie has to show that through what’s on screen (his mother’s illness, his desperation, the idea of the “land of youth,” etc.).
That setup is done through dialogue, performances, and subtle visual storytelling cues. The editor’s job is to ensure that all those elements are included and clearly conveyed in the final cut.
The movie might still be a huge swing and a miss when it comes to its adaptation, but I just want to be fair to Weisblum here 🙂
More scoops to come, Anna!
I’m actually thinking the film to which he’s referring is not Narnia because they’re doing The Magician’s Nephew and that particular one isn’t so well known. If they were making The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe first, then I’d assume it was that.
@Col Klink – I don’t think you’re giving Narnia enough credit 😉
The Magician’s Nephew is still more recognizable than the vast majority of books adapted into films and is certainly more high-profile than any of Weisblum’s previous adaptations (with the exception of Noah). On top of that, the podcast episode was released in September, which lines up neatly with Narnia entering production after filming began in the summer.
Though, even if he’s not explicitly referring to Narnia, it’s still an interesting quote looking at his general philosophy towards adaptations.
@impending doom, so true
https://youtu.be/qKPHNWEV5_o?si=v5bFjf7XVjowMcab&t=202
A year or two ago, the Academy was going to omit the Editing Oscar from the televised part of the ceremony (or something like that). That was a silly thing, since editing is one of the most integral parts of a film. Poor editing can make a movie look shoddy. Excellent editing helps tell the story and can make or break the experience the audience has.
I am glad we’re getting another crew member who has worked with esteemed directors. I’ve seen Noah and had no issue with the editing (no issues with the visuals, except maybe some poor CGI which was not the editor’s fault.) My main issue with Noah was that its message opposed the Bible’s point of the story.
I’m looking forward to visiting Narnia in November!
It looks like more evidence that this film will be masterfully made… and far from the book… but we could still be wrong on both counts, lol.