Is it possible that they've decided to make an original prequel to The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, one that serves the same function as The Magician's Nephew but isn't based on that book at all? That wouldn't explain why they need a swimming pool in the 1950s but it'd fit in with the weirder news we've been getting lately.  

@courtenay Well, part of the reason for the secrecy, was that we've spent the past two days tracking and preparing for this...

https://www.narniaweb.com/2025/08/first-look-at-netflixs-narnia-set-as-filming-begins/

Would you look at that Lion's Mane!

I know its only a background set detail, but so delightful none the less!

That mighty-looking lion has got to be a positive, right?! A hint at what's to come.

I must say, despite some of my feelings, those photos are intriguing. (Think one of the posters states it's 1953? -- a C.S. Lewis link?)

In initial response to the thread topic: A surprising and somewhat concerning update. I find the 1950s swimming baths quite a random choice. If it's to do with Lewis telling the story or something, then why the Baths? So probably another explanation, which I'm less convinced by for being a good choice. If it's set 1950s... a shame, but not all ruin yet. I do rather wish our first proper adaptation of The Magician's Nephew would be more close to the book before other versions started coming out with quite big differences. I'd really like it to be as intended! 

I just really need to accept that there definitely will be changes to these versions and that they won't be nearly as close to the books as I'd like. If I can accept that and separate it, perhaps I can just go with whatever they throw at us next.

I'm actually pretty excited by this, so far. I quite like the 50s vibe. I know it all seems bonkers and at odds with the source material, but it makes me even more intrigued to understand what Greta's whole vision is. I need answers.

At least that glorious mane is encouraging to see.

And also... I just knew that Rock 'n roll comment had to mean SOMETHING!

@icarus Oh WOW... I must say that golden and magnificently maned Lion suddenly makes me feel more optimistic about this production than I have since the start of April!!!

Mind you, obviously it's from a scene set in our world, and we can assume the image is a teaser for what (and who) is to come later in the story — I've remarked before that I'm wary of adaptations drawing too many connections / parallels between this world and Narnia, in case it starts to look like Narnia is a product of the children's imagination or subconscious thoughts and feelings rather than a separate world in its own right (like the 1939 movie of The Wizard of Oz). In this case, though, I'm far less concerned about that than I am relieved to have at least a hint that a definitely male Lion will be included somewhere in this production...

I assume the "Gerwig Easter egg" is the name Isadore on one of the posters, as I believe that's the name of one of her own children (as well as being used in the audition script we heard about a while ago)?

@col-klink I'm also wondering if this could turn out to be an original prequel that's not based on any of the books (or only very loosely) at all. In some ways, I'd almost rather have someone's attempt at a totally different story connected to Narnia, than an adaptation of one of the actual books that just fails to get it "right" (for me at least).

And the questions remain unanswered, for now. If this is MN or a new Narnia prequel, and it's set in the 1950s, does that mean all the other Netflix Narnia adaptations will be set in the 1990s? (Assuming they keep the 40-year gap between the events of MN and LWW — or maybe make it a bit longer and bring the sequels into the present day, or nearly, perhaps in order to make Digory as the Professor "very old", which Lewis's timeline fails to do?)

Or if it's a framing device and we jump from there back to 1900 or so... why the 1950s? The book was published in 1955, but even if they are going to have Lewis himself appear as the overarching narrator, I can't quite see why they need these outdoor scenes of posters, let alone the swimming pool. (I'd expect Lewis to be shown in his study, or strolling around in Cambridge (where he was working by then) or Oxford (where he still lived during the weekends). Both Oxford and Cambridge, incidentally, are easy to do "period" filming in, because of all the old buildings — think Inspector Morse, for those who know it. But they don't seem to be going down that route so far.)

And of course the burning question... who or what is Elliott Macnab?? I did look up the name and it doesn't seem to be a real-world business or person, so I assume it's just meant to be the name of the company in the advertisement, presumably building new homes. But what if it's a teaser for something else? I'm just letting my imagination run wild for a moment with some potential lines from the sequels...

"They say Elliott is on the move — perhaps has already landed."

"Wrong will be right, when Elliott comes in sight..."

"... by the great Macnab, by Elliott himself..."

(Hmmm, no, I don't think it quite works. But hey, at least it's Elliott and not Eloise. )

PS. Apologies for repeated postings of this. Internet trouble. Actually, I think it might be the forum itself, as I wasn't having issues with other sites. 

After years and years of either let-downs, false starts, or nothing, it's so surreal to hear that Narnia is filming. I mean, it really is weird to me. 

Pictures look good, love the lion (with the flowing mane), and I'll be interested to see and hear how the 1950s fit in. 

Here's the big question then... if everyone had to chose between the following....

• 1950s setting, but Aslan has a glorious mane
• 1900s setting, but Aslan is a Lioness

I know the ideal situation is for both, but if its only those two choices, I assume that poll is only going one way?

Posted by: @courtenay

I assume the "Gerwig Easter egg" is the name Isadore on one of the posters, as I believe that's the name of one of her own children (as well as being used in the audition script we heard about a while ago)?

Half correct - its actually got the name of both of her children on it!

Harold & Isadore

The poster seems to be for a Music Venue, where both her kids are top billing! Very cute 🙂

In response to Icarus's question, I would have to put Aslan as a male, having a mane, as more important than the year being accurate. 

I would add that the 1950s isn't a terrible setting for me in itself; I have more concern for the idea that decades' on from that setting might mean around about present day. But my last comment still stands, that I'll just go have to go with whatever now and see how it goes... 

I'm honestly quite worried about the implications of the timeline being shifted. That said, I'm also liking the look of these new photos! It will be very interesting to see how it all comes together.

I can't get over how large this set is... there must have been hundreds of extras!

The Magician’s Nephew with a scene set in the 1950’s? I don’t know about that. 

So would that mean the lamppost is going to be different as well, like more modern than the Victorian? 

But do we even know what are they trying to get at? What if it was 1950’s, and it features CS Lewis, and he tells the story of MN, and it’s still set in 1900 as he wrote it? Could that be a possibility?

I guess we’ll find out soon enough as more news keeps coming in.

Hmmm...... when does The Last Battle take place? Isn't it in the 1950s?

I'm under the assumption that Gerwig's two "projects" are MN and LWW though I'm not sure that's been officially confirmed so that might not be correct. But if there's an overarching plan for the entire Narnia series, I could totally seen some kind of nod to the series as a whole, even if Gerwig doesn't stick around long enough to direct all seven books into films/shows.

Posted by: @fantasia

Hmmm...... when does The Last Battle take place? Isn't it in the 1950s?

No, but not far off. 1949, according to the timeline that Lewis wrote later.

Posted by: @icarus

Here's the big question then... if everyone had to chose between the following....

• 1950s setting, but Aslan has a glorious mane
• 1900s setting, but Aslan is a Lioness

I know the ideal situation is for both, but if its only those two choices, I assume that poll is only going one way?

1950s setting with Aslan having a glorious mane (AND a male voice too, please). Absolutely, hands down.

I can just about handle the thought of MN being set in the 1950s and (correspondingly) the rest of the books being set in the late 20th century — my gut response to that is "Well, that's a weird idea and I can't quite see why they feel the need to do it, but it'll be interesting to see what they make of it." And if it turns out to be beautifully and earnestly done and to still somehow carry the spirit of the original books in a different way, who knows, I may end up quite liking it.

But as for the 1900s setting with Aslan as a Lioness... well, we've all been chewing and chewing over that one for more than four months now (only four? It feels longer than that!), and I still can't stomach it. As I said before, I would still watch it through once just to see what they've actually done with the idea — and so I can make informed criticisms, not just assumptions from what other people say about it — but I cannot see any way it could come across as a "real" adaptation of Narnia. 

By the way, talking of the name under the lion on that housing advertisement, I can now see (zooming in) that it says "Building Contractors" under "Elliott Macnab", so that explains it. I wonder if "Elliott Macnab" is some kind of Easter egg as well — that is, will it turn out to have some hidden significance, maybe something that we can't see yet without the context of the film? I suppose all will be revealed...

Posted by: @col-klink

Is it possible that they've decided to make an original prequel to The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, one that serves the same function as The Magician's Nephew but isn't based on that book at all? That wouldn't explain why they need a swimming pool in the 1950s but it'd fit in with the weirder news we've been getting lately.  

This is the most sensible thing I've read lately.

I was about to say that nothing else links GG's information to a faithful adaptation of MN.

Then I remembered the two confirmed castings:  Jadis and Mabel Kirke. 

Well, she's evidently going to retell the story in her own parameters for it, not the way we would like it to be told.  

My most comfortable explanation is the framing device of a narrator (probably in the role of Lewis, or whoever else Jack Lewis was in his little asides to his readers) and an event in 1950s that he links in to the story he actually wrote, set in 1900. Nothing else would be a prequel; it would only be a fanciful imagining.  

Posted by: @courtenay

@icarus Yes, I got the PM, thanks. Any particular reasons for communicating privately rather than letting everyone here know the details, as I'm sure other people are wondering too? 

Was largely just waiting untill we could break the story about the set activity in London yesterday, so happy to discuss openly now.

So other than the weird detail about the additional Half-indian "lead" character which I think everyone had been struggling to fit into either the plot, or 1900, I think the majority of the things we were seeing were precursors to this on-location shoot in London yesterday, as well as the swimming pool scene in Manchester to come..

- an extra / actor doing a costume test in clothes which were unmistakably not 1900 era clothing

- an extra / actor getting a haircut in a "1955" style

- early shots of the poster artwork during set construction 

- a different version of the casting call for the swimming pool scene which had vague Narnia links, but clearly stated 1950s.

Like I said, all pretty banal, and now completely irrelevant given that you can find hundreds of photos of the set, props, extras, etc all over the internet, but I think they all contributed to a nagging suspicion over the last couple of weeks that things weren't quite lining up on the date front.

I'll also say this - so far ive managed to find absolutely nothing which links anything to a 1900 setting or to the Victorian / Edwardian era more generally, but we are only just getting started on filming so will see where things go!

This might be a bit far fetched. But if it's a framing device... Could late 40s/early 50s setting be a framing device using Susan...?