Posted by: @fantasia

PC, the kids are at a train station waiting to go back to school (right?). This could be a bus stop? Waiting to be picked up by someone else in a car? A taxi/Uber?  

This wouldn't even need to be changed as much as a bus stop because while most people took the bus to school I had friends who used to take the train. I can also confirm that pupils still do because just a few months ago I ended up on a train during school finishing time and at the next stop a load of children in uniform got on. I don't think primary school children would take the train to school but over here you start secondary school at 11 so it's not too much of a stretch to age up Lucy a little to make this work. And obviously it's different in that it's their daily commute rather than heading to boarding school at the beginning of term but entering Narnia from a train station on the way to school is very much still a possibility if it was set in modern times.

Posted by: @icarus

They'll be some sad losses in the costume details.(long socks, braces etc) but the majority of the costumes can still be more or less the same (shirts, trousers, dresses, cardigans etc.)

The school settings would barely be noticeably different (aside from the lack of hats in the uniform) and even the mansion in LWW is Georgian era or older as it is, so that would still be the same.

Depending on the socio-economic background that Greta decides for the Pevensies hats could definitely still be a part of the uniform. While not common among state school uniforms, a lot of private schools (especially around London) still wear hats even if only for formal events and special occasions. The rest of the uniform would be near identical, especially with the recent increase in schools switching from plain black/grey skirts to tartan ones which I personally think look more old fashioned. Coincidentally my secondary school tie was striped gold/navy and looked almost identical to the one that Susan and Lucy wear in Walden PC (much to teenage me's delight).

Posted by: @sir-cabbage

To the point about the lamppost: I think it can still be of the originally intended type. Technology was moving on, but a lot of the traditional objects were still around. Still are around certain places, fortunately.

Good point! Despite technological advancements it's still fairly common to see lampposts designed in a older/more traditional style but using modern bulbs to produce the light. I wouldn't be surprised if Greta uses one of these for aesthetic purposes and considering how well known the lamppost is.  

EDIT: I don't know what's going on with the formatting of the first paragraph. I've tried to edit it and can't see to remove the white background so apologies if it's difficult to read. 

Posted by: @fantasia

Soooo... you're welcome to disagree, but I don't find any other book with a really strong need to be set in the time period that Lewis wrote it. But I felt that way about MN too, and pretty much no one agrees with me on that.  

I very much agree with you here @fantasia.  Tbh, I probably would in general lean towards being a "Narnia purist" and prefer to see Narnia films set in the era they were originally set in by Lewis himself, and probably a bit more resembling something like the BBC productions (with better technology and a bit more magic though!) - well that's what a movie of any of the Narnia books would be like if I directed it anyway!   However, I do, 100% agree with you on the whole timeline certainly not really being essential, especially when it comes to the later books - as I similarly laid out reasons why (in a previous post).  And, as I also have somewhat indicated, although I'm still not completely sure where I stand, I'm finding swayed more in a positive direction on my positivity dial for my hopes for Greta Gerwig's production, since seeing it emerge that she's setting MN in 1955.

So much of what I've read and heard from people close to Gerwig about their excitement for her vision for Narnia, actually has me almost fully optimistic about her plans - as long as she is faithful in her depictions of Narnia, and more importantly of Aslan Himself!   If her movie(s) turn out to be as successful as those close to her seem to very much believe they will be - why wouldn't (1) she be encouraged to continue on making more if her vision and plan for the series is to do so or (2) future directors not be willing to jump on board with the timeline change, which to some degree could make the story more relatable to today's audience without having to change too much else story-wise.