I've been thinking more about the idea of including greater diversity in the characters outside of Narnia. I still think it could achieve a lot of the things I mentioned earlier, but more than that, it could help avoid the implication that diversity is something otherworldly or fantastical; something strange, distant, or unreal.

Representation limited to Narnia might look progressive on the surface, but it could carry the unintended consequence of reinforcing old divides between “normal” and “other”? A thoughtful adaptation can avoid that by making the real world just as rich, layered, and reflective of humanity as the one beyond the wardrobe.

Sure, not everyone will consciously notice or consider this and some might argue that Narnia should be more diverse than the real world, but these thoughts could be what's informing Greta Gerwig in her choices?

It has been normal in recent years to add a disclaimer to the start of an older film, stating that it shows some attitudes and behaviour that are different from now. 

By casting an all-white English family in 1900 London, the film would be giving a truthful representation of the book, but a wider range of people would be seen in the street.  There is no need for a convoluted rewriting of Digory's family history or of London.

@coracle I understand what you're saying, but I still think reimagining Digory as mixed heritage doesn’t require any major departure from the original book? As we've already stated, in The Magician’s Nephew, Digory’s father is in India, which opens a plausible narrative space for a mixed-race family, and the casting call also suggests that his mother’s side of the family (the Ketterley's) remains white, meaning only his father would be Indian or of Indian heritage? That’s not a drastic reimagining. It’s a subtle shift that remains rooted in the existing world of the novel while opening up new thematic and emotional depth.

To me, Digory seems like the most natural character to reimagine in this way? If Greta Gerwig is thinking about these stories through a broader thematic lens, and wants to explore a different race for one of the visitors to Narnia, doesn't it make more sense to do this with a character like Digory, than let's say characters like the Pevensies, where's there's no textual justification?

Posted by: @rilianix

To me, Digory seems like the most natural character to reimagine in this way? If Greta Gerwig is thinking about these stories through a broader thematic lens, and wants to explore a different race for one of the visitors to Narnia, doesn't it make more sense to do this with a character like Digory, than let's say characters like the Pevensies, where's there's no textual justification?

Yes, that's what I've been thinking too. As I know I've already said, if at least one of the main child characters from our world is going to be changed ethnically — and really, why not, since isn't it nice to reassure modern audiences that not only white middle-class English children get chosen to go to Narnia?? — I’d pick Jill Pole, for the simple fact that we know absolutely nothing about her background or parentage and so nobody can be accused of doing something that contradicts the books.

But Digory would be the next logical choice, since he already canonically has some connection with India. No, I’m not saying Lewis meant him to be part-Indian. He didn’t. If Digory’s father is Indian, then obviously he loses the Kirke surname and the inheritance of the English country house. But — as I’ve already said — his surname is not at all relevant to the plot (it is Lewis’s private tribute to his best and most influential tutor, but it has no bearing on the actual story), and the house could possibly be inherited from Digory’s mother’s side instead.

(Or if it’s Digory’s father who is half-Indian, half-English, then if his mother — Digory’s grandmother — was Indian, then Digory’s father could still have the surname Kirke and the inherited English estate from his own father’s side. But that doesn’t match with what we’re told about Boy 1 having an Indian father and an English mother.)

So I’d say, while making Digory mixed-race does involve a few changes in his background, they are not huge and they are not convoluted. As far as I can see, it could be done without making any major difference to his actual character — not to the point where the plot has to be changed in any significant way — and it’s believable enough for the time period. So if they do decide to do that, then I can’t see any problem with it.

@courtenay Absolutely! I agree that alongside Digory, Jill Pole is one of the most flexible characters in terms of background. Who knows what’ll happen when Netflix (hopefully) gets to The Silver Chair, but within the scope of what’s currently on the cards with Gerwig (The Magician’s Nephew and possibly The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe), Digory makes the most sense, given those parameters - as we both agree.

As you’ve pointed out, explaining the inheritance is pretty straightforward and wouldn’t even need to be spelled out beyond a bit of subtle exposition, if they chose to address it at all, given the UK's history with India; trade specifically dates back to the 1600's with the creation of the East India Company.

Regarding your note about Digory’s father being of mixed heritage not matching the “Indian father, white mother” phrasing, I do think that could border on being overly specific, if they were to include that? It could unintentionally suggest that only children whose father is of Indian mixed-heritage and mother is white. The stipulation is probably more to do with giving some narrative context than setting strict parental demographics for casting of which parent is which ethnicity and whether they're of mixed heritage or not?

Posted by: @rilianix

Regarding your note about Digory’s father being of mixed heritage not matching the “Indian father, white mother” phrasing, I do think that could border on being overly specific, if they were to include that? It could unintentionally suggest that only children whose father is of Indian of mixed-heritage and mother is white. The stipulation is probably more to do with giving some narrative context than setting strict parental demographics for casting of which parent is which ethnicity and whether they're of mixed heritage or not?

I meant that as far as I can see, that's what they're stipulating that the character of Boy 1 has, in the context of whoever he is in the story. I don't think they'd restrict the actual auditions to people of that absolutely precise ancestry!! Just that they want a boy of that age who looks the part for a character who, in the story, has an Indian father and a white mother. Whoever that turns out to be — either Digory or some unknown new character...  

@courtenay Exactly, and overall it's gonna be interesting to see what comes of this. Between this and the Aslan casting, we've analyzed it so much that I wouldn't be surprised if by the time casting announcements are made, we're like... oh, we really overdid it - but that's what these pages are for and I'm loving every minute of it  😆 

My personal thought is that there may be a child actor who they already want to cast, who has that exact ethnic background,  and there's a need to allow others to audition, so it seems fair.