Posted by: @icarus

I know I listed a whole bunch of names there, but I'm going to take the win on Daniel Craig sneaking in at the end there! 

Didn't you call it on Will Poulter too?

So if this turns out to be true, I'm trying to decide how I feel about Daniel Craig as Uncle Andrew. He's certainly not how I imagined that character, but I know Craig's a very good actor, so.... yeah. We shall see.  

Daniel Craig? He's a good height: 5'10/ 1.78m.

Does look a bit more rugged than I might have thought, in some of the photos.

(I doubt I've seen him, not being a Bond fan)

I'm keen to see if this Daniel Craig news develops - whether he plays Uncle Andrew, or the voice of Aslan (which I think he'd also do a great job at), or any other role.

My first impressions of him were playing the bully/Sgt Botha in the 1992 movie "The Power of One" and in one of the early episodes of the British TV series "Heartbeat".  More recently though, I think of him in roles such as Lord Asriel in "The Golden Compass".  My impressions of him - he can play a hero or villain or a general sort of character convincingly.  Looking at his IMDB film list, I had forgotten that he also did a voice role in the animated The Adventures of Tintin film in 2011.  So my take for what its worth - I am very keen to see how this develops.  A very good choice on Greta Gerwig's part - here's hoping he accepts the role!  

Even the Guardian (UK newspaper) is on the bandwagon now: Daniel Craig in line for role in Greta Gerwig's Narnia film for Netflix

First time I've seen any reports on Gerwig's Narnia project on a mainstream general news website, rather than one that's geared mainly towards news and gossip from the film / TV / streaming industries, so whether that means this is seriously likely, or else they're jumping in too soon, I don't know... 

He's not super skinny, and doesn't have the right hair, that said, I could definitely go for Craig as Uncke Andrew. He would definitely feel like a menacing magician, but I could also see him handling the more comedic elements of the role, even if that isn't what he's known for. I don't hate it at all. 

He'd actually be a solid pick for the voice of Aslan, too, although not if he's going to be Uncle Andrew. Wouldn't want him playing both. 😂

Not sure what to make of the Jadis rumors. Don't really care for the names mentioned. Neither Charli XCX or Mikey Madison seem have the kind of gravitas and weight of presence I'd expect from Jadis, and that kind of worries me if that's the type of actress they're looking at for the role. 

Posted by: @justin

He's...doesn't have the right hair, that said, I could definitely go for Craig as Uncke Andrew.

FWIW, I imagine whoever they cast will wear a wig.

Posted by: @col-klink

Posted by: @justin

He's...doesn't have the right hair, that said, I could definitely go for Craig as Uncke Andrew.

FWIW, I imagine whoever they cast will wear a wig.

I'll be shocked if it looks how Lewis described it or how the Baynes art depicts it, wig or no wig. Wouldn't look good on Craig. Maybe someone like Alan Cumming, but Craig not so much. 

Daniel Craig's hair right now is pretty long, and very grey...they just need to give it a bit of volume and frizz and he will look perfect.

Here he is with his hair being all blown around in the wind:

Didn't Jim Broadbent wear a wig in the first Narnia movie?

Posted by: @icarus

Daniel Craig's hair right now is pretty long, and very grey...they just need to give it a bit of volume and frizz and he will look perfect.

Here he is with his hair being all blown around in the wind:

Yeah, that's reasonably close, and I think that's the closest we would get to the book's description. 

And on that note, I would add that Daniel Craig as Benoit Blanc is probably the closest you would be able to find in his film work to what Uncle Andrew would be like. He has some goofier moments in those films, iirc. 

@icarus, when I saw that picture, I thought things had been fast-tracked and we were actually looking at Uncle Andrew. Well, I think I'm mostly sold now. That's really uncanny.

Posted by: @justin

I would add that Daniel Craig as Benoit Blanc ... has some goofier moments in those films. 

Interestingly enough, this is probably my least favorite role I've seen Daniel Craig in because he came across as rather inept to me, even though he wasn't.... I dunno. Having said that, I could definitely see his comedic side there that does translate to some of the rather amusing Uncle Andrew moments. 

@fantasia That's basically what I meant is that we see more of his comedic side that isn't as evident elsewhere since he usually plays more serious roles. It's not hard to find examples of him being more menacing or dramatic, but the lighter side seems less common in his repertoire - although I won't pretend to have seen everything he's done. 

I was just talking to my brother earlier about the movie, and he mentioned a casting choice that is my new favorite for Jadis: Mallory Jensen. She's tall, beautiful, has a strong voice and presence that would fit Jadis well - not too old at 35-36. The big downside - and the reason she almost certainly won't be cast is she's not a big name. She co-starred on the tv series, Galavant, as Madalena a few years ago, but since then she's mostly been doing Hallmark films. With a top director and a good script, she'd be solid enough in terms of acting, but they're going to want someone well known to draw in viewers and sell tickets, since the kids and whoever plays Aslan aren't going to do that, which leaves mainly Jadis and Uncle Andrew as box office draws.

I've always thought Fiona Shaw would make a great Letitia Ketterley, and if the rumour about Daniel Craig playing Andrew Ketterley is true, I think they could convincingly play siblings.