Very interesting — and I reckon she's a good choice for Digory's mother! — but they have yet again repeated the Meryl-Streep-playing-Aslan rumour...  

Another grade A, top-tier casting for this film alongside Daniel Craig and Emma Mackey.

If they were rounding that cast off with Meryl Streep in literally any other role, your jaw would genuinely be on the floor that they had managed to secure such a high-profile, awards-heavy, line-up to star in a Narnia adaptation.

No offense to the stars of Voyage of the Dawn Treader in particular, but this is light years ahead of that in terms of prestige casting, and is definitely one-up on the original Wardrobe cast, which admittedly did have a couple of heavyweights in there.

Posted by: @icarus

If they were rounding that cast off with Meryl Streep in literally any other role, your jaw would genuinely be on the floor that they had managed to secure such a high-profile, awards-heavy, line-up to star in a Narnia adaptation.

I'm still hoping Meryl Streep is actually going to play Aunt Letty.  

Fab casting choice there. I met her once - she's lovely. And she's a brilliant actor!

And I'm afraid we all need to face up to the Aslan casting now - it's not just a rumour. This was Gerwig's plan from the beginning and she's not going to change course.

If the casting of Craig or Streep were official at this point, I’m sure The Hollywood Reporter would’ve confirmed it in their own article, but they haven’t.

That’s not to say they won’t be cast (or haven’t been already), but I think their names are just being mentioned because they’re two of the biggest casting rumours out there. Naturally, those names are going to come up, whether the rumours turn out to be true or not.

Posted by: @icarus

No offense to the stars of Voyage of the Dawn Treader in particular, but this is light years ahead of that in terms of prestige casting, and is definitely one-up on the original Wardrobe cast, which admittedly did have a couple of heavyweights in there.

I'm happy to see Carey Mulligan as Digory's mother but I don't really need a cast to be full of big names. I'm not against it since plenty of times big names become big by being really charismatic. There are movies I love with star studded casts. But it's kind of nice to see an unknown actor shine.

For example, the main (human) character in the movie War Horse (sorry if people here hate that or anything) was played by Jeremy Irvine who wasn't a big name at the time (maybe he is now) and I think he made that movie. The role required him to seriously talk to a horse like it understood him and they had this deep bond, and he didn't seem self-conscious or embarrassed by it at all, probably because he was thrilled to star in a Steven Spielberg movie. I feel like a more famous actor would have been like, "I can't be talking to a horse! I'm a famous actor!"  

Posted by: @rilianix

If the casting of Craig or Streep were official at this point, I’m sure The Hollywood Reporter would’ve confirmed it in their own article, but they haven’t.

That’s not to say they won’t be cast (or haven’t been already), but I think their names are just being mentioned because they’re two of the biggest casting rumours out there. Naturally, those names are going to come up, whether the rumours turn out to be true or not.

Oddly enough I came to.the opposite conclusion.

Both THR and Deadline are reporting the casting of Carey Mulligan with their own sources, and both articles continued to mention Craig, Mackey and Streep as basically confirmed details.

There's no ambiguity in the way they are reporting Streep any more, and few caveats being placed upon it.

Therefore, since both publications clearly have strong sources and connections deep into the production, then every time they reach into.those.sources it feels increasingly unlikely that the Aslan thing is all some giant misunderstanding.

@icarus I see your point, but it would make no sense for them not to confirm both those castings in separate announcements/articles letting people know that's the case, like they did with Emma Mackey and now Carey Mulligan, just for the amount of engagement it would receive alone.

Posted by: @courtenay

Posted by: @icarus

If they were rounding that cast off with Meryl Streep in literally any other role, your jaw would genuinely be on the floor that they had managed to secure such a high-profile, awards-heavy, line-up to star in a Narnia adaptation.

I'm still hoping Meryl Streep is actually going to play Aunt Letty.  

I’d love it if they cast her as Aunt Letty too, though she’d be quite an older sister if she is 75 and Digory’s mum, Carey Mulligan, is 40. Not an unheard of age gap between siblings, but it is quite large.

Posted by: @davidd

I’d love it if they cast her as Aunt Letty too, though she’d be quite an older sister if she is 75 and Digory’s mum, Carey Mulligan, is 40. Not an unheard of age gap between siblings, but it is quite large.

True, I thought of that. But they can always make Meryl Streep look a bit younger — she doesn't look 75 as it is, at least with makeup on!  

We already know that Uncle Andrew is over 60, and I get the impression he and Letty are about the same age, whereas Mabel, Digory's mother, is the "baby" of the family. I remember we were discussing this in another thread — if Digory's maternal grandmother had her first two children when she was in her late teens or early 20s, it's not impossible that she could then have had a "surprise" baby 20 or so years later, when she was in her early 40s and not yet quite into menopause. That accounts for Andrew being in his early 60s and yet having a younger sister with a son (Digory) who is only 12.

Posted by: @rilianix

If the casting of Craig or Streep were official at this point, I’m sure The Hollywood Reporter would’ve confirmed it in their own article, but they haven’t.

That’s not to say they won’t be cast (or haven’t been already), but I think their names are just being mentioned because they’re two of the biggest casting rumours out there. Naturally, those names are going to come up, whether the rumours turn out to be true or not.

Posted by: @icarus

There's no ambiguity in the way they are reporting Streep any more, and few caveats being placed upon it.

Therefore, since both publications clearly have strong sources and connections deep into the production, then every time they reach into.those.sources it feels increasingly unlikely that the Aslan thing is all some giant misunderstanding.

I can see both sides of that argument, and I guess, once again, we can only wait and see. With two reasonably big names now confirmed for specific roles, I'm sure now it can't be very much longer before we're told what the two REALLY big names that have been dropped in connection with this film — Meryl Streep and Daniel Craig — are going to do.

I think Daniel Craig, Meryl Streep, and Carey Mulligan would make a surprisingly convincing trio of siblings. Slightly unorthodox, yes, in terms of age, but as @courtenay pointed out above, it’s entirely plausible.

I've been thinking, too, about Carey’s casting as Mabel Kirke and how it opens intriguing possibilities for expanding her role, even if her screen time remains limited. Exploring the complex family dynamics between Mabel, Letitia, Mrs. Lefay, and Andrew Ketterley could enrich the story’s core themes; each sibling embodying different responses to grief, power, and temptation. Mrs. Lefay’s mysterious interests, Letitia’s strict moral rigidity, Mabel’s quiet endurance, and Andrew’s reckless meddling form a web of choices and consequences that profoundly shape Digory’s moral journey.

Portraying Digory as Anglo-Indian, with a father often away on business and an ailing mother at home, could beautifully echo the novel’s themes of liminality, identity, and moral awakening. This sense of being between worlds and cultures deepens the exploration of Digory’s position at the crossroads of childhood and adulthood, temptation and sacrifice. His cultural heritage offers unique perspectives on legacy, responsibility, and the personal choices that define character. The Ketterley siblings, steeped in British traditions and attitudes; Letitia’s strict moralism, Andrew’s reckless ambition, Mrs. Lefay’s mystical knowledge, create a backdrop against which Digory’s mixed identity stands out. This contrast could highlight themes of acceptance, cultural complexity, and the search for belonging, making the family’s dynamics more emotionally complex and grounded in real-world experience.

Mabel being the only sibling to marry and have a child carries symbolic weight in a story about beginnings, both literal and spiritual. Her legacy represents the thread of compassion and selflessness that empowers Digory to face his test, while Andrew’s reckless curiosity serves as a cautionary foil, illustrating how easily temptation can lead one astray. Mabel’s decision to marry and raise a child, especially marrying an Indian man in a time and society where such unions faced significant challenges, can be seen as an act of love and courageous commitment, taking on the responsibility to nurture and protect the next generation despite family opposition. It’s a legacy of care that contrasts sharply with Andrew’s reckless curiosity and Letitia’s cold strictness.

Together, this expanded family dynamic could illuminate how our choices ripple through generations, shaping not only the birth of Narnia but also the moral fabric inherited by those who come after.