I definitely think Saoirse has a great range as an actress, but personally I imagine her more as Helen than as Jadis. I can't quite put my figure on why but I think it might be how youthful she looks as well as her size. You want an actress for Jadis who can really portray the physicality of the "Queen of Narnia" just as much as the personality. Also, considering the people who are not sure if the role of Helen is good enough, I think Gerwig would make the role substantial and interesting enough for a actress of Saoirse's calibre - without massively changing the character or the source material. Gerwig is the kind of skilled writer that can give you what the story/source material provides but with even more depth.

@rilianix Great minds must think alike. I was actually thinking that she might make sense as Queen Helen. Before I give my reasons though, I want to reiterate something. 

As Icarus and I both mentioned previously, Saoirse Ronan has played lots of different characters and I'm sure she can do any random role. I don't think we should look to her previous performances to determine which Narnian character she should portray. That being said...  

It occurred to me that she's mostly famous for playing ordinary everyday people. (cf. Brooklyn, Lady Bird, Little Women.) And Helen is the closest to that we get in the Narnia books when it comes to older characters: an average London cabman's wife doing laundry...who just happens to be chosen to become the first queen of Narnia, so not actually that ordinary. But closer to ordinary than Jadis, Ramandu's Daughter, Aravis or the Lady of the Green Kirtle. (Though, again, I'm sure she'd be fine as any of those.) Some have also expressed skepticism about her being "matronly" enough for other older female roles in Narnia and I don't think Helen can reasonably be portrayed as youthful.

As to its being too small a part for a big-name actress, there's a case to be made for expanding the character. Seeing that, like her husband, she's unhappy with her life could make viewers feel happy (and less potentially disturbed ) when she's taken from her world and given a totally new life. However, I love what a surprise King Frank's role is in The Magician's Nephew and a bunch of early scenes showing him and his wife and their unhappiness in London would make it obvious that they're going to be important. Sheesh, if the movie does too good a job showing their dissatisfaction with their lives, their exact role in the story might be too easy to guess. Also, there's a lot going on in The Magician's Nephew without extra scenes. We've got to remember Greta Gerwig has been hired to do two movies, not TV series. 

Rereading Ronan's comments about wanting to do another movie with Gerwig makes me think that she's up for anything so maybe she'd be fine with Helen being a bit part. 

P.S.

It also occurred to me that if she was cast as the Lady of the Green Kirtle, she could use her real (Irish) accent, which would fit the character. Something to think about. 

If Ronan is cast as Queen Helen, I will take that as a sign that role has been expanded. Possibly the character could be combined as one of the maids in the Ketterly home?

@fantasia I'm wary of her having the role expanded, just because she's a big star.

The whole point of Helen is that she's a country girl, whose husband has had to move to London for work.
So she's a conventional housewife doing her own work manually, not afraid of hard work, but would love to go back to the the countryside.
If that can be shown in a few flashback stills, as seen by Frank, that's enough. She'd need a few more lines than in the book, to show her delight at being out of the city, and seeing all the animals.

Posted by: @col-klink

As to its being too small a part for a big-name actress, there's a case to be made for expanding the character. Seeing that, like her husband, she's unhappy with her life could make viewers feel happy (and less potentially disturbed ) when she's taken from her world and given a totally new life. However, I love what a surprise King Frank's role is in The Magician's Nephew and a bunch of early scenes showing him and his wife and their unhappiness in London would make it obvious that they're going to be important. Sheesh, if the movie does too good a job showing their dissatisfaction with their lives, their exact role in the story might be too easy to guess. Also, there's a lot going on in The Magician's Nephew without extra scenes. We've got to remember Greta Gerwig has been hired to do two movies, not TV series. 

Funnily enough, I've been thinking along just those lines for a while now — that I'd love to see an adaptation of MN that expanded Frank and Helen's roles a little (though not to the point where it went off-track from the main story), just so that we get to know them a bit better and get a sense of what they'll be like as the first King and Queen of Narnia.

That's an interesting idea that Helen could be a maid at the Ketterleys' home, although I think for the most part in the Victorian era, women generally didn't work outside their own home once they were married (an attitude that persisted into the twentieth century, of course, up to well within living memory).

I've been imagining that we could have one or two short scenes of the two of them at home, perhaps early in the morning of what turns out to be the day that Frank gets that most unusual and terrifying lady passenger. Before he sets out to work, Helen could be serving him breakfast and the two of them could reflect on how hard life is in the city and how much they miss life in the countryside where they grew up, but times are tough and they moved to London in the hopes that Frank could earn a better living there. Make it clear that they're both absolutely longing for the country again, clear skies, fresh air, rolling hills and streams and grass and trees as far as the eye can see... really set it up that it is just so right that they should find themselves in a (literally) new world that needs them as its King and Queen!

Honestly, I've been envisioning this added scene (early in the film) for a while now, so I'd love it if Greta Gerwig or one of her associates might come along and read this. I picture Frank, over his breakfast, reminiscing on how when he was a little boy on the farm, sometimes he'd get up really early before it was time to help with the chores and he'd run to the top of the hill and watch the sun rise... and see all the landscape about him lit up all new and fresh, as if it had just been created that morning... "and you know, Nell my love," he says to Helen, "sometimes I'd even imagine that it was the first day of creation, and I was the first human being on earth, and all this new world was mine to be King of..." and they both laugh — "Oh, Frank, you're such a dreamer!" Helen teases him (giving us the clear impression that that's one of the things she most loves about him and one of the reasons why she married him) — "I suppose, if that did really happen to you now, you'd want me there with you as your Queen?" "Of course, Nell dear!" — more laughs as he gets up to go and she kisses him goodbye... that sort of thing, just to expand them character-wise a bit more without going "outside canon", while foreshadowing that these two people are just MEANT to be the first rulers of Narnia!!

Maybe that's all a bit silly, but it's pretty much my headcanon for Frank and Helen now, so there.  

Posted by: @fantasia

Possibly (Helen) could be combined as one of the maids in the Ketterly home?

That sounds brilliant! Of course, Coracle and Courtenay are probably right about it being historically inaccurate. Bummer! The way I would do it is that we get to know Helen a bit, but we don't know that she's married to Frank whom we won't meet until the same place as in the book. (I'm sorry this contradicts your idea, Courtenay. ) In an early scene, probably when Aunt Letty is absent, Digory could say something while she's in the room about how he hates London and misses the countryside and she'd tell him she knows how she feels, explaining that she and her husband were happier living in the country but had to move to get work. We'd see her helping Aunt Letty after Jadis throws her across the room and telling her about the neighbor sending over fruit for Digory's mother and there'd be some indication that she really dislikes her job. Then when Frank says he couldn't stay in Narnia without his wife and Aslan made her appear, it would be a big "Aha!" moment for the viewers. Seriously, can we get this idea to Netflix and Gerwig and just ignore historical accuracy? I'm kind of loving it.  

Posted by: @col-klink

Seriously, can we get this idea to Netflix and Gerwig and just ignore historical accuracy?

Please no! I don't know anything about Saoirse Ronan since I haven't seen anything with her in it, so I don't have any opinions on what role she should play. I don't see any problem with a big name having a small role. The Muppets do that all the time. I'm perfectly happy with the the way the characters are in the books and don't see why any of them would need to be expanded. It is up to the individual actress or actor whether they will take a role.

Saoirse Ronan even said, "...So even if I’m just making tea in Narnia. I don’t really care."  In that case, any suitable role (meaning female in the original, correct age) would be fine.

Oh, did this just got interesting? I'm not sure if there's anyone I have in mind for Saiorise Ronan to portray. Helen would be idea or maybe a dryad. I'd be interested in what she role she gets for a Narnia if she ever does.

Posted by: @twigs

Saoirse Ronan even said, "...So even if I’m just making tea in Narnia. I don’t really care."  In that case, any suitable role (meaning female in the original, correct age) would be fine.

I'm happy to have her be a servant in the Professor's house in LWW. She could be under the strict eye of Mrs McCready and give the children the occasional little smile... 

Or if she's not afraid to play a character role, perhaps as Mrs McCready herself, with an Irish accent. Housekeepers and cooks were usually called Mrs, in a big house. It would also be a nod to the Irish servant who told young Jack and Warnie the local fairy tales.

This will probably be controversial, but could she play Susan? She is extremely youthful looking and can totally act it too. I was watching the clip of the dancing scene with Laurie that NarniaWeb put in the main news article, and what struck me the most was how very well she did the childish/teen age (as opposed to my brain always imagining Jo looking and acting older). It was striking. I know we've discussed this before, but I do think there is a possibility of Netflix bumping up the Pevinsies' ages. I think she'd be a great Susan.

My second pick would be adult Lucy. I'd love to see her in HHB and LB. What if Greta is doing LWW and HHB? Unlikely, but how fun would that be!

Third pick is Helen. I can just see her bobbing a little curtsey and looking all shy. Flowers, robes, a dainty tiara. She would be a lovely first queen, and we'd get to see her again in LB.

Also consider, a dryad. I didn't really like the purely cgi dryads in Disney's LWW. I'd love to see actual women in gorgeous costumes depicting various tree types. She'd look AMAZING!

@anfinwen For what its worth, I think Saoirse Ronan would have made a great Jill Pole if they had made Silver Chair back in the day. She's one year younger than Will Poulter, and at the time she had just come off the back of filming "City of Ember" for Walden Media, so it would have been just perfect.

However, she is unfortunately far too old for any of the children's roles now. Bare in mind that Little Women was shot around 5 or 6 years ago now, and she'll be turning 30 in a couple of months... think how old they'd have to cast Peter to compensate! 

Personally I like your suggestion of having her as Helen, especially if they let her keep her Irish accent for it. I think it be would be a fitting characterisation to have Frank and Helen be working-class Irish immigrants in turn-of-the-century London.

Now, it would really depend on if Gerwig stuck around to direct certain stories, but what about Ramandu's daughter? I could even get behind her voicing maybe Mrs. Beaver or even Hwin? I don't see any reason why the Beavers couldn't be a slightly younger couple than previously interpreted.

Posted by: @rilianix

I don't see any reason why the Beavers couldn't be a slightly younger couple than previously interpreted.

There isn't any definite age given, probably since it would be difficult to translate Beaver years into human years, but I certainly imagined the beavers as an older couple. It may be due to Pauline Baynes' illustration of Mrs. Beaver where she resembles a matriarchal figure. It may also have something to do with the sewing machine and the absence of young beavers in the house. Since Ronan is as young as she is, that might not work.

To echo Coracle, I think that Mrs. McCready would be a good role for her to play, for reasons already stated. Of course, I always imagined Mrs. McCready as an older or middle-aged person, probably due to her being unused to kids and her portrayal in the 2005 film.

I looked through both pages of comments so far to see if anyone had suggested this part so far, and no one has so here goes: 

Saoirse could play Jadis' sister. I personally would prefer she play Lady of the Green Kirtle, but, since we are probably not talking about Silver Chair for years, I think she could play Jadis' sister. I like the idea of having a flashback of the war when Jadis is telling Digory and Polly about it. Or we could start off with that, instead of starting off with Digory or England.

I don't think I read this anywhere 🧐 but, I could see Saoirse Ronan playing Lasaraleen in HHB.  She may not have the right appearance (ethnicity wise) if they do end up portraying the Calormenes with a darker complexion as described in the books, but, other than appearance, I can imagine she would get quite into the character - at least based on her portrayal of Jo in Little Women.