@icarus extras for only 2 months?

They'd have to find accommodation for that time at their own expense. A few years ago I looked at similar ads, but had nowhere to stay. Perhaps people within driving distance?

Have you checked to see if it's a casting agency or a listing agency? If the latter, they might just want more people on their books. I've seen similar ads in NZ pre-Rings of Power.

Edit: I looked up their website. It's an Artiste Listing Agency. 

Posted by: @coracle

@icarus extras for only 2 months?

My assumption is that whatever it's for, this would only be for location shooting, and that the majority of the studio shooting would be in London and one of the big studios such as Pinewood or Leavesden.

If we are thinking in terms of either LWW or MN though, both books only have a few scenes that would require lots of extras, so 2 months feels about right?

The other thing counting in it's favour is that I can't think of many other Fantasy Feature Films which would be looking to shoot next year - the upcoming Harry Potter reboot is a TV series, so it's not that.

Side note - just while it popped into my head, the City of Bath would make an excellent stand in location for a late-Victorian / early Edwardian London, so that's another possibility for a MN scene which might require a sizeable extras casting.

Posted by: @icarus

Its also a UK based casting call, and we've already had some reports that Greta Gerwig intends to shoot the film in the UK, so that also checks out.

Cool find as always icarus. I alerted the news team if they didn't already know. 🙂 
But I'm curious about the quote I've copied from you. I've missed this tidbit. Do you remember where you read that?

@fantasia I've had a scan through some old articles, and that might be me assuming that because Greta Gerwig is basing herself in London for the pre-production work, it means they probably intend to shoot there. 

https://www.narniaweb.com/2024/03/greta-gerwig-dives-into-narnia-pre-production-filming-to-begin-in-2024/

I thought it had said more explicitly than that, but to me it makes sense that if pre-production involves making a lot of deals with local production companies, it would be advantageous to be in the area you intend to do the majority of shooting.

I may also be remembering the detail about Netflix having some sort of stake in Shepperton Studios just outside London, where there have apparently established a "long-term residence"

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy0zjd7eg4xo

But you are right, it's probably never been explicitly confirmed they intend to shoot in London, but a UK based shoot feels like the most likely option at this point.

 

Posted by: @icarus

I've had a scan through some old articles, and that might be me assuming that because Greta Gerwig is basing herself in London for the pre-production work, it means they probably intend to shoot there. 

I thought it had said more explicitly than that, but to me it makes sense that if pre-production involves making a lot of deals with local production companies, it would be advantageous to be in the area you intend to do the majority of shooting. [...] 

But you are right, it's probably never been explicitly confirmed they intend to shoot in London, but a UK based shoot feels like the most likely option at this point.

We did have that What's On Netflix report which claimed filming would last 7 months and take place in the UK. But, of course, that post was removed only a week later.

The Somerset/Bath location idea does make a lot of sense for an MN adaptation, I must say. 

I do wonder if it's also possible they might try to film scenes set in Narnia itself in rural England, since those landscapes would have most heavily influenced Lewis' imagination. Bath does have natural springs, which could maybe work for a Cauldron Pool scene, or possibly even the Wood Between the Worlds...

Really hoping this turns out to be legit!  

Ooh, now this is exciting, if it does turn out to be for the Gerwig Narnia film! Well spotted, @icarus. If I lived a bit closer to Somerset myself, I might be tempted to apply and see what happens...

I would love for a new Narnia adaptation to be filmed in Britain — or Ireland, for that matter — and Somerset definitely has some beautiful and Narnia-esque locations. We'll just have to wait and see if this really is it.

Posted by: @icarus

Side note - just while it popped into my head, the City of Bath would make an excellent stand in location for a late-Victorian / early Edwardian London, so that's another possibility for a MN scene which might require a sizeable extras casting.

Now there's a thought. Mind you, I'd say one point that counts against Bath as a stand-in for London c. 1900 is that Bath looks unmistakably like, well, Bath. For those here who don't know it, most of its buildings date from the Georgian era (pre-Victorian) — though some had to be rebuilt after a couple of terrible bombing raids in WW2 — and they're in the Classical / Palladian style that was popular in the 1700s, and their street frontages are almost all made out of a very characteristic sort of greyish-golden coloured limestone. I can't think of any parts of London that look like that, or might have looked like that around the turn of last century. It's perfect for Georgian and Regency-era dramas, of course (two of Jane Austen's books are partly set in Bath), but I'm not sure it could convincingly pass as London, at least not for history buffs and people who know their British cities.

But you never know — and Bath is such a beautiful place (it's one of my favourite cities in England, or indeed in the world) that I don't think I could object to it being featured in a Narnia movie, even if it is a little incongruous!  

(Now all this is making me wish I could head off to Bath for the annual Christmas Market, which I don't think I'll have a chance to do this year, but if anyone else happens to be in the area, it is wonderful and well worth the trip. I am not being paid a commission for advertising this. )

So looking at other alternatives for what this casting call could be for, and assuming that all the details in the listing are correct (i.e. its definitely for a movie, and therefore not going to be for the Harry Potter TV series or The Rings of Power Season 3) the other options for a "high profile fantasy feature film" would probably be as follows:

Highlander - The Henry Cavil reboot of Highlander recently had its filming pushed back from January to May 2025, however as the title of the film suggests, they are aiming to film it in the Scottish Highlands, therefore Somerset would feel like an odd choice for that, but maybe i don't know enough about the Highlander universe

The Hunt for Gollum - The LOTR spin-off to be directed by Andy Serkis is also aiming to shoot next year, though from what I understand that's locked in for New Zealand, therefore it feels unlikely this would be for that.

Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping - A second Hunger Games spin-off is also in the works, and is also looking to shoot next year, however all of the previous Hunger Games movies were shot largely in Georgia and South Carolina in the USA, therefore shooting in a completely different location in England would seem weird if half the point of these spin-offs is to cultivate nostalgia for the previous films and to develop a cohesive cinematic universe for further iterations.

Of those, I still think Narnia feels like the most realistic bet, however is that enough to elevate my confidence above a 50/50 reckoning? Probably not, but it definitely feels plausible at this stage.

So the same website now has another casting call up, also for a "high-profile fantasy feature film", this time looking for "athletic / muscular people and bodybuilders" looking to shoot on sporadic dates between February to June 2025 in the London area.

https://www.castingcollective.co.uk/artiste/casting-calls/athletic

I'm assuming, given the specific wording used, that its for the same production as the Somerset one, however I will admit that nothing about that role description this time immediately jumps out to me as being "Narnia", and February does feel a tad too early for a project which so far has no discernible production crew in place.

That said, the production dates are also too early for Highlander (which has a confirmed production start of May 2025) and also feels way too early and in entirely the wrong location for either of my other two picks.... but even if I expand my definition of "high profile" and "fantasy film" there aren't a lot of other viable candidates jumping out at me on the planned production slates.

The "sporadic dates" part perhaps suggests some sort of pre-production or rehearsal period? And perhaps any Nanria production is always going to need big strong people like Shane Rangi again to play the Centaurs and Minotaurs? Perhaps even a couple of big guys to operate an Aslan animatronic? Though that feels like something where there would be existing trained professionals for.

I'm  not sure. This definitely lowers my overall "Narnia factor" by a little bit.... even if the basic facts still line up - i.e. its for a fantasy feature film, looking to shoot next summer in the UK, probably at one of the big London film studios (Pinewood, Elstree, Shepperton, etc), as well as some on-location shooting nearby somewhere more rural (such as the Somerset part).

For reference / update, my current assessment on this rumour for.a "high profile fantasy feature film" looking to shoot in 2025 is as follows:

• 40% Narnia - strong Somerset vibes, less strong Bodybuilder vibes.

• 30% Highlander - moderate Somerset vibes, moderate Bodybuilder vibes.

• 20% Masters of the Universe (aka He-Man) - off the charts Bodybuilder vibes, zero Somerset vibes 

• 10% something else