Picture: UnBoxPHD
Intense police chases took place in London today as Greta Gerwig’s highly anticipated Narnia film returns to Central London for more filming. Police in vehicles and bicycles could be found chasing Jadis, the White Witch, through the streets of London. We’ve got your first exclusive first look snaps from today’s filming action courtesy of photographer UnBoxPHD on Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew.
Filming took place in the heart of London, including around the Robert Clive statue in Whitehall and through to Westminster, we’re told. There were over 100 extras used throughout the filming sections, and even some four-legged canine friends joined in the action. Some of the action involved the police on their bicycles crashing into a Royal Marines band service.
Jadis has been on display and the subject of intense debate over the past few weeks, with on-set pictures emerging as the production has toured the United Kingdom. While donned by a stunt performer, the outfit differs significantly from the book, as does the time period this movie takes place in, fast-forwarding half a century after the initial book, which was set in the Victorian era.
Warning: The following section contains spoilers. Proceed with caution!
What was filming today? In the books, Digory and Polly accidentally bring Queen Jadis back to their own world; she wreaks havoc across the city, tearing up a lamppost, commandeering a hansom cab, and sending crowds scattering. The pandemonium eventually draws the attention of the police, who attempt to bring the situation under control before the children use their magic rings to escape.
Netflix remains incredibly tight-lipped on the project, with them not having confirmed a single cast member nor even acknowledged that filming is underway. It’s one of their top-secret projects ever, with David Fincher’s Once Upon A Time in Hollywood follow-up receiving a similar media blackout. Much like that follow-up, Netflix’s Narnia is filming in public view, meaning we’ve been able to piece together quite a bit about the time period and more from the upcoming film scheduled for an IMAX and Netflix release in November 2026.
Filming first kicked off in London in mid-August when we got our very first look at Jadis and the young leads in action with Greta Gerwig. The production has also been filmed in both Manchester and, most recently, in Bradford.
Of course, in addition to filming in the open, viewable for the public, the movie is also filmed in Shepperton Studios, around 20 miles from this weekend’s filming action.
As we first revealed, David McKenna and Beatrice Campbell are leading the film as the main protagonists of Digory Kirke and Polly Plummer, with Emma Mackey playing Jadis (The White Witch), Daniel Craig as Uncle Andrew, and Carey Mulligan as Mabel Kirke. Those are in addition to some of the other smaller roles we’ve unearthed since filming got underway. Cameras are expected to continue rolling until at least mid-December.
Let’s dig into all the new snaps:
Picture: UnBoxPHD
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Picture: UnBoxPHD
Are you excited for Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew on Netflix? Let us know in the comments down below.