First Look: Greta Gerwig’s ‘Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew’ Starts Production

So, this is actually happening. Almost three years after she was announced to helm the project, Greta Gerwig has started production on “Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew” in London.

Cameras rolled this past weekend in and around Bank Station and The Royal Exchange, with lavish post-war 1950s sets and crowds of extras filling the streets. Snapped photos show period posters advertising boxing matches, musical revues, and a mysterious “Northfield Club” scattered around the London locations.

This isn’t the Victorian London of C.S. Lewis’ 1955 novel. Instead, it appears Gerwig has shifted the setting to the mid-20th century, a significant deviation from the book’s original late-19th-century timeline. It’s yet another sign that her adaptation may not be as strictly faithful to the source material as some superfans might have hoped.

Gerwig was spotted on location alongside two young, as-yet-unidentified actors presumed to be playing Digory Kirke and Polly Plummer — the story’s central duo who accidentally unleash the White Witch (Emma Mackey) onto the streets of London.

In addition to Mackey, Daniel Craig is playing Uncle Andrew, Carey Mulligan is in negotiations for an undisclosed role, and Meryl Streep is expected to voice Aslan. Netflix, of course, has yet to officially confirm any of these names.

Filming will move between London, the South East, and Shepperton Studios, with production expected to wrap in early 2026 ahead of a planned late-2026 theatrical and Netflix release.

UnBoxPHD and Worldwide Guide to Movie Locations snapped up many of the on-set photos, which can be viewed below