For a long time, Greta Gerwig’s style was to adapt C.S. Lewis’s seminal fantasy Chronicles of Narnia It was a complete mystery, but the vision was finally coming together. We’ve got our best look yet at Latest issue of Empire magazine. Here’s everything we learned.

Chronicles of Narnia Written by C.S. Lewis, it has fascinated readers for decades since it was first published in the 1950s. In that time, various generations have seen adaptations, from the forgotten ITV series in 1967, to the animated adaptation in 1979. As the decades passed, adaptations became more popular, with the final three-part film long considered Chronicles of Narnia The series lasted from the late eighties to the early nineties. The requested films aired in the early 2000s, at a time when big-screen fantasy epics were all the rage thanks to Peter Jackson’s filmography. Lord of the Rings Triple. There were supposed to be more Narnia films based on other novels, but they failed.

Netflix owns the rights to Chronicles of Narnia Since 2018; No official figures have been released for the purchase of streaming rights, but reports point to a nine-figure sum. Netflix’s ambition has been clear from the beginning, and in 2023, fan-favorite director Greta Gerwig is officially on board to bring… Narnia For a new generation of viewers. Gerwig has become a zeitgeist filmmaker in recent years, particularly venturing into the world of cinema Barbie The film grossed more than $1.4 billion at the box office worldwide.

Unlike other modifications of Narniadefined mostly by her intense loyalty to the source text, Gerwig has infused her creative flair and unique signature into her film. Still honored Narniabut it’s packed with Gerwig’s personality, culminating in a visual and sonic palette unlike anything we’ve ever seen in an adaptation before: it’s fueled by glam rock and has ethereal visual inspiration taken from iconic artist MC Escher.

In the latest issue of Empire MagazineThey put a lot of depth into the movie. On set, they interviewed Gerwig herself, as well as the principal cast and crew, giving us our most informative exploration of the film yet. Below, we’ve covered every major thing we learned from the reveal.

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How did Greta Gerwig do it? Narnia come about? Why the “rock and roll” tone?

The Netflix adaptation takes an approach that no other on-screen version has Narnia He dares to do this: he takes up the story from the beginning of time. Instead of starting with The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobestarts with The magician’s nephew – The sixth novel published, but the first in terms of chronology. It is like the creation story of Narniawe introduce the origin of Aslan, Jadis (who becomes the White Witch of Narnia), and witness the birth of Narnia itself. It’s Lewis’s way of answering all the questions he left lingering in his earlier novels – how an act This outdated lamp was planted in the snow?

Gerwig’s involvement with the film dates back to 2020, when she found out Netflix owned the rights to it. The streamer had held the rights for about two years at that point. That was all the motivation she needed, as she continually reached out to Scott Stuber, Netflix’s head of film, to pitch her thoughts on a Next Generation film adaptation. “I was like ‘I think you should start with’ The magician’s nephew Because this is the creation of Narnia, and in fact, if you put the seven books together, they are about the life and death of the universe.

Gerwig’s vision for the adaptation was one she was familiar with after bringing the energy with her BarbieBut for this adaptation it meant restructuring Narnia. Doing so makes some major changes, notably changing the timeline from 1900s Britain to the 1950s, which coincidentally was around the same time the original novel was published. This opens up the ability to inject timely rock ‘n’ roll influences into the narrative, but will undoubtedly complicate things later on. For example, preparing the land for the sequel The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe Its events take place during World War II. However, for Gerwig, the lure of being associated with rock ‘n’ roll culture prevailed Narnia.

“I wanted a rock opera,” she said. “I wanted it to be large and portable.”

It doesn’t hide the music influences, but don’t be fooled, this isn’t music. She said: “David Bowie saved my life. Paul McCartney saved my life. David Gilmour saved my life. Pete Townshend saved my life. Jimmy Page, Robert Plant.” “When I heard their music, I had this deep feeling [thinking]”You’ll be fine.”

She brought that energy to the set, spinning the speakers to inspire the cast and crew to dance. Empire mentions two of those songs, The Who’s Papa O’Reilly And David Bowie Life on Mars. “Where are the feelings?” She announced to the group.

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Building 1950s England

Although the schedule has changed, the setting remains the same. It all starts in a small town in England. From one of the released stills, we see an immediate change from the novels: Jadis is able to use her magic. We see her carrying a cane in her hand, being carried to the streets of London, and she is angry. It seemed as if she had used her magic to destroy. However, fans of the novel will know that she is unable to use her magic outside of her own world. She’s able to make use of her extreme physical strength – but the above seems to indicate that there’s more going on than just physical prowess.

For more insightful readers, there’s also an Easter egg pictured above. The pub in the background – The Eagle And Child – is a direct reference to the real-life location where Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien and their peers would discuss their writing.

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Bringing Diggory, Polly and Uncle Andrew back to life

in The magician’s nephewWe witness the creation of Narnia through the point of view of the two children at the heart of the story: Diggory and Polly, played by David McKenna and Beatrice Campbell respectively. Rounding out the cast are Digory’s mother, played by Carey Mulligan, and his eccentric wizard, Uncle Andrew, played by Daniel Craig.

First, we learn that Digory’s mother – named Mabel in the book – has been renamed Flora in the movie. The motive is to honor C.S. Lewis’ mother, Florence “Flora” Lewis, who died of cancer when Lewis was a child.

As for Uncle Andrew, we meet him as a brilliant but cowardly magician who meddles with forces beyond his control, and is too afraid to use the magic rings he made from the enchanted dust his godmother left him. “I’d like to say his intentions are good, but I’m not sure they are,” Daniel Craig said. “That doesn’t mean he’s cruel and mean and terrible. He’s just too excited about what could happen and therefore ignores the people around him and the consequences of what he does.” Additionally, he praised Gerwig’s direction. “She’s like a unicorn as a director.”

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Bringing Charn to our screens for the first time ever

Charn is the place that Polly and Diggory visit after jumping through the portal in The Wood Between the Worlds. In the novels, it’s a desolate world with reddish mist, but in Gerwig’s film, Charn has a different atmosphere. “[It] “It looks, perhaps by accident, like an exploded pinball machine,” she explained. “The lights flash orange and green, and huge chrome orbs are propelled into the ceiling. The set is rooted in the technology and art that was filled with wonder during that time.” The magician’s nephew He was appointed.”

Jadis’s look is particularly eye-catching: she’s wearing a rock-inspired dress, which is a huge leap from the regal attire with the gold tiara that we traditionally see her wearing in the original illustrations. The look has already seen countless comments across social media. Gerwig sees the outfit as more than just a commitment to the glam rock aesthetic that haunts her. “What do you think Satan looks like when he’s around? No one would be fooled by a man with a long, red, pointy tail.”

“I was immediately blown away by her interpretation of Gaddis,” Gerwig said. “She had this crazy, almost spiraling energy.”

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Greta Gerwig’s vision of Aslan — and Meryl Streep’s choice

The lion Aslan is the most ubiquitous character Narnia date; CS Lewis used Aslan as a representation of Jesus Christ. The casting of Aslan sets a precedent for the film. Greta Gerwig had to think big and bold, and the perfect casting came to her in a dream. The vocal role fell on Meryl Streep. Of course, the two already have a history of working together after Streep portrayed Aunt March in Little Women (2019).

“I dreamed about it,” Gerwig revealed. “It seemed right to me,” Lewis wrote about Dreaming in Black when he first started writing the Narnia books. I wanted someone who was deep but not pretentious, who had gravitas but not bleak self-seriousness. Someone who could communicate depth and pathos as well as joy and delight. I wanted someone who was older than 70, so there was wisdom of experience, but who also had the capacity for renewed wonder, like a child. And also to be one of the greatest actors to ever do it. That list is not long.”

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What’s the biggest thing we’ve learned from Narnia First looks?

Great Empire Magazine Narnia: The wizard’s nephew The preview gives viewers a first glimpse of the adaptation, but it does more than that: it establishes this as a complete film. new Narnia.

When filmmakers adapt their canonical works, there will always be a legion of existing fans who are incredibly difficult to convince, and understandably so. With a project like Narniawhich has not only enchanted children of different generations in a new form, but also with a huge list of screen adaptations, doing something as ambitious as Greta Gerwig’s will always attract a cacophony of opinions.

Suffice it to say that the cast adopted and embraced Greta’s unwavering vision. “I think that’s rare, but the thing that was more ingrained at the time was curiosity,” star Emma Mackey said. “Greta has this in buckets and spades: getting people curious, asking questions, reading books, going to find references in the library and pulling all these threads together.”

this Narniawhich contains several changes of tone and a refreshing aesthetic, has already proven to be divisive. Every other version of Narnia It’s not going anywhere. This is a new take. A version of the story that Gerwig creates in her own image.

This is it Narniabut for this specific modification, it seems very important to add the prefix: that is Narnia by Greta Gerwig.

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Narnia: The wizard’s nephew It opens in theaters on February 12, 2027 before arriving on Netflix on April 2, 2027.