Narnia Starts Filming on Location in London
Door Jam: August 11, 2025
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The Door Jam is a place to squeeze in articles about C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, their work, adaptations of their fantasy worlds, news from other franchises, and interesting articles. Unless otherwise stated, I’m not endorsing (or criticizing) any of these but merely sharing them with you.
Aslan is on the move … and we can see him on a period billboard in London. Greta Gerwig’s Narnia adaptation has started filming, but the period locations raise more questions than answers.
Early yesterday (August 10), filming began on Gerwig’s Narnia adaptation with a set near the Royal Exchange in London. An image had already been posted of the camera crew set up inside at Shepperton Studios.
The on-location sets have been adapted to fit a mid-1950s aesthetic. Some of the vintage posters feature dates from 1955, the same year The Magician’s Nephew was published. See the “Boxing Tournament” photo below—Friday, 29 July, 1955.
Several people on Instagram have also taken photos and videos of the set. You can see more by looking at Instagram’s recent posts from Royal Exchange.
We don’t have much to go on, but a few interesting details stand out. For those of us worried about Aslan due to the casting rumors, it is reassuring to see the lion in the “Coming Soon … A New World A New Home!” poster with a full mane.
The more intriguing bit of information is the 1955 setting. While The Magician’s Nephew was published in 1955, it is a Narnia prequel set in 1900.
In addition to gathering many of the set photos, NarniaWeb also uncovered a new casting call for a scene at a large swimming pool at Victoria Baths in Manchester with 40 boys who are strong swimmers and have hairstyles consistent with the 1950s. While it doesn’t specifically say Narnia, the description leaves no doubt:
We’re excited to share a fantastic opportunity for students to be involved in a Netflix production […] a prequel to a children’s fantasy book series, where two kids discover a portal to another world!
This call also seems to confirm that the adaptation will follow the book and focus on two children going to another world, despite an earlier call seeking three children.
But the 1955 setting leaves us with a few options.
The movie will be set in 1955, which would move the whole series forward in time, placing The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe in the early 2000s.
It may use C.S. Lewis as a storyteller framing device. The bulk of the movie would still be in 1900, but introductory and/or concluding scenes would be in 1955.
It could jump forward in time at some point to Digory as the adult Professor Kirke, which could provide a tie-in for The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe as the next movie.
Maybe the swimming pool location is connected to the pools in the Wood Between the Worlds. Perhaps, the two children will also briefly time travel before ending up in Charn.
Sources:
I’d prefer only a Professor Kirke introduction, but I’m not sure why that would require all of these street scenes and one at a pool.
Not Safe But Good
C.S. Lewis quote of the week
Christianity agrees with Dualism that this universe is at war. But it does not think this is a war between independent powers. It thinks it is a civil war, a rebellion, and that we are living in a part of the universe occupied by the rebel.
Tumnus’ bookshelf
Books by or about Lewis or Tolkien
I can’t praise God in the Dock enough. I find new insights every time I read the essays in this collection (and I’ve read through it multiple times). If you don’t have this in your Lewis library, add it today. This week, I actually bought this ebook version (and three others listed below) to make searching easier for articles and our read-along.
God in the Dock (ebook) by C.S. Lewis — $1.99 (-87%), paperback: $15.06 (-25%)
Other books on sale:
Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life (ebook) by C.S. Lewis — $1.99 (-83%), paperback: $12.60 (-26%)
The Screwtape Letters: Annotated Edition (ebook) by C.S. Lewis — $1.99 (87%), hardcover: $20.23 (-30%)
The Discarded Image: An Introduction to Medieval and Renaissance Literature (ebook) by C.S. Lewis — $0.99 (-84%)
Selected Literary Essays (ebook) by C.S. Lewis (ebook) — $1.99 (-80%)
The Space Trilogy, Omnibus: 3-in-1 Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, That Hideous Strength by C.S. Lewis (ebook) — $3.99 (-84%)
The C. S. Lewis Collection: Essays and Speeches — The Six Titles Include The Weight of Glory; God in the Dock; Christian Reflections; On Stories; Present Concerns; and The World's Last Night (ebook) — $5.99 (-90%)
The C. S. Lewis Collection: Novels and Stories — The Nine Titles Include The Screwtape Letters; The Great Divorce; Letters to Malcolm, Chiefly on Prayer; The Pilgrim’s Regress; Out of the Silent Planet; Perelandra; That Hideous Strength; The Dark Tower; and Till We Have Faces (ebook) — $9.99 (-90%)
Behind the Wardrobe
Sneak peek at the bonus articles
Below, paid subscribers can see more photos and videos from the London set, Lewis on Christian Nationalism, an interview with the author of a book on Pauline Baynes, Lewis and Tolkien’s shared illustrator, The Hobbit first edition sale set a record, the new Lord of the Rings movie has a “great script,” and lots of other movie news from Star Wars to DC and more.
