The production on Netflix's adaptation of C.S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia is heating up for an expected shooting date of July, and now a new cast member has signed on, with The Hollywood Reporter relaying that Carey Mulligan in talks to join the cast in a surprising role.
The three-time Oscar nominee will be taking on the role of Mable Kirke, the mother of Diggory Kirke, the main character in The Magician's Nephew. A prodigious actress, Mulligan has been a regular onscreen, having credits on many British TV productions, including the BBC's adaptation of Bleak House from 2005, and film roles including Pride and Prejudice and An Education, for which she won a BAFTA.
It was speculated a few months ago that Barbie director Greta Gerwig would be filming the seven-book Chronicles of Narnia series in chronological order, starting with The Magician's Nephew, which was the sixth book published and serves as a prequel to the others. It shows the creation of Narnia by Aslan. This new piece of information confirms this theory. This will be the first time we see the Narnia story told onscreen in this way, as both the BBC series and the Walden Media movies chose to start by adapting The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, the first book published and easily the most famous.
Diggory's mother only has a small role in the books, appearing in just one or two scenes, as she's seriously ill and confined to bed, having moved in with her sister Letty and brother Andrew (the titular magician) to be looked after while her husband is away in India. Even so, it's an important role,
as Diggory asks Aslan for a magic apple to cure her, and when the core of this apple is planted in his garden, it grows into the tree that provides the timber for the wardrobe that later leads Lucy into Narnia.
There's also a possibility that Gerwig will be altering the plot of the book in some way, which could give Diggory's mother a larger role. In a casting call seen by NarniaWeb, it was revealed that the production was looking for three children to take on the starring roles, as opposed to the two in the book, so possibly some flashbacks or backstory will be provided.
This latest news comes after other casting rumors, including Daniel Craig as Uncle Andrew, Emma Mackey as the White Witch, and Meryl Streep as a gender-swapped Aslan. The movie is expected to shoot later this summer for a release date of Thanksgiving 2026, with a limited IMAX release, before arriving on Netflix in December.
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