Greta Gerwig’s Narnia Movies Just Got A Little More Bratty
From Brat Summer to Witch Eternal Winter.
Netflix’s Chronicles of Narnia film franchise is being poised as a major undertaking, with an unprecedented IMAX release and a proven director — Greta Gerwig — writing and directing at least the first two of the eight movies planned. With that long of a timeline, the casting has to be immaculate, especially with beloved characters like Aslan and the Pevensie children.
But perhaps one of the most iconic Narnia characters is a major villain: Jadis the White Witch, the charming queen-like figure who tempts Edmund with Turkish Delight and a hot drink. In the first major casting for the entire franchise, it looks like someone unexpected may take on the role. In fact, she’s not even an actress.
Charli XCX is rumored to be eyed for the role of Jadis in Netflix’s Chronicles of Narnia film series.
According to Deadline, pop star Charli XCX is being eyed for the role of Jadis, though nothing is confirmed. The singer and poster child for 2024’s “brat summer” doesn’t have much acting experience beyond her music videos and a few voice roles in animated projects, but she does have a number of movies in the works, including an iconic horror remake and the next Gregg Araki thriller. This is still a rumor, but as the only hint of casting we have so far, it’s hard not to speculate.
While most people imagine Jadis as Tilda Swinton’s ice queen, we’ll probably first see Charli’s Jadis as something else entirely. Casting notices for the first Narnia film suggest the series won’t start with The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe the way the Disney movies did. Instead, it will begin with prequel The Magician’s Nephew, the Phantom Menace of the Narnia series.
Tilda Swinton played Jadis in the 2005 movie The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.
That book’s version of Jadis is a bit more ego-centric, messy, and, frankly, brat. She travels to Earth, robs a jewelry store, rides a carriage like a chariot, and gets in a fight with a cop, all extremely 365 party girl behavior. She also eats a silver apple from the Tree of Youth, granting her immortality, but knowing Charli, it’s likely the apple’s rotten down to the core.
Casting someone not known for their acting skills in such an iconic role is risky, but Netflix isn’t taking any safe bets with this series. With such unconventional casting, we could see an entirely different version of the Narnia universe, one that’s a little bit more hip — as hip as a 75-year-old story can be.
