Emma Mackey Says Her White Witch Character In Netflix's Narnia Movie Is A "Different Vibe" Compared To Tilda Swinton's Version
Emma Mackey provided another piece of evidence that the upcoming Netflix and Greta Gerwig adaptation of C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia will be anything but a faithful adaptation.
In an interview with E! News to promote her film Ella McCay, Mackey was asked if she sought the advice of Tilda Swinton for her role as Jadis, the White Witch. Mackey replied, “No, I didn't.”
She then explained, “Different vibe. I mean, Tilda [is my] hero, [but] no, no, we didn't [speak]. I didn't reach out.”
Mackey had previously described the film as Gerwig’s interpretation as well. She told USA Today earlier this month, “It's very meaningful, and what's even more meaningful is that Greta gets to bring her interpretation. She's so deeply passionate about cinema, and her brain is just constantly ticking away. I like to be around those kinds of brains every day, if possible, because it's very elevating, enriching and playful, too.”
IMAX CEO Rich Gelfond has also made concerning comments about the film. During the company’s 2025 Investor Day presentation he said, “This is not your mother’s or your grandmother’s Narnia. The music in it is unbelievably contemporary music, which IMAX fans like, and I’m not going to say specifically, but things like Pink Floyd and The Doors, that kind of music, which people go to see in IMAX.”
“And the movie itself is going to be -- it’s being filmed at the largest sound stage in Europe. I went on the set where there were hundreds of people and multiple -- it’s filmed at multiple locations, and you’re going to see a clip in a second. And if you can’t see how passionate Greta is about it, then you’ll have to wait to see the movie to see how awesome it is,” he added.
The film’s producer Amy Pascal had previously claimed, “It’s a very new take on Narnia. It’s all about rock and roll.”
Additionally, during the IMAX Investor Day presentation IMAX’s Executive VP and Chief Content Officer Jonathan Fischer made it clear the film is a “reimagining” of Lewis’ work.
He said, “And of course, in November, we are bringing visionary filmmaker, Greta Gerwig’s bold, reimagining of the world of Narnia, exclusively to IMAX screens around the globe as a Filmed for IMAX title.”
“We have one of the most singular creative voices and commercial forces in film, making a truly epic blockbuster film that will only be available in IMAX for fans around the world,” he added.
Amazon vandalized Tolkien, and Netflix is looking forward to doing the same thing to his good friend Lewis...
I don’t want to see this new Narnia. I just assume it will be another act of cultural vandalism. And anything resembling my culture(s) in media increasing feels like exploitation.