With the news that Jadis had been cast in the upcoming adaptation of Narnia for Netflix, it was only a matter of time before additional casting announcements hit the wire. Surprisingly, the latest official announcement isn’t about a major role like either of the children, let alone the one casting announcement that is make-or-break for many a friend of Narnia. Rather, the announcement seems to subtly hint at which story Greta Gerwig and company are choosing to adapt first.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, actress Carey Mulligan is in negotiations to play the role of Mabel Kirke, young Digory Kirke’s ailing mother. While rumors have persisted for some time that The Magician’s Nephew was the book being adapted for Netflix, everything up until this point has remained pure conjecture. Even the rumors surrounding former James Bond actor Daniel Craig only hinted at an “unspecified role.” However, the casting of Mulligan as Mabel Kirke is the first hint at confirming which Narnia story they will adapt first.
While a minor role, Mabel’s ailment is a huge part of Digory’s story as it is not only why he is in London with his Aunt Letty and Uncle Andrew, but is part of his temptation at the tree in Narnia. Depicting an ailing mother is a difficult task, as it can all too often come across as too sentimental and maudlin to the audience, akin to something out of The Christmas Shoes movie or a really bad after-school special. Filmmakers and performers need to strike the right balance between extracting pathos and garnering sympathy from the audience without trending too close to forced sentimentality.
An acclaimed actress in her own right with multiple nominations for a number of prestigious film and stage productions, Carey Mulligan is no stranger to the world of period pieces and literary adaptations having played Kitty Bennet opposite Kiera Knightly’s Elizabeth Bennet and Matthew MacFayden Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy in Joe Wright’s 2005 adaptation of Jane Austen’s classic Pride &Prejudice, and Daisy Buchannan opposite Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Joel Edgerton and Isla Fisher in Baz Luhrman’s decadent adaption of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.
It’s the role of Daisy in particular that has me intrigued as to her casting as Mabel. Like Mabel Ketterly, Daisy Buchanan doesn’t appear to exist in the space of the respective novels as more than an object in the hero’s quest. As Daisy Buchanan, I felt Mulligan brought a certain sweet girl next door quality with a hint of longing that lay behind all the glitz and glamour and decadence of the world in which she lived, that made her so desirable to Jay Gatsby. Thus, if Mulligan can bring that same sweet quality she brought not only to Daisy but to Kitty Bennet who functions in Austen’s novel not unlike a sidekick in a rom com or a Disney Princess movie, and elevates are something more than just what could be a reconstituted version of Charlie Bucket’s bed-ridden grandparents in Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory and allows us to see Mable as someone who is sweet, caring, warm, genuine, loving, friendly, and affectionate mother to her son, even from the confines of her bed, then we’ll want to see if he can save her.
Now, in closing, I would be remiss if I didn’t at least address the Lion in the room. At the writing of this article, we cannot confirm nor deny the Aslan casting rumors, I have scoured the internet and checked every major entertainment news outlet and come up dry. Streep as Aslan is still only in the rumor stage, and rumors are all subject to change. Should things change, for good or ill, one way or another, we will let you know.
For Narnia and For Aslan!
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