Source: ‘The Batman’ Designer James Chinlund Joins Greta Gerwig’s Narnia
According to a source close to the production, James Chinlund has joined the growing team behind Greta Gerwig’s upcoming ‘Narnia’ adaptation for Netflix.
Known for his work on films such as The Batman, The Lion King, and The Avengers, Chinlund is also a frequent collaborator with directors Matt Reeves and Darren Aronofsky. Chinlund will work closely with Gerwig to bring the world of Narnia to life on screen.
In his role as production designer, he will be responsible for developing the unifying visual style of the film (including overseeing the design of the sets, props, and costumes) and will work closely with both the director and cinematographer to build up the overall cinematic look of the final film.
This news is the strongest indicator yet that production on Gerwig’s Narnia films is gaining momentum at Shepperton Studios. Recent reports also highlight other key hires, including Dermot Power as Concept Artist and Kris Wright as VFX Director, as the project begins assembling its creative team.
Production activities are believed to have started in late October or early November, with the Art Department already conducting the initial stages of design. Casting announcement will likely follow in the coming months, keeping the project on track for its proposed July filming start date.
Click here to view Chinlund’s full portfolio, where he provides a behind-the-scenes look at each of the projects he’s worked on.
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Dawn + War for the Planet of the Apes are two of my favourites films so I’m definitely encouraged by this. Hoping he can bring a similar level of detail and world-building through Narnia’s sets.
I was a background actor for one day on his upcoming film The Smashing Machine filmed in Vancouver last year. Also I really like a lot of his work so this is an encouraging hire!
Nice to have more names being attached to the project. I don’t think we had those with the David Magee/Joe Johnston Silver Chair movie or whatever it was Matthew Aldrich was doing.
I hope this adds a lot of detail and depth that I think was lacking in the Walden sets.
I hope they capture the essence of Narnia and don’t make it feel too dark or gritty. Chinlund is talented, but I’m curious how he’ll handle a story like this.
gives me hope that Netflix is taking this adaptation seriously.
Wow! Real names announced! Narniawebbers haven’t had this much news in years!
While some of the photorealism in The Lion King was really good, I don’t like the visual style in general. I might be be a biased 90s Disney kid, though.
However the Planet of the Apes movies were really good movies. Looks like this production designer has real vision, skill and talent. I hope he applies that to the world of Narnia in a way that satisfies fans of the books.
Concept artist worked on Star Wars and the original Harry Potter films which is pretty cool too! Hopefully we’ll get a glimpse soon!
Well the news seems to be pouring in a tidal wave! I love to see it.
669 days to release!
I didn’t know anything about him or even what a production designer does before today (I’m more curious about casting) but seems like an interesting choice. We’ll see where this whole things goes.
1. Yay for progress!
2. Definitely thought the whole Lion King “live-action” movie was incredibly uninspired, though I assume that decision to make everything “real” was a very intentional choice before he came onto that movie. Other than that, I think I’ll have to check out some of his other works to see what I can glean from them.
Cool. Now let’s get some casting news!!!
Also the production designer for “The Fountain,” which has some amazing/trippy visuals. If they are making Magician’s Nephew, as many suspect, I could see him doing justice to Charn and the creation of Narnia.