Greta Gerwig has unveiled the first look at “Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew.” The footage previews a large-scale adaptation of C.S. Lewis’s story. According to the Associated Press, it was made for Netflix but designed for the big screen. It was shown on Tuesday, 13 October.
A cinema release first, then streaming
Netflix has changed course on how the film will reach audiences.
The company is giving “Narnia” a wide theatrical release beginning 12 February, and the film will arrive on the streaming service on 2 April.
The AP described this as a dramatic reversal for Netflix.
The date also moved.
The film was first slated to open in November, but Netflix pushed it into 2027, Gerwig said, to give it a global theatrical release.
One outlet that republished the AP report put the film’s budget at $280 million. The AP text I reviewed did not include that figure, so treat it as unconfirmed.
Cast and creative choices
Newcomers David McKenna and Beatrice Campbell star. The ensemble includes Daniel Craig, Emma Mackey, Ciarán Hinds and Carey Mulligan.
Meryl Streep voices Aslan.
Aslan is the lion who, in Lewis’s Christian fable, stands in for Jesus. His portrayal in the film has already been debated.
The trailer only hints at it. Aslan appears as a cosmic outline and roars but does not speak.
Gerwig said she wrote her first draft in 2020 and 2021, after she approached Netflix chief executive Ted Sarandos at a cocktail party. She said movies of this size are usually about destruction, as the AP reported.
Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven”
Gerwig described the story as a spiritual quest. That made Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” a fitting choice, she said. The song’s rights are rarely granted. She met Robert Plant and Jimmy Page to ask for permission.
“They did it because they saw the heart in the story.”
That is how Gerwig explained their yes, according to the AP. She added that the two musicians also love C.S. Lewis.
“The Magician’s Nephew” is a prequel. Lewis’s book tells how Narnia was created. Gerwig’s version arrives after Netflix acquired the rights to the Narnia books. That deal is not detailed in the sources reviewed here.
The first trailer gives a limited view of the finished film. The theatrical run, and the reception it gets, will show whether the cinema-first plan works for Netflix.