Greta Gerwig’s Narnia is not the same as readers may remember from CS Lewis’s books. The first trailer for Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew offers a glimpse of a fantasy world shaped by music, strange magic, and unexpected rock ‘n’ roll influences.
Three Narnia films have previously hit theaters: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005), Prince Caspian (2008) and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010). Greta’s The Magician’s Nephew will be the first screen adaptation of Lewis’s 1955 novel.
trailer breakdown
The trailer’s most striking choice is the use of the Stairway to Heaven. Led Zeppelin’s iconic song plays along with glimpses of a world that feels both familiar and new, suggesting that music will be central to Gerwig’s interpretation of Lewis’s imagination. The film marks the first time the band has licensed a song for a film. Gerwig reportedly met with Robert Plant and Jimmy Page to seek permission, and they agreed because they “recognized the heart in the story”.
The footage also hints at a darker side to the adventure. Emma Mackey appears as Jadis, the character who will eventually become the White Witch. In the first-look image released by Empire, she is seen screaming on a historic street while windows shatter and cars topple around her. This scene suggests that his arrival in this world will bring nothing but peace.
Another major discussion topic is Aslan. voiced by Meryl Streep, the great lion, appears as a cosmic presence, with different colored eyes and red markings inspired by David Bowie. The trailer shows him donning his powerful lion form against a backdrop of stars, with a transformation also shown leading to a staircase to heaven.
The period setting of the film is another detail worth noting. In contrast to the early 1900s setting of Lewis’s novel, Gerwig’s adaptation takes place in 1955, the year the book was published. Set photos featuring vintage cars, double-decker buses and a miscellaneous poster of 5 August 1955 offered a glimpse of the world in which the story unfolds.
What is Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew about?
The Magician’s Nephew was the sixth book in The Chronicles of Narnia series to be published, but the first in chronological order. The novel tells the story of the creation of Narnia, introduces the origin of the White Witch and tells the mystery behind the lamppost in the snowy forest.
The story follows Digory and Polly, two children who discover magical rings that transport them between different worlds. Their journey takes them to the forest between worlds, a strange place that connects countless realms. They eventually witness the birth of Narnia, leading to events that will shape the future of the magical kingdom.
The official logline reads: “Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Greta Gerwig brings C.S. Lewis’s beloved story The Magician’s Nephew to the screen for the first time in a sweeping adventure that invites dreamers of all ages to experience the creation of Narnia.”
The Eagle and the Child: A literary Easter egg in the trailer
There is also a description for fans interested in the history behind Narnia. The first image released by Empire shows the sign of The Eagle and Child, a historic pub in Oxford, England. Built in 1650, the pub was a regular meeting place for the literary group the Inklings, which included CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien. Members met in the Rabbit Room on Tuesday mornings to discuss their writing and exchange ideas.
Lewis shared drafts of his work with the group, receiving feedback from Tolkien and other writers. Their discussions helped shape the literary world around them, making the pub a fitting context in a film about the origins of Narnia. The Eagle and Child has been closed for renovation since 2020, with an expected reopening around 2027. Its presence is a small but meaningful gesture to the community connected to Lewis and his work.
Why did Greta Gerwig want to make Narnia?
Greta has told how this book stayed with her long before she became a filmmaker. She never forgot the idea of bringing the entire universe to life through music.
Speaking to Tudum, she said, “When I first read The Magician’s Nephew, I was a child and I fell in love with the wildly improbable but utterly brilliant concept of a cosmic lion singing to bring the world of Narnia to life. I had no idea I would grow up making films, but a universe made of music is an idea that has always stayed in my heart. To be asked to imagine it coming into existence is the honor of a lifetime.”
She added, “Because of CS Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia, I believed in magic and hidden worlds and adventure. I believed that anywhere could be enchanted and anyone could be transported into an epic. That wonder and awe was available to everyone, even ordinary people like me… It changed me.”
Narnia: The Wizard’s Nephew Cast
David McKenna and Beatrice Campbell play Digory and Polly, two children whose discovery of magical rings sets the adventure in motion. David, who is from Belfast, has previously appeared in the BBC adaptation of Lord of the Flies.
Daniel Craig plays Uncle Andrew, a magician whose experiments lead to the events of the story. Emma Mackey plays Jadis, whose journey will ultimately turn her into the White Witch, while Carey Mulligan plays Diggory’s ill mother Mabel.
The supporting cast includes Ciarán Hinds, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, Denise Gough and Susan Wokoma. Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt, who previously collaborated with Gerwig on Barbie, are also working with her on the film’s music.
When will Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew be released?
Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew will be released in IMAX and in theaters worldwide on February 12, 2027, with special IMAX previews beginning on February 10. The film will stream on Netflix from April 2.