Netflix unveils first trailer for Greta Gerwig’s Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew
Netflix has released the first trailer for Greta Gerwig’s Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew, featuring Meryl Streep’s Aslan and Daniel Craig’s magician. The film opens in theaters on Feb. 12, 2027, before reaching Netflix on April 2. Early online reactions were mixed.
variety.com‘Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew’ Trailer: Greta Gerwig’s Fantasy Epic Unveils Aslan, the White Witch and More in Dazzling Footage
hollywoodreporter.comGreta Gerwig Debuts ‘Narnia’ Trailer, Opens Up About Telling an Intimate Story on “the Biggest Screen You Can Imagine”
First look and release dates
Netflix unveiled the first trailer for Greta Gerwig’s “Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew” on Tuesday, previewing her adaptation of C.S. Lewis’ novel. The film is scheduled to open in theaters and IMAX on Feb. 12, 2027, and arrive on Netflix on April 2.
The footage follows children Digory and Polly as magical rings take them to fantastical worlds. It introduces Daniel Craig’s Andrew Ketterley, Emma Mackey’s Jadis—the future White Witch—and Meryl Streep’s voice as Aslan, who sings Narnia into existence.
A big-screen vision
Netflix premiered the trailer at an event for press and influencers at New York’s AMC Lincoln Square, where Gerwig discussed the film with Stephen Colbert. She recalled telling Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos that she only knew how to make movies for theaters; he encouraged her to imagine the biggest screen possible.
Gerwig said she pitched starting with “The Magician’s Nephew” after learning Netflix had acquired the Narnia rights. She recalled Sarandos asking her to write the film roughly 20 minutes into their conversation, before she had made “Barbie.”
Music and casting
The trailer is set to Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven.” Gerwig said she showed the film to Robert Plant and Jimmy Page, who agreed to let her use the song. She has described her vision for Narnia as a “world made out of music” with a rock-opera feel.
Gerwig said she reviewed thousands of audition tapes before casting David McKenna and Beatrice Campbell as the young leads. During a screen test, McKenna’s gesture to get Campbell a tissue convinced her the children were already looking after each other.
Mixed early reactions
The Hollywood Reporter documented sharply divided reactions on YouTube, Reddit and X. Some commenters praised the trailer’s visuals and recognizable scenes from the book, while others compared its style to Marvel films or criticized what they saw as excessive CGI.
Some viewers welcomed the rock-opera approach; others said they found the footage visually appealing but felt it did not resemble their idea of Narnia. These were reactions to the trailer rather than reviews of the completed film.
