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Narnia The Magician’s Nephew trailer breakdown: Greta Gerwig reimagines C.S. Lewis’ fantasy world with rock ’n’ roll, Meryl Streep’s Aslan
Greta Gerwig's Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew will be the first screen adaptation of C.S. Lewis’ 1955 novel.
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Greta Gerwig’s Narnia is not quite the one readers may remember from C.S. 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 a rather unexpected rock ’n’ roll influence.
Three Narnia films have previously hit theatres: 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’ 1955 novel.
Trailer breakdown
The trailer's most striking choice is its use of Stairway to Heaven. Led Zeppelin's iconic song plays against glimpses of a world that feels both familiar and new, suggesting that music will be central to Gerwig's interpretation of Lewis's fantasy. The film marks the first time the band has licensed the song for a movie. Gerwig reportedly met Robert Plant and Jimmy Page to seek permission, and they agreed because they “recognized the heart in the story”.
The footage also hints at the darker side of the adventure. Emma Mackey appears as Jadis, the character who will eventually become the White Witch. In a first-look image released by Empire, she is seen screaming on a historic street as windows shatter and cars crumple around her. The scene suggests that her arrival in this world will be anything but quiet.
Another major talking point is Aslan. Voiced by Meryl Streep, the great lion appears as a cosmic presence, with differently coloured eyes and red markings inspired by David Bowie. The trailer shows him taking on his powerful lion form against a backdrop of stars, with Stairway to Heaven accompanying the transformation.
The film's period setting is another detail worth noting. Unlike the early 1900s setting of Lewis's novel, Gerwig's adaptation takes place in 1955, the year the book was published. Set photographs showing vintage cars, double-decker buses and a variety poster dated August 5, 1955, have 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 it is the first in chronological order. The novel tells the story of Narnia's creation, introduces the origins of the White Witch and explains 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 Wood between the Worlds, a strange place that connects countless realms. They eventually witness the birth of Narnia, setting off events that will shape the magical kingdom's future.
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 Child: A literary Easter egg in the trailer
There is also a detail for fans interested in the history behind Narnia. A first-look image released by Empire shows the sign for The Eagle and Child, a historic pub in Oxford, England. Dating back to 1650, the pub was a regular meeting place for the Inklings, the literary group that included C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. 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 him, making the pub a fitting reference in a film about the origins of Narnia. The Eagle and Child has been closed for renovation since 2020, with a reopening expected around 2027. Its appearance is a small but meaningful nod to Lewis and the community that surrounded his work.
Why Greta Gerwig wanted to make Narnia
Greta has spoken about how the book stayed with her long before she became a filmmaker. The idea of an entire universe being brought to life through music was something she never forgot.
Speaking to Tudum, she said, “I was a child when I first read The Magician’s Nephew, and I fell in love with the gorgeously improbable but completely brilliant concept of a cosmic lion singing the world of Narnia to life. I didn’t know that I would grow up to make films, but a universe built out of music is an idea that always lived in my heart. It is the honor of a lifetime to be asked to imagine it into being."
She added, "Because of C. S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia, I believed in magic and hidden worlds and adventure. I believed that anywhere could be enchanted and that anyone could be swept up into an epic. That wonder and awe was available to everyone, even ordinary people like me ... It transformed me.”
The cast of Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew
David McKenna and Beatrice Campbell play Digory and Polly, the two children whose discovery of the magical rings sets the adventure in motion. David, who is from Belfast, has previously appeared in a BBC adaptation of Lord of the Flies.
Daniel Craig plays Uncle Andrew, the magician whose experiments lead to the events of the story. Emma Mackey portrays Jadis, whose journey will eventually turn her into the White Witch, while Carey Mulligan plays Mabel, Digory's ailing mother.
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 release?
Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew will open in IMAX and theatres worldwide on February 12, 2027, with exclusive IMAX previews beginning February 10. The film will stream on Netflix from April 2.
