The First Images of ‘Narnia’ Are Magical

All hail director Greta Gerwig, who has accomplished what no director before her could. She got Netflix to agree to a full traditional six-week theatrical release for her Narnia films, including a full-court IMAX release, which also makes the film one of the very few that Netflix has produced that will be filmed for the large-scale format.

Gerwig’s success has already brought behind-the-scenes changes at Netflix, which will start tracking its largest films for six-week theatrical releases. It’s a massive about-face for a company that, as recently as 2025, was pooh-poohing the idea of people wanting to see large-scale blockbusters on a screen big enough for it to feel like an event, and a win for the theatrical distribution model after what feels like half a decade of setbacks.

But the most fascinating part is that Gerwig’s Narnia won’t follow the traditional model that has guided the beloved novel to big-screen adaptations. She’s not starting with 1950’s The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, the first book author C.S. Lewis wrote in the series. Instead, she’s going to film the books in chronological order, starting with the second-to-last novel and main prequel, The Magician’s Nephew, which (as Book 6 of 7) has never actually been given the big-screen treatment before.

To be fair, Gerwig has good reason to follow the series’ internal timeline, since book sellers and libraries have recommended reading the series in that order since the turn of the century. For those who are old enough to remember when the publication order was the recommended order (which, yes, that’s all of us here at Telly Visions), here’s the modern order that Gerwig will be following as she attempts to pull off a run of seven big-screen, big-budget films at Netflix over the next decade.

1. The Magician’s Nephew (Originally released as Book 6)
2. The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe (Originally released as Book 1)
3. The Horse & His Boy (Originally released as Book 5)
4. Prince Caspian (Originally released as Book 2)
5. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (Originally released as Book 3)
6. The Silver Chair (Originally released as Book 4)
7. The Last Battle

Sadly, the synopsis for the first film is deliberately as bland as possible.

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.

Here’s the book synopsis for those who never made it past reading The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe:

The secret passage to the house next door leads to a fascinating adventure: NARNIA...where the woods are thick and cold, where Talking Beasts are called to life...a new world where the adventure begins. Digory and Polly meet and become friends on a cold, wet summer day in London. Their lives burst into adventure when Digory’s Uncle Andrew, who thinks he is a magician, sends them hurtling to...somewhere else. They find their way to Narnia, newborn from the Lion’s song, and encounter the evil sorceress Jadis before they finally return home.

The cast of The Magician’s Nephew includes David McKenna (The Lord of the Flies) as Digory Kirke and Beatrice Campbell (The Stolen Girl) as Polly Plummer, the two kids who originally stumbled into Narnia decades before the Pevensie Family did. These up-and-comers will star alongside Emma Mackey (Sex Education) as Jadis, the future White Witch and the last Queen of Charn; Daniel Craig (Wake Up Dead Man) as Uncle Andrew Ketterley; Carey Mulligan (Saltburn) as Digory’s mother Mabel Kirke; Ava Jager (Masters of the Air) as Polly’s sister, Violet; and Meryl Streep (Only Murders in the Building) as the voice of Aslan.

The supporting cast will also include Ciarán Hinds (East of Eden), Kobna Holdbrook-Smith (Dreaming Whilst Black), Denise Gough (Andor), Tom Bonington (Hijack), Gerard Monaco (Dear England), James Murray (The Crown), Samantha Spiro (Ridley Road), and Susan Wokoma (Enola Holmes).

Greta Gerwig (Barbie) adapted C.S. Lewis’ novel and directed the big-screen feature. The film will also sport an original score from Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt. Gerwig, along with Mark Gordon, Amy Pascal, Vincent Sieber-Smith, and Christine Crais, will executive produce the film, with Patricia Whitcher, Douglas Gresham, and Melvin Adams for the C. S. Lewis Estate.

Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew will be released in theaters on Friday, February 12, 2027, and will follow with a global streaming debut on Netflix on Friday, April 2, 2027.

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