Greta Gerwig takes Narnia into the 1950s, teasing a more musical, modern adaptation that moves away from the previous films.
Greta Gerwig has her next major project ready following the success of ‘Barbie’. Netflix has unveiled the first trailer for ‘Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew’, the adaptation that marks the beginning of the director’s own take on the universe created by C. S. Lewis. The first footage makes it clear that she has no intention of simply reproducing the books word for word.
The film is based on ‘The Magician’s Nephew’, the prequel that explores the origins of Narnia and follows Polly and Digory, played by Beatrice Campbell and David McKenna, as they discover a world that is only just coming into existence.
“I was a little girl when I first read ‘The Magician’s Nephew’, and I fell in love with that wonderfully improbable but utterly brilliant idea of a cosmic lion singing the world of Narnia into existence,” Gerwig explained in a statement released by Netflix. Music, in particular, appears to play a central role in this new adaptation.
Led Zeppelin Takes Narnia in an Unexpected Direction
The trailer is accompanied by Led Zeppelin’s ‘Stairway to Heaven’, a choice that introduces a rock-driven energy very different from the tone of the franchise’s previous film adaptations. According to Gerwig, speaking during an IMAX presentation, the band had never previously allowed the song to be used in a film.
The first footage also offers a glimpse of several key characters. Daniel Craig plays Uncle Andrew, Emma Mackey appears as the White Witch, and Meryl Streep lends her voice to Aslan.
Gerwig has explained that Lewis’s books played a fundamental role in shaping her own relationship with fantasy. “Because of ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’, I believed in magic, hidden worlds and adventure. I believed that any place could be enchanted and that anyone could be swept up in an epic story.”
The Biggest Change from the Book Is the Time Period
The most significant change, however, directly affects the story’s chronology. The original ‘The Magician’s Nephew’ is set in the early 20th century, allowing ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’ to take place later, during the Second World War.
Gerwig has decided to move her adaptation to the 1950s, something already evident in the trailer and a decision that could also alter the time period in which future films in her Narnia universe are set.
The choice points towards a considerably freer reinterpretation of Lewis’s work, although it retains essential elements such as the creation of Narnia, Aslan, and Polly and Digory’s encounter with this new world.
‘Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew’ will arrive in cinemas on 12 February 2027, before making its Netflix debut on 2 April 2027. With classic rock, a revised timeline and a cast featuring some of Hollywood’s most recognisable names, Greta Gerwig appears determined to turn Narnia into something quite different from what audiences remember.
