Greta Gerwig is inviting audiences to enter the epic realm of Narnia with “The Magician’s Nephew,” for which the first trailer was unveiled on Tuesday.
Based on the classic C.S. Lewis children’s book series “The Chronicles of Narnia,” the story follows two children, Digory and Polly, who are the first to discover the “Wood between the Worlds,” otherwise known as Narnia. Scored to Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven,” the cosmic trailer opens with Daniel Craig’s Andrew Ketterley — the titular magician — opining that “sometimes one story is the beginning of all the others” before he gives the youngsters a magical ring that transports them to various fantastical lands. The kids are spellbound as they come into contact with mythical creatures, beings and beasts including Emma Mackey’s Jadis, the future White Witch and last Queen of Charn, and Fledge, a talking horse who is capable of flight.
“Have you ever seen a world born?” a narrator asks before a glimpse of Aslan, the mythical lion voiced by the one and only Meryl Streep, singing Narnia to life.
Ahead of the trailer’s launch, Netflix hosted a preview event for press and social media influencers at New York’s AMC Lincoln Square. Attendees were treated at 9 a.m. to colorful cocktails, popcorn, boxed candy and tray-passed hors d’oeuvres. Gerwig was interviewed by Stephen Colbert, who asked the Oscar-nominated director about adapting the beloved Lewis novel, finding young actors David McKenna and Beatrice Campbell to anchor the movie, and populating the mystical world with stars such as Streep, Craig, Carey Mulligan and Ciarán Hinds.
“I don’t remember a time I didn’t know the books,” Gerwig said. “I wouldn’t be who I am without these books.”
Gerwig said she found herself in Netflix’s orbit around the time the streamer was releasing her husband Noah Baumbach’s 2019’s film “Marriage Story.” A year prior, Netflix had acquired the rights to “The Chronicles of Narnia” property.
“I made a beeline for Ted Sarandos at a cocktail party and said, ‘I really think you should start with ‘The Magician’s Nephew,'” said Gerwig, who joked that she continued to ramble about her thoughts to the CEO. “About 20 minutes later he said, ‘Do you want to write it?’ At that point, I had only made ‘Lady Bird’ and ‘Little Women.’ I hadn’t done ‘Barbie’ yet.”
Although Lewis’ seven-book series began with 1950’s “The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe,” the author retroactively noted he wanted readers to start with “The Magician’s Nephew,” which was published in 1955 and serves as a prequel to the otherworldly story. His novels were first adapted into a BBC mini series, which ran from 1988 to 1990, and later into three films — 2005’s “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” 2008’s “Prince Caspian” and 2010’s “The Voyage of the Dawn Treader” — by Disney and 20th Century.
“The Magician’s Nephew” is Gerwig’s first feature since 2023’s acclaimed box office smash “Barbie,” and the adaptation is notable as Netflix’s first movie to receive a global theatrical release. The film will opens in cinemas on Feb. 12, 2027 before landing on Netflix on April 2.
“I told Ted I only know how to make movies for the big screen,” Gerwig said. “‘He said, ‘Make the movie for the biggest screen and trust the process.'”
Gerwig spoke about casting McKenna and Campbell, having scouring through thousands of taped auditions over the course of several months, and recalled the instant she knew she found her leads.
“We were doing a screen test, which is intimidating for any actor, and there was a moment when Bea sniffled and David gestured off camera to get her a Kleenex. I thought, ‘Oh, these kids are already taking care of each other.'”
If McKenna and Campbell were intimidated to work with stars like Craig and Mulligan, they didn’t show it. Gerwig brought up a funny moment from set before the cameras started to roll. “We were doing rehearsals, and Daniel Craig said to the kids, ‘I’m a bit nervous,’ just to be nice,” Gerwig said. “And they said, ‘Don’t worry, Greta is really nice. You’ll be fine!'”
Gerwig has described “Narnia” as “a world made out of music,” so finding the right songs — including “Stairway to Heaven” — were central in bringing the story to life. Led Zeppelin has always been reluctant to license their discography for film or television. So Gerwig wrote to the band’s vocalist Robert Plant and guitarist Jimmy Page and showed them an early cut of the them film to convince them to let her use their rock anthem for the big screen.
“It’s an epic song, and narratively, about a spiritual journey, a path of fake idols and wrong roads you can go down. It made sense to introduce the world,” Gerwig said. “I was so moved that they allowed me to use this song. They saw the heart and story of the film.”
Gerwig wants audience to experience a similar sentiment when they finally get to see “The Magician’s Nephew.”
“I hope they laugh. I hope they cry. I hope they feel like they’ve been on an adventure,” Gerwig said. “I hope when they leave the theater, they want to make something, a song or a cake or a song or a painting. Making something is an act of hope.”
Watch the trailer below: