Trailer out for Greta Gerwig’s ‘Narnia’; Meryl Streep draws praise as Aslan

Hollywood legend Meryl Streep’s casting as the voice of Aslan in Greta Gerwig’s upcoming fantasy film Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew has drawn praise from fans following the release of the first trailer.

The trailer, unveiled by Netflix on Monday, offers a glimpse into Gerwig’s adaptation of the first chronological book in CS Lewis’s fantasy series.

Several viewers have defended the casting choice on social media, praising Streep’s acting credentials and the film’s magical atmosphere. “Meryl Streep could play Batman and be the right choice,” one fan wrote, adding: “She is perfection”. “Period,” wrote another X user.

Streep’s casting marks a departure from the earlier film adaptations, in which Liam Neeson voiced Aslan in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. He reprised the role in Prince Caspian and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

The trailer opens to the soundtrack of Led Zeppelin’s Stairway to Heaven, with magician Andrew Ketterley (Daniel Craig), saying, “sometimes one story is the beginning to all the others”. He then gives a group of children a magic ring that transports them to strange and unfamiliar lands.

The footage also introduces Jadis, the future White Witch (Emma Mackey), alongside Streep’s Aslan.

The film follows two children, Digory and Polly, played by newcomers David McKenna and Beatrice Campbell, in Edwardian England. The pair discover the Wood Between Worlds, a realm of portals leading to different dimensions, where they witness the creation of Narnia.

The cast also includes Carey Mulligan.

The film is Gerwig’s first directorial project since Barbie, which grossed more than USD 1 billion worldwide.

Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew is scheduled for an eight-week theatrical run beginning February 12, before streaming globally on Netflix from April 2. The release will mark Netflix’s first global theatrical release.