In keeping with what will be its biggest theatrical debut release in history, Netflix debuted the first trailer for Greta Gerwig‘s Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew in the IMAX theater atop the AMC Lincoln Square on New York’s Upper West Side on Tuesday.
The preview begins with David McKenna’s Digorey Kirke wondering about his “mad” uncle Andrew, played by Daniel Craig, whom his mother says is a “magician.”
Soon, Digorey and the other children learn from Andrew that magic is real and, with the help of a magical ring, they are transported to the surreal, magical land of Narnia, complete with talking animals and a flying horse, which the children ride in a scene that Gerwig said was her favorite to film.
The trailer is soundtracked to Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven,” an impressive sync considering that the band has historically been reluctant to license their music for movies and TV shows.
Gerwig explained that she showed the film to singer Robert Plant and guitarist Jimmy Page and they were so moved that they allowed her to use their iconic song.
“They saw the heart of the film,” Gerwig shared, adding that the musicians understood her love for C.S. Lewis.
Both Gerwig and Colbert agreed it was a fitting song for the film, with Gerwig calling it the “story of the movie,” as the track also explores a “spiritual quest.”
Seeing the trailer with an audience, all wearing light-up rings that synced up with big moments in the preview, was an emotional experience for Gerwig, who said she was “tearing up” after the trailer debuted, as she put her hand over her mouth.
The event featured tables with water bottles, popcorn (in Narnia-branded cartons) and movie candy as well as coffee (befitting the early morning timing) and passed mini pancakes. It was attended by select members of the press and influencers, who watched as Gerwig spoke with moderator Stephen Colbert about making the movie, a process that involved a lot of faith and began with a focus on the big screen.
Gerwig said she only knows how to make movies for theaters, explaining how she begins by imagining watching the film in the theater, recalling how she told Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos that that was part of her process.
“Make the movie for the biggest screen you can imagine,” Gerwig said Sarandos told her.
An earlier conversation between Gerwig and Sarandos was key to her landing the gig writing and directing the film.
Gerwig recalled how she was introduced to Netflix when now-husband Noah Baumbach made Marriage Story for the streamer. After learned that Netflix had acquired the rights to the Chronicles of Narnia books — some of her favorites from childhood and which shaped who she became — she “made a beeline” for Sarandos at a cocktail party.
She shared her excitement about Netflix making movies based on the Narnia books and began talking about her vision for the project, that The Magician’s Nephew should be the first film. Roughly 20 minutes later, Gerwig recalled, Sarandos asked if she wanted to write the film.
Gerwig landed the gig before she’d made her box-office smash Barbie, so she praised the streamer for taking a chance on her after she’d only made Lady Bird and Little Women.
Beyond imagining the theatrical experience, Gerwig talked about the challenges of telling an intimate story involving, as Colbert put it, “lonely children.”
“If it’s in the heart, it can be huge and small and both can be true,” she said.
Gerwig also spoke about her immersive approach to understanding Lewis’ mindset while writing the adaptation, saying she not only read what he wrote and read, she “tried to walk in his shoes,” visiting the places he inhabited. She also pulled out Lewis’ best and most visually evocative quotes from his writing and kept those in mind as she was working on the script.
More to come.