Netflix has released the first trailer for Greta Gerwig’s Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew, offering a first look at the filmmaker’s interpretation of C.S. Lewis’ fantasy series. Released on Tuesday, October 13, the trailer is set to Led Zeppelin’s iconic song “Stairway to Heaven” and introduces several key characters, including Aslan and Jadis, the White Witch. Ahead of the launch, Netflix hosted a preview event for members of the press and social media influencers at AMC Lincoln Square in New York.
The trailer opens with Daniel Craig as Andrew Ketterley, the magician whose experiments set the story in motion. He tells two young people that one story can be the beginning of all the others before giving them a magical ring that transports them between fantastical worlds. As Deadline reported, the sequence begins with Beatrice Campbell’s Polly Plummer and David McKenna’s Digory Kirke questioning whether Uncle Andrew has lost his mind after a sheet is pulled away from a wooden wardrobe that leads to Narnia.
The footage builds towards the introduction of Aslan, the great lion voiced by Meryl Streep. He takes shape from cosmic dust before letting out a roar, accompanied by the question, “Have you ever seen a world born?” spoken in Ciarán Hinds’ voice. The sequence presents the creation of Narnia on a cosmic scale, while the trailer also introduces Emma Mackey as Jadis, the White Witch. Deadline described the footage as a combination of punk-rock multiverse imagery and the cosmic birth of Aslan, signalling a visually expansive approach to Lewis’ fantasy world.
The choice of music is one of the trailer’s most distinctive elements. Variety reported that Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” is rarely licensed for film soundtracks. According to the publication, Gerwig wrote to the band’s singer Robert Plant and guitarist Jimmy Page and showed them an early cut of the film to secure their approval for the song’s use. The track gives the trailer a rock-driven energy that contrasts with the fantasy setting and the story’s creation mythology. Speaking about the trailer and the film, Gerwig said, “I hope they feel like they’ve been on an adventure.”
Written by Lewis, The Magician’s Nephew is the first book chronologically in The Chronicles of Narnia, although it was published after The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. The story explores the origins of Narnia and serves as a prequel to the events of the earlier novel. It follows Digory and Polly, who discover the Wood between the Worlds after Digory’s uncle gives them a magical ring. Their journey takes them into unfamiliar realms, where they eventually witness Aslan creating Narnia. The film brings this foundational chapter of the fantasy series to the screen under Gerwig’s direction.
The principal cast includes Craig, Streep and Mackey, alongside Carey Mulligan, Hinds, McKenna and Campbell. Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, Denise Gough and Susan Wokoma also appear in the film. The combination of established performers and younger cast members brings together the characters at the centre of the story, from Uncle Andrew and the children to the figures connected with Narnia’s creation.
The creative team includes cinematographer Seamus McGarvey, production designer James Chinlund and set decorator Lee Sandales. Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt have composed an original score, while George Drakoulias serves as music supervisor. Andrew Weisblum, Nick Houy and Wyatt Smith edited the film, with Nina Gold responsible for casting. Neal Scanlan is the creature effects creative supervisor, and Michael Eames serves as animation supervisor. The production combines practical creative departments with creature effects and animation to bring the fantasy world and its inhabitants to life.
The film’s release strategy is also notable. The Magician’s Nephew is Gerwig’s first feature since Barbie in 2023 and is set to receive a global theatrical release before arriving on Netflix. According to Variety, the film will open in IMAX and other theatres worldwide on February 12, 2027, with IMAX sneak previews beginning on February 10. It will then stream on Netflix from April 2, 2027. TV Insider reported that the theatrical run will last more than 30 days and that Gerwig is contracted to write and direct at least two films in the Narnia franchise.
The release date also marks a change from the project’s earlier schedule. Variety previously reported that the film was expected to arrive in IMAX around Thanksgiving 2026. The current plan instead places the theatrical release in February 2027, followed by its streaming debut in April.
Netflix acquired the rights to The Chronicles of Narnia in 2018 and announced plans to develop new films and series based on Lewis’ books. Three previous feature films were released between 2005 and 2010: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Prince Caspian and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. A fourth film had been planned before Netflix took over the property, but those plans were abandoned. The decision to adapt The Magician’s Nephew provides a new starting point for the franchise by returning to the origins of Narnia rather than continuing directly from the earlier films.
The choice of The Magician’s Nephew over The Silver Chair was reportedly intended to help reboot the series after the third film earned less at the box office than its predecessors. With Gerwig directing, a first trailer built around a major rock anthem and a worldwide theatrical release planned, Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew represents a significant new phase for Netflix’s adaptation of Lewis’ fantasy books. The film also gives Gerwig a different creative challenge following the global success of Barbie, shifting from contemporary cultural satire to a story about the creation of an entire fictional world.
