The first trailer for Greta Gerwig’s Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew arrived on October 13, 2026, and it quickly became one of the most-searched entertainment topics in the United States, with Google Trends logging more than 50,000 searches. Netflix released the footage online on Tuesday, hours after Gerwig unveiled it on an IMAX screen in New York, and the trailer — set to Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” — gives audiences their first look at Aslan, the origin of the White Witch, and the birth of Narnia itself.
According to the Associated Press, as reported by the Indian Express, the film opens in theaters on February 12, 2027, before arriving on Netflix on April 2. With a reported budget of USD 280 million, it is one of the streaming giant’s most ambitious films to date.
The Trailer: A First Look at a Universe Being Born
The trailer opens in a sombre, wartime-era London, where Uncle Andrew — played by Daniel Craig, according to Cinema Express — suggests that one story can be the beginning of many others. From there, two children, Digory Kirke and Polly Plummer, discover magical rings that transport them to the Wood Between the Worlds, a mysterious place connecting different realms.
Their journey takes them to a desolate realm and a crumbling palace, where they encounter Jadis, played by Emma Mackey, who will eventually become the White Witch. The footage also introduces Fledge, a talking horse capable of flight, and builds to its climactic moment: Aslan, voiced by Meryl Streep, singing the world of Narnia into existence in a burst of light.
The trailer’s defining question — “Have you ever seen a world born?” — sets the tone for a story as concerned with creation as with adventure. It arrived a day after Netflix unveiled the film’s first official poster, which carries the tagline “A Universe Begins” and the billing “A Film by Greta Gerwig.”
The Cast: Hollywood Heavyweights and Two Newcomers
The trailer confirms a star-studded ensemble. Daniel Craig plays Uncle Andrew, Emma Mackey plays Jadis, and Meryl Streep voices Aslan, according to reports from Cinema Express and LADbible. The cast also includes Carey Mulligan, Ciarán Hinds, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, Denise Gough, and Susan Wokoma.
The two young leads — David McKenna as Digory and Beatrice Campbell as Polly — were cast after what TBS News reports was a search involving thousands of auditions over several months. Their faces on the film’s poster, riding the winged horse Fledge against the cosmic birth of a new world, have already drawn comparisons to late-1970s and early-1980s fantasy art, with commentators citing “The NeverEnding Story” and “Labyrinth” as touchstones.
Why Gerwig Started With the Sixth Book
Gerwig’s choice of source material is itself a statement. The Magician’s Nephew was published in 1955, five years after The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and is the sixth book in C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia series by publication order — but it serves as a prequel, showing how travel between our world and Narnia first began.
Lewis himself later expressed a preference for readers to begin with this origin story, a decision Gerwig has cited in explaining her approach, according to Cinema Express. Speaking about the project, Gerwig said she fell in love as a child with “the gorgeously improbable but completely brilliant concept of a cosmic lion singing the world of Narnia to life,” adding: “Because of C. S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia, I believed in magic and hidden worlds and adventure.”
She reportedly approached Netflix co-chief executive Ted Sarandos with the adaptation idea at a cocktail party, after the streamer acquired the rights to the franchise, and wrote her first draft in 2020 and 2021.
Netflix’s Big-Screen Bet: IMAX Release and a $280 Million Budget
In what the Associated Press described as a dramatic reversal for the company, Netflix is giving “Narnia” a wide theatrical release beginning February 12, 2027, with the film landing on the streaming service on April 2. Gerwig debuted the trailer and behind-the-scenes footage on an IMAX screen at the AMC Lincoln Square in New York, where she spoke with Stephen Colbert about her “Barbie” follow-up.
“I told Ted I only know how to make movies for the big screen,” Gerwig said, according to the AP report. “He said, ‘Make the movie for the biggest screen you can imagine.'” With a reported USD 280 million budget, the film is being positioned as a theatrical event first and a streaming title second.
One of the trailer’s most talked-about coups is its music. Gerwig personally wrote to Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant and guitarist Jimmy Page to secure “Stairway to Heaven” for the trailer, and told Colbert she was “so moved that they allowed me to use this song,” noting the musicians’ own love for Lewis’s work.
What Happens Next
With the trailer and poster now public, attention turns to the February 12, 2027 theatrical release. Netflix’s official announcement framed the film with the line “A Universe Begins,” suggesting the streamer views Gerwig’s adaptation as the launch of a larger Narnia franchise — though no sequels have been formally announced in the reports so far.
For now, fans have their first real look at a project years in the making: the first screen adaptation of Lewis’s creation story, a $280 million IMAX-scale production, and Greta Gerwig’s first film since “Barbie” became a global phenomenon.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is directing Narnia: The Magician's Nephew?
Greta Gerwig, the Oscar-nominated filmmaker behind "Lady Bird," "Little Women," and 2023's "Barbie." She also wrote the screenplay, with her first draft reportedly completed in 2020–2021 after she pitched the idea to Netflix chief Ted Sarandos.
Who voices Aslan in the film?
Meryl Streep voices Aslan, the mythical lion whose song brings Narnia into existence, according to trailer reports from outlets including Cinema Express and TBS News. The trailer's climax shows Aslan taking shape in a burst of light as "Stairway to Heaven" builds.
Who does Emma Mackey play?
Emma Mackey plays Jadis, the character who will eventually become the White Witch, according to reports on the trailer. The footage shows Digory and Polly encountering her in a desolate realm with a crumbling palace.
Is The Magician's Nephew the first Narnia book?
Not by publication order — it was published in 1955, five years after "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," making it the sixth book released. But it is a prequel telling Narnia's origin story, and Lewis later said he preferred readers start with it — a view Gerwig shares.
Where can I watch the Narnia: The Magician's Nephew trailer?
Netflix released the first trailer online on October 13, 2026, a day after unveiling the official poster. Gerwig also debuted it on an IMAX screen at New York's AMC Lincoln Square, where she discussed the film with Stephen Colbert.
