Narnia: The Magician's Nephew – A Countdown to a Fantasy Epic

Back to Where It All Began

Before the wardrobe and before the four Pevensie children, there was a boy called Digory, a girl called Polly, and some very dodgy magic rings. Narnia: The Magician's Nephew is Greta Gerwig's take on C. S. Lewis's 1955 novel. It's the sixth Narnia book to be published but the first in story order, because it shows how Narnia was made.

It's also Gerwig's first film since Barbie. No pressure.

When Can I See It?

The release has moved. The film was first planned for an IMAX run over US Thanksgiving 2026, and the plan is now bigger:

Wednesday, 10 February 2027: IMAX and other premium large-format previews.
Friday, 12 February 2027: wide release in cinemas, from Netflix and Sony Pictures.
Friday, 2 April 2027: it starts streaming on Netflix.

It will be the first Netflix film to get a major theatrical release, so this is a big experiment as well as a big fantasy film.

Who's In It

The cast includes David McKenna, Beatrice Campbell, Emma Mackey, Carey Mulligan, Ciarán Hinds, Daniel Craig and Meryl Streep. Netflix is still keeping most of the roles quiet, so the "who's playing Aslan?" debate rolls on.

Behind the camera:

Greta Gerwig wrote and directed the film and is one of its producers.
Seamus McGarvey (Atonement) is the cinematographer.
Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt, who wrote "I'm Just Ken", are doing the music. Yes, really.
The budget is reported at $200–250 million.

A Brief History of Narnia on Screen

This is the fourth Narnia film. Walden Media made the first three: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005), Prince Caspian (2008) and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010). Netflix bought the rights to the whole series in 2018, and this is its first film.

If you only know the wardrobe story, The Magician's Nephew explains a lot: where the lamppost came from, why there's a witch, and why that particular wardrobe is special.

What the Buzz Says

The first trailer arrived on 13 October and showed Aslan, the White Witch and a lot of dazzling imagery. Deadline reports it passed 481 million views in its first week, which is more than the Barbie trailer managed. The Guardian, Variety and IndieWire all covered it, and the general mood is "only Gerwig would build a staircase to Narnia like that".

Surviving the Wait

Read the book. It's short, and you'll be the smug one in the cinema.
Check every wardrobe you own. Just in case.
Stock up on Turkish delight. It's a Narnia tradition. Do not trade family members for it.
**Rewatch Barbie** and spot the Gerwig touches before February.

FAQ

When is Narnia: The Magician's Nephew out?

IMAX previews start on 10 February 2027, the wide cinema release is on 12 February 2027, and it arrives on Netflix on 2 April 2027.

Is it a prequel?

In story order, yes: it's the first chapter of the whole Narnia story, set long before The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

Is there a trailer?

Yes. It came out on 13 October 2026 and you'll find it on our countdown page.

Who's directing?

Greta Gerwig, who also wrote the screenplay.

Follow the live countdown to Narnia: The Magician's Nephew on Byte of Humor, and check back: we update it the moment anything changes.