Greta Gerwig Is Taking Narnia to Theaters in 2027, and the Cast Is Stacked
Meryl Streep. Daniel Craig. Emma Mackey. The first ever film adaptation of the Narnia origin story.
Narnia: The Magician's Nephew opens in theaters February 12, 2027, and on Netflix April 2, 2027. Greta Gerwig wrote and directed it. The cast includes Meryl Streep, Daniel Craig, Emma Mackey, and Carey Mulligan. It is the first film ever made from this specific C.S. Lewis novel.
Netflix acquired the rights to all seven Chronicles of Narnia novels in October 2018. This is the first film to come from that deal, and it is only the second Netflix production to receive a full wide theatrical release.
AT A GLANCE • Theatrical release: February 12, 2027 • Netflix streaming: April 2, 2027 • Director and writer: Greta Gerwig • Book: The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis (1955) • First ever film adaptation of this book • Producers: Amy Pascal, Mark Gordon, Greta Gerwig, Vincent Sieber-Smith • Originally Thanksgiving 2026, delayed six weeks due to a cast member injury |
Why this book, and why first
The Magician's Nephew was the sixth Narnia book published, in 1955, but it is the chronological origin story of the entire series. It follows two children, Digory Kirke and Polly Plummer, who stumble into a dying world called Charn and accidentally wake its last queen, Jadis. They witness Aslan sing Narnia into existence. The aged Professor Kirke from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is Digory as a child.
No one has ever filmed it. The three Walden Media adaptations (The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe in 2005, Prince Caspian in 2008, and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader in 2010) never reached it. Gerwig is starting the new cycle at the beginning of the story, not the beginning of the publishing order.
Gerwig on why: "I was a child when I first read The Magician's Nephew, and I fell in love with the gorgeously improbable but completely brilliant concept of a cosmic lion singing the world of Narnia to life. I didn't know that I would grow up to make films, but a universe built out of music is an idea that always lived in my heart."
The cast
Two newcomers lead the film. David McKenna plays Digory Kirke. Beatrice Campbell plays Polly Plummer. The adult cast around them:
• Emma Mackey as Jadis, last Queen of Charn and the future White Witch
• Daniel Craig as Uncle Andrew Ketterley, Digory's uncle and amateur magician
• Carey Mulligan as Mabel Kirke, Digory's mother
• Kobna Holdbrook-Smith as Frank the Cabby, a London taxi driver who becomes a founding figure of Narnia
• Ciarán Hinds — confirmed in cast, role not yet disclosed
• Denise Gough — confirmed in cast, role not yet disclosed
• Susan Wokoma — confirmed in cast, role not yet disclosed
Meryl Streep is widely reported to voice Aslan. Netflix has not made an official announcement, but co-star Emma Mackey confirmed it in March 2026. Gerwig is attached to direct two films in the series. The Magician's Nephew is the first.
Why Gerwig pushed for theaters
Narnia: The Magician's Nephew is only the second Netflix film to receive a full wide theatrical release. Gerwig insisted on it.
Netflix agreed, striking an IMAX partnership for February 10 sneak previews ahead of the February 12 wide opening. The film then arrives on Netflix seven weeks later on April 2, 2027. The original plan was a Thanksgiving 2026 release; a cast member injury set production back six weeks and forced the move to 2027.
Gerwig said: "Working with Netflix to bring this film to life has been extraordinary, and IMAX continues to be an incredible partner."
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The last Narnia films and what happened
Disney and Walden Media released three Narnia adaptations between 2005 and 2010. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe grossed over $745 million globally. Prince Caspian underperformed at the box office and the franchise stalled. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader moved to Fox and Walden and performed adequately, but no further films were made.
Netflix acquired the rights to all seven novels in October 2018, the first time any single company held the complete series. It has taken until now to get a film into production.
WHAT WRITERS CAN TAKE FROM THIS • Starting at the origin is a deliberate structural choice. Gerwig is not remaking The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. She is starting where the world begins. If you are writing a series, where your story starts is always a separate decision from where your world's history begins. • The villain's backstory changes everything. Jadis in The Magician's Nephew is not yet the tyrant she becomes. Seeing her before she takes power reframes every scene she appears in later. If you have a villain readers already know, showing them earlier is one of the most powerful tools available. • How a world was made determines how it behaves. Aslan sings Narnia into existence. That single creative decision shapes the tone of every book that follows. The rules of creation are always the deepest layer of worldbuilding. • Two ordinary children are the lens. Digory and Polly experience Narnia as outsiders encountering it for the first time. Every great portal fantasy uses that same gap between the protagonist's world and the new one to let readers discover things at the same pace as the character. |
If you are building a world with multiple factions, a history that precedes your main story, and characters who carry the weight of events readers have not seen yet, mapping those relationships before you write is how you keep it coherent. Writeo's Character Relationship Visualizer was built for exactly that kind of layered world.
Sources
Deadline — Netflix's Narnia From Greta Gerwig Getting Full Wide Theatrical Window, Heads to 2027 (May 2026)
Variety — Greta Gerwig's Narnia at Netflix Sets 2027 Release Date; Carey Mulligan Joins Narnia Cast (2025)
Netflix Tudum — Narnia: The Magician's Nephew official release date and cast (official)
NarniaWeb — Emma Mackey Confirms Meryl Streep Among Cast (March 2026); Netflix Reveals 10 Confirmed Cast Members Including Ciaran Hinds (May 2026)
What's On Netflix — Full cast list and character breakdowns
Rolling Stone — Greta Gerwig interview and Narnia quotes