In Brief:
- Greta Gerwig debuted the first trailer for "Narnia: The Magician's Nephew" on Tuesday, set to Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven."
- Netflix will release the $280 million film in theaters on Feb. 12 and stream it April 2.
- Newcomers David McKenna and Beatrice Campbell star, with Meryl Streep voicing Aslan.
Narnia The Magicians Nephew: Greta Gerwig has given fans their first look at "Narnia: The Magician's Nephew."
The reveal came Tuesday. It offers a heartfelt take on C.S. Lewis' classic adventure.
It also promises a giant, IMAX-scale spectacle.
Netflix made the film. But Gerwig built it for the big screen.
A Trailer Set to a Rock Classic
Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven" plays through the trailer. The trailer was also released to the public.
Hours earlier, Gerwig premiered the trailer and behind-the-scenes footage on an IMAX screen.
The event took place at the AMC Lincoln Center in New York. She then sat down with Stephen Colbert.
They discussed her first project since "Barbie."
Netflix Changes Course
Netflix is making a bold shift. The company will give "Narnia" a wide theatrical release starting Feb. 12.
The film arrives on the streaming service on April 2.
Gerwig wrote her first draft in 2020 and 2021. It began at a cocktail party. She approached Netflix chief executive Ted Sarandos there.
"I told Ted I only know how to make movies for the big screen," Gerwig said. "He said, 'Make the movie for the biggest screen you can imagine.'"
A Different Way Into Narnia
The film carries a $280 million budget. That makes it one of the most ambitious projects in Netflix history.
It also takes an unusual path into the series. It skips the first book, "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe." Instead, it adapts the sixth.
"The Magician's Nephew" was published in 1955. It is a prequel. The story follows two children in London in 1900.
A magic ring carries them into another world. There, they watch the lion Aslan create Narnia.
Gerwig loved that starting point. She noted that Lewis encouraged readers to begin with this book.
The trailer asks viewers whether they have ever seen a world born.
"Movies this size are usually about destruction," Gerwig said.
The Aslan Question
The trailer only hints at Aslan. The character has already sparked debate. In Lewis' Christian fable, the thick-maned lion represents Jesus.
Meryl Streep voices Aslan. In the trailer, the character appears as a cosmic outline. He roars. He does not speak.
Some conservative pundits have criticized the casting. Aslan is a male character in the books.
Gerwig did not address the topic in her remarks. She did thank Lewis' family and estate.
She said they have publicly supported the film.
Cast and Release Plans
Newcomers David McKenna and Beatrice Campbell lead the film. The ensemble includes Daniel Craig, Emma Mackey, Ciarán Hinds and Carey Mulligan.
The movie was first set to open in November. Netflix moved it into 2027. Gerwig said the delay allows for a global theatrical release.
Why the Song Fits
Gerwig sees the story as a spiritual quest. That made "Stairway to Heaven" a natural choice. Securing the song was not easy.
Its rights are rarely granted. She met with Robert Plant and Jimmy Page.
"They did it because they saw the heart in the story," Gerwig said. "And they, too, love C.S. Lewis."
A Franchise Changes Hands
Three earlier "Narnia" films came before this one. Walden Media produced all three. The company focuses on family-values entertainment. Billionaire Philip Anschutz owns it.
Netflix acquired the global rights to "The Chronicles of Narnia" book series in 2018.
Faith and Film
Gerwig is 43. She was raised as a Unitarian Universalist in Sacramento, California.
She later attended an all-girls Catholic high school. She dramatized that upbringing in "Lady Bird." It was her solo-directing debut.
Faith, she said, "has been a thread through all of my films."
"For me, film and faith have always gone hand in hand," she said. She called both communal experiences.
Lewis' "Chronicles of Narnia" books shaped her childhood. She called reading them a foundational experience.
Only one other book compares. That book is Louisa May Alcott's "Little Women." Gerwig adapted it into her 2019 film.
"I would not be who I am without these books," Gerwig said. "They created me."
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