The wardrobe is swinging wide open once more — and the latest Chronicles of Narnia are getting another heavy-hitter. Carey Mulligan is in negotiations to join the cast of The Magician’s Nephew, the first entry in Greta Gerwig’s Narnia saga for Netflix. The Promising Young Woman and Maestro star is reportedly set to portray the ailing mother of Digory, one of the two young main characters who unleash the White Witch upon London in this sweeping fantasy origin story. Gerwig’s film is based on C.S. Lewis’s sixth-published (but chronologically first, if you can keep up) Narnia novel. The Hollywood Reporter reported the news first.

The project is already shaping up to be one of the most ambitious in Netflix history — and not just because of the scale. Gerwig, who wrote and is directing the feature, has assembled a pretty good cast so far, including Daniel Craig as the eccentric Uncle Andrew, Emma Mackey as the villainous Jadis, a.k.a. the White Witch, and Meryl Streep, reportedly voicing the mighty lion Aslan, so Mulligan just adds another layer of prestige to the big-budget project.

While most audiences know The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe as the jumping-off point for the Narnia series, The Magician’s Nephew acts as a prequel, exploring the origins of Narnia itself — and the White Witch’s arrival in that world. The story follows Digory Kirke and Polly Plummer, two London children who stumble into alternate worlds thanks to Digory’s uncle’s magical experiments. Their journey eventually leads to the birth of Narnia and the first appearance of Aslan.

Will ‘The Magician’s Nephew’ Be Released in IMAX?

Gerwig, fresh off the billion-dollar success of Barbie, is once again teaming up with Netflix for this one, but on a much grander scale. In a bold move championed by Gerwig, The Magician’s Nephew will get a 28-day exclusive theatrical run in IMAX ahead of its streaming debut — an unusual strategy for the streaming giant, but one it has agreed to as part of its partnership with IMAX.

“We’re incredibly excited about this,” IMAX CEO Richard Gelfond said at the Cannes Film Festival. “Netflix has told us that they’re going to market the film as both a theatrical release in IMAX and a streaming release… this is not going to be like a traditional Netflix rollout.”

The Magician’s Nephew is due to be released theatrically on IMAX in 2026.

via Collider