Yesterday, Netflix showed off the glittering logo treatment for their new adaptation of C.S. Lewis‘ Chronicles of Narnia. Now, we’ve got a first look at the two most fantastical beings from the film. It’s the first taste of Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew, which is set to premiere in theaters on February 12, 2027, and then stream exclusively on Netflix on April 2.
Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew is the first part of a reported two-film deal between Netflix, Lewis’ estate, and writer-director Greta Gerwig to bring the magical world of Narnia to life. The Magician’s Nephew, which is the sixth book of the seven-book series that Lewis wrote, but is the first chronologically, is an unusual choice to kick off the series; The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, which is the first book Lewis wrote but takes place second, chronologically, is the best-known of the books, and has universally been the first to be adapted. The Magician’s Nephew, conversely, has never been adapted for the screen.
Now, in a new feature from Empire magazine, Netflix has revealed two of the film’s primary characters. On the cover of the magazine is Aslan, the majestic lion who is Narnia’s creator and protector: Lewis, a devoted Christian, intended for the character to not merely be an allegory for Jesus Christ, but an incarnation of him. Aslan will be voiced by Meryl Streep, which may be controversial, as the character has traditionally been depicted as male. Gerwig defended the choice, stating, “I wanted someone who was profound but not pretentious, who had gravitas but not morose self-seriousness. Someone who could communicate depth and pathos as well as joy and delight. I wanted someone who was older than 70, so there was a wisdom of experience, but who also had the capacity of fresh wonder, like a child. And also to be one of the greatest actors to ever do it. That list is not a long one.”
What Other ‘The Magician’s Nephew’ Character Have We Seen?
Within the pages of Empire, Netflix also revealed the first shot of Jadis in all her glittering finest, as played by Emma Mackey. Jadis, a cruel sorceress, was the last queen of the city of Charn, on a world that existed before Narnia’s creation. She survived its demise and, as seen in The Magician’s Nephew, eventually made her way to the nascent Narnia, where she achieved great power and immortality, but at the cost of her humanity. Her skin bleached a chalk-white, she became known as the White Witch, and would menace the Pevensie children in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.
Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew will be released in theaters on February 12, 2027, and then stream exclusively on Netflix on April 2.
via Collider