Greta Gerwig’s ‘Narnia’ Gets a Fresh Look, and It Doesn’t Look Like the Narnia You Remember
Narnia has been on screen before, but never quite like this. Walden Media produced a trilogy of films based on ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’, and Greta Gerwig’s upcoming movie will be the fourth adaptation. C.S. Lewis famously never sold the film rights during his lifetime, since he doubted any movie could realistically capture the story’s fantastical elements.
Gerwig is taking on the challenge after the billion-dollar success of ‘Barbie’. Her film adapts ‘The Magician’s Nephew’, the first chronological book in the series, for Netflix. The movie’s budget is currently at $200 million, making it one of Netflix’s most expensive movies ever. Now a new look at the movie has been shared.
The visible image is a lush, moody forest scene. A group sits on a mossy bank beside a reflective pool, all looking upward, with a horse standing behind them.
The pictures are part of a larger Empire reveal that began on Sept. 17 with the film’s first official look.
New look at Greta Gerwig’s ‘NARNIA: THE MAGICIAN’S NEPHEW’. (Via: @empiremagazine) https://t.co/Tcvoen7WRE
— Pop Base (@PopBase) September 21, 2026
Follow-up images have added more characters. One shows Daniel Craig’s disheveled Uncle Andrew, known as Andrew Ketterley, in a study filled with glasses and beakers, with rays of light bouncing between them. Another shows Emma Mackey’s Jadis unleashing her power in 1950s London, in a glam-rock outfit, in a scene described as chaotic.
Greta Gerwig on the set of ‘NARNIA: THE MAGICIAN’s NEPHEW.’ pic.twitter.com/oufzjdYtwx
— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) September 16, 2026
The look is intentional. Empire describes the film as a rock-inspired fantasy that nods to David Bowie and The Who, and Gerwig told the magazine that Narnia is a world made of music, which made rock ‘n’ roll feel like a natural fit. The music comes from Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt, according to Wikipedia’s listing.
First look at Daniel Craig as Uncle Andrew in Greta Gerwig's ‘NARNIA’ film.
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) September 18, 2026
(Source: https://t.co/ezBobcxTdz) pic.twitter.com/MiTapFV3a7
The cast is stacked. David McKenna plays Digory, and Beatrice Campbell is Polly, with Carey Mulligan as Digory’s mother, Mabel Kirke, plus Ciarán Hinds, Craig, Mackey, and Streep. Gerwig also wrote the screenplay and co-produces.
First look at Aslan in Greta Gerwig's ‘NARNIA’ movie.
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) September 17, 2026
Voiced by Meryl Streep.
(Source: @empiremagazine) pic.twitter.com/LGlALgofRV
Audiences won’t have long to wait by movie standards. The film opens in theaters on Feb. 12, 2027, before streaming on Netflix on April 2, 2027. That gap gives fans a few months to debate the new take, which already looks much less stodgy than the versions many people remember from childhood.
What do you think of Greta Gerwig’s new take on Narnia?
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