Netflix’s First ‘Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew’ Trailer Shows How a Universe Begins

Every great fantasy world has a creation story, but few have been as eagerly awaited on screen as Narnia’s. For decades, readers have pictured the moment a lamppost grows from the ground and a great lion sings a new world into being. Greta Gerwig is now about to show everyone her version of it.

Netflix has released the first trailer for ‘Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew’, and the studio’s accompanying message sums up the pitch: a universe begins. The post invites viewers to see how Narnia was created, and it confirms the film will play only in theaters on February 12. It follows the first official poster, which arrived a day earlier.

The frame Netflix chose to promote the footage is striking. It shows a winged horse carrying a rider as it flies toward a burst of light, set against a swirling, starry backdrop that appears to be shaped like a lion’s head in shadow. It is an image that feels cosmic and storybook at the same time.

A Universe Begins. See how Narnia was created in Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew, a film by Greta Gerwig – only in theaters February 12. https://t.co/jwxksCL0N7

— Netflix (@netflix) October 13, 2026

The poster uses similar imagery. Aslan’s shadow fills almost the entire frame, with the cosmos appearing to sit inside the Great Lion, a nod to the story’s central moment in which he sings Narnia into existence. A horizontal version of the artwork pushes his silhouette to the right and opens the left side into a nebula of blues, lilacs and creams that looks like paint poured into water.

Fans have noticed more details. The artwork gives a first look at Fledge, the winged horse, and the silhouette suggests that Aslan will have his mane. Some commentators have noted that it feels more science fiction than traditional fantasy, which fits a story that involves travel between worlds.

Netflix has been rolling out the film in stages. A multi-day exclusive in Empire in September revealed the first official images and confirmed that Meryl Streep voices Aslan, who has eyes of different colors and a red-striped face in a nod to David Bowie. The same series showed Daniel Craig as the scheming Uncle Andrew and Emma Mackey as Jadis, the sorceress who will become the White Witch.

Jadis appears in a glam-rock, disco-inspired look and is shown unleashing her power in the streets of 1950s London. Gerwig has moved the story from the book’s 1900 setting to the 1950s, a choice that has fans debating how it will connect to the later books. Later images revealed the Wood Between the Worlds, a realm that has never appeared in cinematic form before, along with a first look at the dying world of Charn.

The film is the first screen adaptation of the novel and tells the origin of Narnia. Digory, played by David McKenna, and Polly, played by Beatrice Campbell, are sent into another world when Uncle Andrew forces magic rings on them. Their first stop is Charn, where they run into Jadis, and the trouble they cause carries into London and eventually into the birth of a new world.

Carey Mulligan plays Digory’s mother, Mabel Kirke, and Ciarán Hinds is in the cast with his role still unannounced. Kobna Holdbrook-Smith appears as Frank, a Londoner who arrives with his horse, Strawberry. In the book, that horse becomes the winged Fledge.

Gerwig has described the film as a rock opera, citing David Bowie and The Who as inspirations. She has said that Narnia is a world made of music, sung to life by Aslan, and that rock ‘n’ roll felt like the right language for that idea. She has also called Uncle Andrew the stupidest magician in the world who actually made magic.

Craig has described the character as a man so excited by what could be that he overlooks the people around him. Mackey has said Jadis needed to be both thrilling and a little scary. Together, those comments suggest a tone that is playful and dangerous at once.

The film opens with IMAX previews on February 10, 2027, and arrives in theaters on February 12. It then streams on Netflix on April 2, after an exclusive theatrical window of about 49 days. Mark Gordon, Amy Pascal, Vincent Sieber-Smith and Gerwig are producing, with Douglas Gresham and Melvin Adams of the C.S. Lewis Estate serving as executive producers.

Netflix’s decision to give the film a long theatrical run shows how much it is investing in the franchise. After years of waiting, the first footage suggests the studio is aiming for a big, cosmic spectacle. Fans will now spend the months ahead analyzing every frame.

Share your thoughts in the comments on whether the first ‘Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew’ trailer lives up to your idea of Aslan singing a world to life.

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