Netflix’s Chronicles of Narnia Reboot Reveals Official First Look
Overview & Key Takeaways
Empire just revealed the first image from Netflix's The Chronicles of Narnia reboot.
We finally have a first look at Greta Gerwig’s Chronicles of Narnia film for Netflix, Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew. The promotional image is quite fitting: it’s Aslan, the talking lion (and thinly veiled Jesus allegory), the character who has become the face of the series. The image debuted in the UK's Empire magazine and offers an inspired take on the creature, with heterochromic eyes and patterns that look like a mix of stitching, Trencadís mosaics, and melted scales.
We also got confirmation that Meryl Streep will play Aslan. “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,” Gerwig explained to Empire. “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.”
Gerwig previously worked with Streep on her excellent 2019 adaptation of Little Women. As for Aslan’s design, Empire said that his eyes and bold red stripes are a nod to David Bowie, who was one of Gerwig’s key creative inspirations. Empire revealed an additional promotional image, this one depicting Aslan creating Narnia. The magazine promised more Narnia news when its November 2026 issue arrives on Sept. 24.
Image: Jaime Jones, Empire, Netflix
Shortly after debuting the cover, Empire revealed more about the film in an interview with Gerwig. She said that as for her creative vision for the movie, "I wanted a rock opera. I wanted it to be big and transporting." She mentions how British rock music from the '60s and '70s was a major point of inspiration for her, and explains, “Narnia is literally a world made out of music. It is a world sung to life by Aslan, and rock ’n’ roll to me felt like a world made out of music.” To be clear, the movie won't literally be a musical, but it will be inspired by that aesthetic.
Image: Empire, Netflix
What other details do we have on the upcoming Chronicles of Narnia adaptation?
The next Chronicles of Narnia film will be based on the sixth book in the series, the 1955 novel The Magician’s Nephew. While it may seem strange to adapt this book instead of either starting from scratch or picking up with the fourth and fifth books, The Magician's Nephew is the earliest story chronologically. Gerwig is directing, writing, and co-producing the movie. She has been on quite a hot streak in recent years, having directed Lady Bird, Little Women, and Barbiein succession. Beyond Streep, the film stars David McKenna (Lord of the Flies), Beatrice Campbell (The Phoenician Scheme), Emma Mackey (Sex Education, Emily), Carey Mulligan, Ciarán Hinds (Game of Thrones, Silence), and Daniel Craig.
Netflix is producing the film, and it will be the streamer’s first movie to receive a wide theatrical release. It’s coming to theaters on Feb. 12, 2027, with a streaming release on Netflix on Apr. 2, 2027. It’s been more than 15 years since the last Chronicles of Narnia movie: Walden Media released a trilogy between 2005 and 2010 that adapted the first three books in the series.
