Short answer: Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew opens in theaters and IMAX worldwide on February 12, 2027, with IMAX sneak previews from February 10. It then streams on Netflix on April 2, 2027. Greta Gerwig wrote and directed it. Emma Mackey plays Jadis, the future White Witch, Daniel Craig plays Uncle Andrew, and Meryl Streep voices Aslan. The first trailer arrived October 13, 2026.
Updated October 25, 2026 · Dates and cast from Netflix (Tudum) and trade reports (Variety, Deadline)
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When does Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew come out?
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| July 2023 | Netflix signs Greta Gerwig to write and direct two Narnia films |
| August 11, 2025 | Filming starts in London |
| January 31, 2026 | Filming wraps |
| October 13, 2026 | First trailer debuts at an IMAX event in New York |
| February 10, 2027 | IMAX sneak previews |
| February 12, 2027 | Theaters and IMAX worldwide |
| April 2, 2027 | Streaming on Netflix |
The first plan was much smaller: a short IMAX run over Thanksgiving 2026 and a Netflix debut on Christmas Day. Netflix dropped that for a full worldwide release in February, which is why the date moved into 2027.
Is Narnia in theaters or on Netflix?
Both, in that order. It plays only in theaters for 49 days, from February 12 to April 2, before it reaches Netflix. Variety calls it Netflix’s first movie with a global theatrical release. Netflix handles theaters in the US and Canada, and Sony Pictures releases it in most other countries. France is the exception: there it skips theaters and goes straight to Netflix on April 2.
Tickets aren’t on sale yet. Netflix points fans to NarniaFilm.com for updates, and the IMAX previews on February 10 are the showings most likely to sell out first.
Who is in the Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew cast?
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| David McKenna | Digory Kirke |
| Beatrice Campbell | Polly Plummer |
| Emma Mackey | Jadis, the future White Witch |
| Daniel Craig | Uncle Andrew Ketterley, the magician |
| Meryl Streep | Aslan (voice) |
| Carey Mulligan | Digory’s mother |
| Kobna Holdbrook-Smith | Frank, the London cabby |
| Ciarán Hinds | The older Digory (reported) |
| Denise Gough, Susan Wokoma | Roles not announced |
McKenna and Campbell are newcomers. Streep as Aslan is the big swing, since Liam Neeson voiced the lion in the 2005 to 2010 films. Aslan shows up in the trailer but never speaks, so nobody has heard her version yet.
What is The Magician’s Nephew about?
It’s the Narnia origin story. C.S. Lewis published it in 1955 as the sixth book, but it happens first, decades before The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. It has never been adapted for the screen before.
In London, Digory Kirke and his neighbor Polly Plummer stumble into the attic study of Digory’s Uncle Andrew, a failed magician who has made rings that move people between worlds. The rings drop the kids into the Wood between the Worlds and then into the dead city of Charn, where Digory wakes Queen Jadis. She follows them back to London and tears through the city, and the whole group ends up in an empty world just as Aslan sings Narnia into being.
Fans of the 2005 movie get some payoffs too. This is the book that explains where the lamppost came from, how the White Witch got into Narnia and why the wardrobe is magic. Digory grows up to be Professor Kirke, the old man whose house the Pevensies visit.
Is there a Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew trailer?
Yes. Netflix debuted the first trailer on October 13, 2026 at an IMAX sneak-peek event in New York, with Gerwig talking to Stephen Colbert on stage. It opens on the carved wardrobe, cuts to Uncle Andrew’s glowing study and Digory’s yellow ring, then the Wood between the Worlds, Jadis waking up and riding through London, and ends on Aslan’s roar. It’s set to Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven,” which the band had never licensed for a trailer before. You can watch it on Netflix Tudum.
People watched. Deadline reported WaveMetrix data showing 481.3 million views in the first seven days, about double the 240 million for Barbie’s trailer and ahead of The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (281.6 million) and Wonka (237.2 million).
Who made it?
- Writer and director: Greta Gerwig (Barbie, Little Women)
- Score: Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt, the same team as Barbie
- Crew: cinematographer Seamus McGarvey, costume designer Jacqueline Durran, visual effects supervisor Paul Franklin, creature effects by Neal Scanlan
- Filming: August 11, 2025 to January 31, 2026 in London (Bank station, the Royal Exchange, Chelsea Physic Garden) and Manchester, plus Shepperton and Longcross studios
- Reported budget: $200 million to $250 million
Gerwig’s Netflix deal covers at least two Narnia films. The second one has no title or date yet.
What to watch or read before Narnia
Nothing is required. The Magician’s Nephew is the first story in Narnia’s timeline, so it’s the natural starting point if you’ve never been there.
The 2005 to 2010 movies (The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Prince Caspian and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader) are a separate series with a different cast, so treat them as a bonus. The book is the better prep. It’s short, and knowing it makes the lamppost and wardrobe moments land.
What we don’t know yet
- Runtime and MPA rating
- When tickets go on sale
- Which book Gerwig’s second Narnia film adapts, and when it comes out
- What Meryl Streep’s Aslan sounds like
We’ll update this page as each one is confirmed. Planning a winter movie run? Our Dune: Part Three guide and what to watch before Avengers: Doomsday cover the two big December releases.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does the new Narnia movie come out?
February 12, 2027 in theaters and IMAX worldwide, with IMAX previews on February 10. It reaches Netflix on April 2, 2027.
Is the new Narnia movie on Netflix?
Yes, but not at first. It plays only in theaters for seven weeks, then streams on Netflix from April 2, 2027.
Who plays Aslan in the new Narnia?
Meryl Streep voices Aslan. Liam Neeson voiced him in the 2005 to 2010 films.
Who plays the White Witch?
Emma Mackey (Sex Education, Barbie) plays Jadis, who later becomes the White Witch.
Is The Magician’s Nephew a prequel to The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe?
Yes. It takes place decades earlier and shows how Narnia began, how the White Witch got there and where the lamppost came from.
Why was Narnia delayed to 2027?
It was first planned as a Thanksgiving 2026 IMAX run with a Christmas Netflix release. Netflix moved it to February 12, 2027 to give it a full worldwide theatrical release.
Read it before the movie
Sources: release dates, cast and crew from Netflix Tudum; distribution, filming dates and budget from Variety and Wikipedia; trailer views from Deadline (WaveMetrix data); trailer details from What’s on Netflix.
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