Greta Gerwig debuts first look at Narnia in New York
Director Greta Gerwig presented preview footage for “Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew” on Tuesday in New York. The movie marks an adaptation of the allegorical adventure book by C.S. Lewis. It will screen in IMAX before moving to streaming.
Gerwig showed the preview and behind-the-scenes footage at the AMC Lincoln Center. Host Stephen Colbert spoke with the director about her latest project. The clip was also released online.
The preview features the song “Stairway to Heaven” by rock band Led Zeppelin. Gerwig met with band members Robert Plant and Jimmy Page. They granted rights permission for the track.
“They did it because they saw the heart in the story,” Gerwig said. “And they, too, love C.S. Lewis.”
The production carries a $280 million budget. Netflix plans a wide theatrical release beginning Feb. 12. The movie then arrives on the streaming platform on April 2.
Gerwig began writing the draft in 2020 and 2021. She approached Netflix chief executive Ted Sarandos during a party.
“I told Ted I only know how to make movies for the big screen,” Gerwig said. “He said, ‘Make the movie for the biggest screen you can imagine.’”
The film adapts the sixth published book in the series. Published in 1955, the prequel takes place in 1900 London. Two children use a magic ring to witness the lion Aslan create Narnia.
The preview includes the spoken line, “Have you ever seen a world born?”
“Movies this size are usually about destruction,” said Gerwig.
The lion character represents Jesus in the Christian fable. Meryl Streep voices Aslan, who appears as a cosmic outline. The character roars in the clip but does not speak.
Some conservative pundits criticized casting a woman as the male book character. Gerwig did not address the casting remarks. She thanked the estate and family of Lewis for their public support.
Cast members in the fantasy feature include:
- David McKenna
- Beatrice Campbell
- Daniel Craig
- Emma Mackey
- Ciarán Hinds
- Carey Mulligan
The studio originally scheduled the opening for November. Netflix moved the date into 2027. Gerwig said the change provides time for a global theatrical run.
Entertainment company Walden Media produced three previous films based on the books. Billionaire Philip Anschutz owns that production company. Netflix purchased global rights to the book series in 2018.
Gerwig grew up in Sacramento, California, as a Unitarian Universalist. She attended an all-girls Catholic high school. Faith remains a thread through her work, Gerwig said.
“For me, film and faith have always gone hand in hand,” she said.
Reading the fantasy series served as a foundational experience in her youth, Gerwig said. She compared the impact to reading Louisa May Alcott’s “Little Women.” Gerwig directed a film adaptation of that novel in 2019.
“I would not be who I am without these books,” said Gerwig. “They created me.”
The AMC Lincoln Center operates as a major commercial movie theater in New York. Film distributors often rent large-format auditoriums there for exclusive industry previews. Special screening events allow studios to show unreleased material to invited audiences.
The film is Gerwig’s directorial follow-up to the 2023 release “Barbie.”
