The Narnia books were a staple of so many of our childhoods, so ever since it was announced that Netflix was rebooting the series, I've been anxious to see what they've been working on. I know I've been excited about Barbie director Greta Gerwig taking on the franchise, but I didn't imagine this vision for the fantasy series (or all the Marvel comparisons that have come with its first trailer).
I love that the next Narnia movie is going to be based on The Magician's Nephew, which is technically the fifth entry in C.S. Lewis' book series. The highly-anticipated book-to-screen adaptation is sort of a prequel to the discovery of Narnia before the events of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. But the first look is rather unexpected. Take a look for yourself:
What a surprise this is! I never would have guessed that I'd hear Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven" soundtrack the trailer for The Magician's Nephew, but here we are. The visual aesthetic definitely has '80s rock opera influences all over it. And that's actually leading fans to make all sorts of Marvel Cinematic Universe connections listed in the comments section of YouTube. Check these out:
- "Narnia: Ragnarok"
- "THOR: NARNIAROK"
- "The music and Guardians-of-the-galaxy-like visuals seem kinda odd to me. But still hyped."
- "Guardians of Narnia's Galaxy."
- "Aslan the Lion will return in Avengers: Doomsday"
I know I definitely thought about Marvel when watching the trailer, but I wasn't expecting so many others to feel the same. The movie itself tackles the ideas of their being different worlds, which obviously reminds one of the MCU's multiverse. And, since Marvel famously has used rock opera music a few times to soundtrack it's stories that are set in space, it's not a wild comparison. What's wild is that the movie itself has been given this vibe.
Do I like it? I'm not totally sure yet, but the trailer definitely has my interest piqued.
And look, I would expect nothing less than the filmmaker behind Barbie to take big swings with this classic book series. Naturally, with this striking version on the 1955 novel, there's a range of reactions to it – outside of all the Marvel talk. Here are some more initial thoughts from fans:
- "Not my first choice for music for this franchise, but I’m hooked."
- "The colours! Actual colours! And the music too... This looks stunning."
- "ok this looks absolutely bonkers but also amazing. I am seated."
- "turning Narnia into an 80s style fantasy film is actually cool af"
- "This looks like a real creative gamble, and I'm all for it."
- "Not what I was expecting having only ever seen The Chronicles of Narnia, as it looks more sci-fi than high fantasy.. but still looks fun!"
- "No nostalgia feeling. And yes, this is coming from a guy who read all the books."
- "Bruh, what is this?"
I totally see where people are at with Narnia: The Magician's Nephew after the trailer. Like many commenters, I'm definitely going to take the optimistic approach because there's a lot of exciting, imaginative stuff in the first look that I'm curious to see in the context of the film itself.
The Magician's Nephew boasts an exciting cast that includes Daniel Craig as a magician named Andrew Ketterley, Emma Mackey as the White Witch and Meryl Streep voicing the character of Aslan. According to reports, the movie has a massive budget between $200 and $300 million. Unlike most Netflix movies, it's getting a full wide release in theaters (even with IMAX) and has a 49-day exclusive window on big screens before hitting streaming. So, if anything, this flick is being positioned as a cinematic event (not unlike a Marvel movie).
Now, we'll just have to wait and see what exactly Greta Gerwig has cooked up. Narnia: The Magician's Nephew is set to hit theaters on February 12 as part of the 2027 movie schedule and will be available to watch with a Netflix subscription on April 2.
