Netflix Officially Seals the Fate of Greta Gerwig's Narnia Reboot - MCE Notices | California State Portal

Netflix finally revealed release plans for its upcoming Chronicles of Narnia reboot from Barbie director Greta Gerwig. The new film, titled Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew, will get a full theatrical run, including IMAX screens, starting on February 12, 2027, before eventually making its way to streaming on April 2, 2027.

The Magician’s Nephew will be Netflix’s first release to receive a proper 45-day run in theaters, with sneak previews starting on February 10, 2027. David Fincher’s The Adventures of Cliff Booth will be the first of the streamer’s films to get any IMAX release at all, coming to theaters, on November 25, 2026; however, that has only been announced to have a very limited run on the silver screen.

Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew is set to center on C.S. Lewis’ beloved 1955 novel of the same name. The original book tells a prequel story to the first Chronicles of Narnia adventure The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Gerwig will write and direct the project, with names like David McKenna, Beatrice Campbell, Emma Mackey, Carey Mulligan, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, Daniel Craig, and Meryl Streep set to star in the film.

Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew Makes Netflix History

That Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew will open in IMAX theaters is a historic first for Netflix, which has historically been reluctant to put its original films into theaters at all. It’s interesting to see the streamer go the extra mile for Narnia.

“Working with Netflix to bring this film to life has been extraordinary, and IMAX continues to be an incredible partner. I cannot wait for people to see the film in theaters on February 12 and on Netflix on April 2,” Gerwig said in a statement.

It has been years since The Chronicles of Narnia had a new movie, with Lewis’s first three books — The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe; Prince Caspian; and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader — each previously receiving an adaptation. As The Magician’s Nephew celebrates its 71st anniversary on Saturday, Netflix could be on the cusp of launching a major new fantasy film franchise.

“I was a child when I first read The Magician’s Nephew, and I fell in love with the gorgeously improbable but completely brilliant concept of a cosmic lion singing the world of Narnia to life,” says Gerwig. “I didn’t know that I would grow up to make films, but a universe built out of music is an idea that always lived in my heart. It is the honor of a lifetime to be asked to imagine it into being. Because of C. S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia, I believed in magic and hidden worlds and adventure. I believed that anywhere could be enchanted and that anyone could be swept up into an epic. That wonder and awe was available to everyone, even ordinary people like me… It transformed me.”

The C.S. Lewis Company gave their stamp of approval to the news, adding a statement that reads, “It’s incredibly moving to see how deeply Greta Gerwig has embraced C. S. Lewis’s world, and infused Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew with joy, heart, and genuine love for the story. We’re so excited for audiences everywhere to experience her vision — and to share the magic of Narnia with a whole new generation.”

What Happens in the Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew Book?

Image via Amazon

Netflix also released the official logline for Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew. It reads, “Academy Award–nominated filmmaker Greta Gerwig brings C. S. Lewis’s beloved story The Magician’s Nephew to the screen for the first time in a sweeping adventure that invites dreamers of all ages to experience the creation of Narnia.”

Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew opens in theaters February 12, 2027, and streams on Netflix April 2, 2027. Sneak previews in IMAX will begin on February 10, 2027.