Netflix released the first poster for Greta Gerwig’s “Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew” on Monday, a day before the film’s first trailer arrives. The artwork centers on a huge silhouette of Aslan in profile, his mane trailing into the stars, under the tagline “A Universe Begins.” Other descriptions place Digory and Polly on the winged horse Fledge, with Aslan’s shadow behind them. The trailer is due Tuesday at 2 p.m. ET.
The poster also fixes the release plan. The film opens in theaters Feb. 12, 2027, for a 49-day exclusive run, then reaches Netflix on April 2. The poster promotes an IMAX release, a sign Netflix is treating the picture as a theatrical event. Reaction to the art has been warm without being rapturous. One outlet called it pretty if a bit basic. Another heard echoes of “The NeverEnding Story,” “Labyrinth” and the late-’70s fantasy posters of artist John Alvin.
The project carries weight. Based on the 1955 novel, the story is the sixth book Lewis published in “The Chronicles of Narnia” and the first chronologically. It shows the creation of Narnia and of the wardrobe. David McKenna plays Digory, Beatrice Campbell plays Polly, Emma Mackey plays the sorceress Jadis, and Daniel Craig plays Uncle Andrew. Carey Mulligan appears as Digory’s mother, and Meryl Streep voices Aslan. Ciarán Hinds is also in the cast, in a role Netflix has not announced.
Gerwig has signaled a bold approach. She has described the film as a rock opera that nods to David Bowie and The Who, and it moves the story to the 1950s from the book’s 1900 setting. She has also joked that Uncle Andrew is “the stupidest magician in the world who actually made magic.” She says she fell in love as a child with the idea of a cosmic lion singing Narnia into being.
