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Narnia: The Magician's Nephew — First Look, Cast and 2027 Release Plan

Netflix's first Narnia: The Magician's Nephew photos show Digory, Polly, Uncle Andrew and Jadis. Here are the confirmed cast and February theatrical and April Netflix dates.

By Aram Anwar3 min read
Digory and Polly stand among ferns and large trees in Netflix's first look at the Wood Between the Worlds.
Digory and Polly stand among ferns and large trees in Netflix's first look at the Wood Between the Worlds.Netflix / photograph by Peter Mountain

Netflix’s first official photos of Greta Gerwig’s Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew are here. The release plan has three dates: IMAX-only sneak previews begin February 10, 2027; the film opens widely in theaters and IMAX on February 12; and it reaches Netflix on April 2. The six-image reveal is new this week. Those dates are the current plan, not all newly announced with the photos.

Gerwig wrote the screenplay and directs the film, which Netflix describes as the first screen adaptation of C. S. Lewis’s The Magician’s Nephew. Its official logline frames the story around the creation of Narnia.

What do the first-look photos show?

Netflix identifies the wooded realm in the photos as the Wood Between the Worlds, a place connecting other universes. One image shows Digory, played by David McKenna, and Polly, played by Beatrice Campbell, standing together amid the greenery. The still establishes the setting and the two young leads; it does not, by itself, tell us which scene of the book is being adapted.

Other first-look images identify Daniel Craig as Uncle Andrew and Emma Mackey as Jadis. Craig appears in a room crowded with equipment and beams of light. Mackey stands in a silver outfit on a street as people move behind her. Netflix also published a behind-the-scenes photograph of Gerwig at work. These are production stills, not an official trailer or a sequence of confirmed plot events.

Daniel Craig as Uncle Andrew in a room filled with equipment in Netflix's Narnia first look.

Daniel Craig as Uncle Andrew. Credit: Netflix / photograph by Peter Mountain.

Emma Mackey as Jadis wearing a silver outfit on a city street in Netflix's Narnia first look.

Emma Mackey as Jadis. Credit: Netflix / photograph by Peter Mountain.

Who is in the cast?

Netflix’s current list names David McKenna, Beatrice Campbell, Emma Mackey, Carey Mulligan, Ciarán Hinds, Daniel Craig, Meryl Streep, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, Denise Gough and Susan Wokoma. Its photo captions identify McKenna as Digory, Campbell as Polly, Craig as Uncle Andrew and Mackey as Jadis. The source does not assign roles to every other actor in that list, so those parts should stay open for now.

Why start with The Magician’s Nephew?

Lewis published The Magician’s Nephew in 1955, five years after The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. In the story’s internal chronology, however, it explains how Narnia begins. That makes Gerwig’s choice an origin-story entry point rather than a remake of the best-known earlier film adaptation. Netflix has described the creation of Narnia as the film’s central premise; it has not laid out every scene or how closely the screenplay follows each episode of the book.

How will the theatrical and streaming release work?

Netflix says the February 10 previews are IMAX-only. The February 12 opening is wide and global in theaters and IMAX, followed by the April 2 Netflix debut. Netflix says it will handle domestic theatrical distribution, while Sony Pictures Entertainment will distribute outside North America. Local cinema listings will provide the practical theater and showtime details closer to release.

The film’s original score is by Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt, who previously worked with Gerwig on Barbie. Netflix has not announced a runtime or a trailer date in this first-look package. For now, the photos and official logline are the reliable guide to what has actually been shown.

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Aram Anwar

Founder & Editor

Aram Anwar founded Red Reactions and writes across comics, gaming, movies and television. His work includes franchise guides and large Lore / Explained features, with an emphasis on separating confirmed details from reports, theory and speculation.

Coverage: Comics · DC & Marvel · Gaming · Movies & TV · Lore / Explained · Guides

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