'The Magician's Nephew': Everything We Know About Greta Gerwig's Narnia Movie
There's less than a year left until Narnia returns to the big screen.
Greta Gerwig's first fantasy movie is one of the most highly anticipated projects of 2026. Announced two years ago, the latest adaptation of C. S. Lewis' novel series finally began filming in August 2025 after extensive pre-production.
The Magician's Nephew won't continue the Disney trilogy, offering a new take on the story. Here is everything we know about Narnia's return to the big screen.
When Will 'Narnia: The Magician's Nephew' Be Released?
The movie, currently under the working title The Magician's Nephew, is scheduled for release on November 26, 2026, with a subsequent Christmas release on Netflix.
Initially, Netflix planned to release the movie online. However, at Gerwig's insistence, the streaming platform negotiated with IMAX for a nationwide theatrical release of The Magician's Nephew almost a month before its release date.
What Will 'Narnia: The Magician's Nephew' Be About?
The movie is based on the sixth book in the series, The Magician's Nephew. Despite its sequential number, The Magician's Nephew chronologically precedes the other novels and provides the backstory of Narnia.
The plot follows children Digory Kirke and Polly Plummer, who meet while playing in Victorian London. They find themselves in the study of Digory's uncle, Andrew Ketterley.
There, Polly accidentally touches a magic ring and is transported to another world. Uncle Andrew reveals his fascination with magic and gives Digory another magic ring to find and rescue Polly.
As they journey through different worlds, they uncover the origins of the White Witch, meet the talking lion Aslan, and learn why a wardrobe will eventually become a portal to Narnia.
Whether Greta Gerwig will follow the book closely will only be revealed in a year. However, it is now known that the setting will be a different time period – instead of the turn of the 20th century, the characters will be in 1950s Great Britain.
Who Is in the Cast of 'Narnia: The Magician's Nephew'?
The main characters will be played by two aspiring young actors, each of whom has played only one other role. David McKenna will play Digory. He will also soon appear in the new BBC adaptation of Lord of the Flies.
Beatrice Campbell, who can be seen as Zsa-Zsa Korda's daughter in Wes Anderson's The Phoenician Scheme, has been cast as Polly.
Emma Mackey will play the White Witch. Carey Mulligan's character is also known – she will portray Mabel Kirke, Digory's mother. Daniel Craig and Meryl Streep have also joined the cast.
Rumor has it that Craig will play the eccentric Uncle Andrew, and Streep will voice Aslan.
