Although we’ve yet to see a single clip of footage from Netflix’s Narnia, the film has already created a lot of buzz online in recent weeks. Firstly, because the streaming network decided to delay the film and allow it a 49-day theatrical window. And secondly, because reports (via The Town podcast) suggest that Greta Gerwig’s Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew might be one of their most expensive movie.
To date, not much is known about the film. We’ve heard about the cast and the filmmakers involved, but we haven’t seen a trailer or a teaser yet – just a few behind-the-scenes images. Producer Mark Gordon also gave us some crumbs about what to expect and also revealed that the film would be CGI-heavy.
But we still don’t know who’s playing Aslan. And we still don’t know if The Magician’s Nephew will keep the Christian aspects of C. S. Lewis’ books.
What we do know is that Netflix is very confident in the film. Why else would they move the release date to February 12, 2027? That’s Super Bowl weekend – the one time of the year everyone is indoors and glued to their televisions. It’s the time period big studios usually ignore. Choosing that date means that the streaming service believes they truly have something special. The next Barbie, perhaps.
Maybe that’s why they were willing to invest more than $320 million for the film’s budget, at least that’s what Matt Belloni reported on The Town podcast. That figure is higher or on par with The Electric State‘s $320 million, The Irishman‘s $225 million, and The Gray Man‘s $200 million. Unfortunately, that’s not exactly a list of strong winners either. But if Belloni’s right, it puts Narnia at the top of the list.
Well, Belloni was a little off. But not by much. In a recent podcast appearance, the film’s cinematographer Seamus McGarvey gave more clarity around the budget – which is actually around $280 million (which is actually still enough to make it one of Netflix’s most expensive productions). The only film with a higher budget was the Russo Brother’s Electric State (which cost Netflix $320 million). Speaking at a masterclass, McGarvey described the Narnia production as “the biggest budget hand-knitted project,” adding that the team brought “a dream of poetry in our souls” to the shoot.
Given that information, now, the movie theater release makes a lot more sense. Even though Ted Sarandos swore that theatrical releases aren’t the company’s model, they’d be silly not to get back some of their money from ticket sales.
Maybe all of this fits with what IMAX chief Rich Gelfond said at their first-ever Investors Day in New York late last year. His words: Gerwig’s movie will “change the world” and “create a cultural event.” Those are big words. But it’s clear both IMAX and Netflix believe it.
A new press release from Netflix has officially confirmed the main cast members for Greta Gerwig’s upcoming adaptation, and includes a few surprising names, Academy Award-nominated actor Ciarán Hinds, in an as-yet undisclosed role. He played Mance Rayder in Game of Throne, Dumbledore’s brother in the final Harry Potter film, and also voiced Steppenwolf in Zack Snyder’s Justice League. Could he be the voice of Aslan in the film?
The list of names includes David McKenna, Beatrice Campbell, Emma Mackey, Carey Mulligan, Ciarán Hinds, Daniel Craig, Meryl Streep, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, Denise Gough, and Susan Wokoma.
The press release also reveals Greta Gerwig’s excitement for the upcoming film. “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,” she writes in the post.
“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. 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,” Gerwig continues. “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.”
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Narnia doesn’t have “aspects” of Christianity it is entirely and foundationally Christian. Removing that foundation would be a perversion of C.S. Lewis’s writing and would be supremely disrespectful to his legacy.