There's A Reason The Magician's Nephew Doesn't Feel Like Narnia (& It's A Problem)

Published Oct 14, 2026, 7:00 AM EDT

Once head of Screen Rant's Star Wars coverage and co-lead of Superheroes, Tom Bacon now works with the movies and books teams. He's a lifelong fan of the fantasy and sci-fi genres, and loves franchises such as Doctor Who and Marvel. You can find him on Twitter @TomABacon, on LinkedIn @tabacon, or on Muckrack under tombacon.

Tom has a wide range of interests, and he continues to serve his university as a volunteer chaplain. He's heavily involved with his local church, and anyone who checks him out on Twitter will swiftly learn he's into British politics too.

We finally have actual footage from Greta Gerwig's The Magician's Nephew, beginning a dramatic reinvention of The Chronicles of Narnia. Gerwig has made major changes to Narnia, committing to a full-scale fantasy vibe that looks visually stunning. The first trailer for The Magician's Nephew culminates in a fantastic shot of Aslan creating the world, because this is literally the beginning of Narnia, the world's "Genesis" if you like.

First reactions have been divided. We already knew this was going to happen; there's already been a vocal backlash to Gerwig's Narnia project, covering everything from the casting of Meryl Streep as Aslan to the curious decision to shift the film forward in time. Some criticisms are bad faith, but — as someone who grew up with the books — I confess I'm yet to be persuaded by Gerwig's vision. But there's a simple reason; even after this trailer, I haven't seen it.

The Magician's Nephew Doesn't "Feel" Like Narnia

But There's A Good Reason For That

Every film or TV adaptation faces a problem when it comes to bringing a fantasy world to life; readers already have a deep relationship with that world, an idea of how things look or (more accurately, if imprecisely) "feel." Narnia is one of the most beloved fantasy worlds of all, one people are drawn to as children, and invited to imagine. The Magician's Nephew just doesn't "feel" like Narnia, meaning some viewers have found the trailer a little underwhelming. I confess that I am one of those, although I'm open to being persuaded.

But this is, surprisingly, by design: Gerwig is adapting The Magician's Nephew, which isn't generally considered the best Narnia story. It's literally C.S. Lewis' version of Genesis, with Aslan roaring Narnia into being (just as God spoke worlds into motion in Genesis). Where Genesis dives into the newly-created world, The Magician's Nephew doesn't get to Narnia until the third act. It spends most of its time in the real world, then on the sinister, doomed planet Charn. The trailer is faithful to this, because Narnia itself appears only for a fraction of a second, as the lion roars.

And this is the real problem with The Magician's Nephew, one rooted in the very decision to make this movie in the first place. There's a reason most Narnia adaptations start with the most popular story, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. This is a traditional portal fantasy that properly introduces Narnia, with Lewis only going back to write the prequel years later. Gerwig hopes to make all seven books, but by design, she's only giving us the briefest glimpse of her Narnia vision. It may well be fantastic and compelling, but we just haven't seen it yet.

The Magician's Nephew is one of Netflix's most expensive movies ever, with a production budget of $280 million. Greta Gerwig is a fantastic filmmaker and a devotee of C.S. Lewis (the cosmic Aslan is reminiscent of his Perelandra trilogy rather than Narnia, showcasing just how familiar she is with his wider works). But The Magician's Nephew may not be the right launchpad for the story she wants to tell, simply because it doesn't present her vision for Narnia itself. Hopefully, future trailers will give us more of a glimpse of the world Aslan creates, winning audiences over. Personally, right now, the jury's out.

Question 1 of 3

Cast

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  David McKenna

  Digory Kirke

• Beatrice Campbell

  Polly Plummer

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  Jadis / The White Witch

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  Carey Mulligan

  Mabel Kirke