Netflix officially confirms fate of Greta Gerwig's ‘Narnia’ reboot
Netflix has officially confirmed the fate of the highly anticipated upcoming movie 'Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew,' written for the screen and directed by Greta Gerwig. The streaming platform giant announced Tuesday that it has finalized global theatrical release plans for the movie, with Sony Pictures Entertainment handling international distribution. 'Narnia: The Magician's Nephew' will release in IMAX on February 12, 2027. Following its theatrical run, the movie will be available to stream exclusively on Netflix from April 2, 2027.
In recent years, Netflix and Sony Pictures Entertainment have established a strong track record of partnership, which stretches to the landmark global pay-1 licensing deal. Under the terms of this deal, as revealed by Netflix, Sony Pictures Entertainment feature films stream worldwide on Netflix following the end of their full theatrical and home entertainment windows. Such an arrangement is an industry first for pay 1. Moreover, it was previously confirmed that 'Narnia: The Magician's Nephew' is set to be Netflix's first wide release and the streaming platform's debut foray into releasing a movie exclusively in film theatres for a minimum period of 45 days. The film was initially scheduled to debut exclusively on 1,000 IMAX screens on November 26 this year, followed by a Netflix debut on December 25, before the release date was pushed to 2027.
The upcoming movie will be the first-ever film adaptation of 'The Magician's Nephew,' written by author C. S. Lewis and first published back on May 2, 1955. The source material holds particular significance for Gerwig, as she has been captivated by Narnia since childhood. The cast includes newcomers Beatrice Campbell and David McKenna, alongside other seasoned players such as Carey Mulligan, Daniel Craig, Meryl Streep, Emma Mackey, and Kobna Holdbrook-Smith. Netflix is responsible for the domestic distribution of the film, which will receive a wide release all across North America. The streaming platform further revealed, "The film will play in major theatrical chains, including AMC, Regal, Cinemark, Cineplex, Marcus and Harkins, along with thousands of regional and independent theaters."
In a recently released statement, Dan Lin, Chairman of Netflix film, noted, "Greta’s Narnia is exactly the kind of bold, ambitious filmmaking we love to champion. While most of our films debut on Netflix, sometimes a film like this comes along and we can give the filmmaker a different canvas and fans a theatrical experience that complements its Netflix release. I can’t wait for people to discover Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew, and then fall in love with it again and again, streaming on Netflix." The upcoming film is produced by Gerwig, Vincent Sieber-Smith, Mark Gordon, and Amy Pascal.
