It's official! There's an exciting new update regarding the production of Netflix's upcoming adaptation of The Chronicles of Narnia. In mid-August, filming finally began in London and Shepperton Studios, Surrey, England.
Directed by the talented and renowned American screenwriter, Greta Gerwig, this new Narnia film will focus on The Magician's Nephew, written by British author C.S. Lewis in 1955. While this particular novel is the sixth published one in The Chronicles of Narnia out of seven, it's chronologically the first story set in the wondrous yet perilous world of Narnia.
What is The Magician's Nephew about?
The novel is set in the summer of 1900 in London, where two children, Digory and Polly, dabble with magic rings, which transport them to the "Wood between the Worlds," a forest with several pools that lead to multiple universes. As they begin to explore, they find themselves in the world of Charn, a desolate and terrible place, and unknowingly awaken the witch Jadis, who follows them back to England. As mayhem ensues, Polly and Diggory must face Jadis and will try to stop her from destroying their world as well, without knowing that this will only be the beginning of a fantastical set of events.
Thanks to multiple photos taken by fans and onlookers, it's been surmised that the film's historical background has been moved up in time to the 1950s. This change would undoubtedly set in motion an interesting timeline shift, as it is commonly known that the subsequent story to adapt within Gerwig's new Narnia universe would be The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, which was also adapted back in 2005 by Walt Disney Pictures and Walden Media. This second story is set in a London under siege during World War II.
These hypothetical time changes are only speculations so far, and we won't know for sure what the film's official setting will be until more official information is released. However, what we do know so far are some casting members, including British-French actress Emma Mackey as Jadis, the White Witch, David McKenna as Digory Kirke, Beatrice Campbell as Polly Plumber, and Carey Mulligan as Mabel Kirke. Actors Daniel Craig and Meryl Streep have also been cast, though their characters haven't been unveiled as of August 2025.
Previous adaptations of The Chronicles of Narnia
Lewis' Narnia stories have previously been adapted for television, including in 1967, 1979, and between 1988 and 1990. The most common Narnia adaptations were those produced by Walden Media and Walt Disney between 2005 and 2010, obtaining over a billion dollars at the box office.
The two Disney films mainly focused on the Pevensie siblings travelling to Narnia, and later meeting iconic characters such as Mr Tumnus, Aslan, The White Witch, and Prince Caspian. While there were plans to further adapt the entire chronicles, due to the author's rights already belonging to Netflix, plans were halted until now.
Gerwig's film official title was revealed to be Narnia: The Magician's Nephew and is set to be released in November 2026 for the Thanksgiving season. In an interesting and perhaps wise move, the film will be released both on Netflix and in theatres.