First Look at Aslan Creating Narnia in Greta Gerwig’s Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew Revealed

The first look at Aslan from Greta Gerwig’s Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew has been revealed exclusively by Empire.

In Gerwig’s Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew, Aslan plays a major role, as he is the mythical lion at the heart of C. S. Lewis’ Narnia saga. Gerwig’s version of Aslan features heterochromic eyes and a bold red-striped face. The design of Aslan is inspired by David Bowie, one of Gerwig’s key creative influences.

Meryl Streep voices Aslan in the Narnia movie. Streep is reuniting with Gerwig after previously working with her on Little Women.

In the image below, you can see an epic first look at Aslan creating Narnia itself, featured on a cover by concept artist Jaime Jones, who worked on the film. It shows Aslan literally bringing the magical world of Narnia to life.

Speaking to Empire, Gerwig discussed why she cast Meryl Streep as Aslan in Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew. Gerwig said she wanted a very specific voice and one of the greatest actors of all time to voice Aslan. She said the list of actors who fit all these qualities “is not a long one,” and she cast Meryl Streep as the voice of Aslan.

Gerwig said, “I wanted someone who was profound but not pretentious, who had gravitas but not morose self-seriousness. Someone who could communicate depth and pathos as well as joy and delight.”

She added, “I wanted someone who was older than 70, so there was a wisdom of experience, but who also had the capacity for fresh wonder, like a child. And also to be one of the greatest actors to ever do it. That list is not a long one.”

Below, you can see the first look at Emma Mackey as the White Witch in Greta Gerwig’s Narnia.

Written and directed by Gerwig, the fantasy adventure adapts The Magician’s Nephew, the sixth book in the series. The story takes place before The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and focuses on how Aslan created Narnia.

Here’s the official logline: “Academy Award–nominated filmmaker Greta Gerwig brings C. S. Lewis’s beloved story The Magician’s Nephew to the screen for the first time in a sweeping adventure that invites dreamers of all ages to experience the creation of Narnia.” 

The cast of Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew includes David McKenna as Digory Kirke, Beatrice Campbell as Polly Plummer, Emma Mackey as Jadis, the future White Witch and last Queen of Charn, Carey Mulligan as Mabel Kirke, Digory’s mother, Daniel Craig as Andrew Ketterley, Digory’s uncle, Ciarán Hinds, Meryl Streep, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, Denise Gough, Susan Wokoma, Tom Bonington as Mr. Potts, Ava Jager as Violet Plummer, Polly’s sister, Gerard Monaco, James Murray, and Samantha Spiro.

Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew is produced by Mark Gordon, Amy Pascal, Vincent Sieber-Smith, and Gerwig, and executive produced by Patricia Whitcher and Douglas Gresham and Melvin Adams for the C. S. Lewis Estate. The film is co-produced by Christine Crais. Netflix will handle domestic distribution for Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew, and Sony Pictures Entertainment will distribute the film outside of North America.

Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew will have IMAX previews on February 10, 2027, before its worldwide theatrical release on February 12, excluding France. The film will then begin streaming on Netflix on April 2.