Dawn Images

“Sometimes, one story is the beginning of all the others.” So goes the opening line of Netflix’s first trailer for Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew, released on Tuesday.

The familiar voice delivering it belongs to none other than Daniel Craig, who is the titular magician.

In what looks like a nod to the 2005 The Chronicles of Narnia movie, we also see a wardrobe, but whether or not it is the same one is for us to find out.

The story revolves around Digory and Polly, two children played by newcomers David McKenna and Beatrice Campbell, who discover what appears to be an attic door to “other worlds”, as Polly puts it.

Craig then gives Digory a ring that transports them to a magical realm. What follows is a montage of different adventures the children get to go on and we also see some familiar characters such as Jadis, the White Witch, played by Emma Mackey and, of course, Aslan, the talking lion, who will be voiced by Meryl Streep.

Is there a lot of nostalgia to mine here for those raised on the 2005 movie? Not really. The trailer makes it clear that this is going to be a completely different experience. It could be a good thing as this movie comes almost 16 years after The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, the last instalment of the original film series, which means The Magician’s Nephew is meant for a whole new generation of CS Lewis fans.

Plus, it’s being directed by Greta Gerwig, the vision behind Little Women and Barbie — both of which were commercial and critical successes — so the movie is in experienced hands.

Ever since it was announced in 2023 that Netflix tapped Gerwig for a Narnia reboot, expectations have remained high. After watching the first trailer, we can safely say we’re in for a big adventure.

The Magician’s Nephew will be released in theatres on February 12 and stream on Netflix on April 2 next year.