The Lion, Lady Bird, and the Streaming Service

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Soon, friends, family, and co-workers will be re-ingrained in the Great Debate: “Sure, Turkish delight is good, but is it good enough to sell out your family to a gorgeous evil witch?” Greta Gerwig, fresh off momentous Barbie success, is getting back to a project she was already working on. Gerwig had already started writing a draft of her upcoming adaptation of C.S. Lewis’s Narnia stories before even beginning the filming of Barbie, she told Time in a February 21 profile. The project was first revealed in July 2023, with Gerwig making at least two movies in the series. Slowly but surely, details about the series, including which Barbie is reportedly joining the cast as the White Witch, are eking out about the next entry in the Great Battle for Fantasy. So far, Gerwig looks to be winning, after convincing Netflix to show the film on Imax screens. When fighting in the streaming wars, it’s always good to have a resurrected lion Jesus — especially one who might be played by Meryl Streep — on your side.

Which of Narnia’s Chronicles, exactly?

Gerwig may be chronicling Narnia, but there’s a lot of lore in that world, and two movies wouldn’t come close to covering the whole series. Makes sense for at least one to be based on The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, the first book written and the best-known entry into the series. Per The Hollywood Reporter, Gerwig is tackling The Magician’s Nephew, which is the sixth book in the series. Still, the original series’ release pattern eschewed chronological order. Lewis first put out TLTWTW in 1950, continued the series for three chronological installments in 1951 to 1953, put out two separate prequels, The Horse and His Boy (1954) and The Magician’s Nephew (1955), and then ended the series with The Last Battle in 1956. The Disney- and Fox-released film series in the 2000s only made three movies, never getting to the planned adaptation of the fourth-released book, The Silver Chair, despite a 2014 fan contest to name the film’s antagonist. Those films avoided the prequels altogether, as did the 1988–90 BBC series. In November 2023, Scott Stuber, the then–film chief of Netflix, told Variety that, while The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is the “preeminent” book, Gerwig was working on how to “break the whole arc of all of [the series].”

So, what do we know?

Gerwig told Time that she was drawn to the “paradox of the worlds that Lewis created,” through the combination of mythologies like Greek fauns, Father Christmas, and the British Empire. Ted Sarandos, meanwhile, told the magazine that Gerwig’s version of the story will be “bigger and bolder” than what audiences imagine. Lewis’s version of the story is deeply associated with Christianity to the point where “Talking Narnia to Your Neighbors” is a real 2005 headline from the Evangelizing website Today’s Christian Woman. In terms of adaptation, Stuber confirmed to Variety in his November interview that Gerwig’s version is “rooted in faith,” Previous examples of Gerwig’s work being informed by Christianity include Lady Bird eating non-blessed communion wafers, Lady Bird getting suspended for sassing a pro-life activist, and Barbie killing God. This time, Susan Pevensie, the deicide’s on you.

Who’s in the cast?

At least one Barbie, because the White Witch will reportedly be played by Barbie and Sex Education star Emma Mackey. According to the The Hollywood Reporter, she beat out Margaret Qualley and multiple other actresses who were interested in the role (Deadline previously reported that Charli XCX could potentially trade her brat green to play the White Witch.) Meanwhile, Meryl Streep is said to be in talks to star as Aslan. Yes, the lion.

No casting has been confirmed by Netflix, but you know rumors are swirling. Gerwig’s frequent collaborator Saoirse Ronan was one of the first names associated with the project, but she said last fall that the director “hasn’t asked me yet.” More recently, in February, World of Reel mentioned Natalie Portman, Daisy Ridley, Brie Larson, and Selena Gomez as stars interested in Gerwig’s project. Mikey Madison piqued Gerwig’s interest after her Best Actress win for Anora, per The Hollywood Reporter.

However, Gerwig and Netflix still haven’t confirmed which Narnia books she’s adapting. Fan site NarniaWeb reported in January that Gerwig was looking to cast a boy and girl ages 10 and 11 in the U.K. The site noted that this lines up with the ages of Digory and Polly in Narnia prequel The Magician’s Nephew.

When is this coming out?

Gerwig’s first movie is set to hit Imax screens on Thanksgiving 2026 after a big win in negotiations with Netflix. The film then won’t be available on streaming until Christmas. It’s unclear if the same will happen for Gerwig’s second Narnia movie.