Adaptation of CS Lewis’s beloved children’s book series The Chronicles of Narnia is no easy task, and certainly one ripe for some online controversy.
So it’s probably no surprise that the trailer (below) for Netflix’s adaptation of The magician’s nephew – chronologically the first novel in Lewis’s seven-book series – sparks strong reactions on social media.
The adaptation had already received some pushback from conservative media figures before the trailer’s release, given that the Christian allegory is adapted by barbie writer-director Greta Gerwig, who also made the sacrilegious decision to cast Meryl Streep as the voice of the franchise’s Jesus figure, Aslan.
Now the Narnia: the magician’s nephew the trailer dropped in all its glittery glam rock glory, set to the tune of Led Zeppelin’s famous, hard-to-license “Stairway to Heaven,” and reactions are everywhere.
The most common pushback concerns the trailer’s psychedelic space-rock visuals, with many comparing the project to a Marvel movie. Some jokes from the official YouTube video and on Reddit and X: “Narnia: Rangarok“, “They managed to Thor: Love and Thunder Narnia, “Guardians of the Galaxy from Narnia“, “Aslan the Lion will return in Avengers: Apocalypse.”
Many said they loved the trailer and that it exceeded their expectations.
“The trailer for The magician’s nephew is, hands down, the best trailer I’ve seen in years. They definitely lean towards the pagan side of Narnia. Another: “The men were preemptively furious about this one, but I recognize pretty much every scene and line (in the book). This seems to be a very faithful adaptation with a sort of rock opera twist. And: “Greta Gerwig filling the budget ‘Dark Crystal/Labyrinth by Jim Henson + Harry Potter by Chris Columbus + Led Zeppelin + budget blockbuster’ wasn’t on my bingo card, but it looks fantastic.”
Some agreed that they liked the trailer – but not as an adaptation of Narnia.
“Visually stunning trailer, but nothing really struck me that indicated this was a Narnia movie,” one wrote. And: “This might be the most conflicted feeling I’ve ever had about a trailer. It looks awesome and, honestly, it’s going to have this ethereal, awed quality to it. I just wish it wasn’t Narnia she was doing this with.”
Others are simply packaged in bulk on the trailer.
“Who could have imagined that giving away a series of legendary and beloved books like THE Chronicles of Narnia in modern Hollywood would result in a bizarre and disastrous dream interpretation with some of the worst CGI backgrounds ever filmed? And: “It’s a great example of how something can lose its soul through overuse of CGI… Netflix’s The Massacre of Narnia visuals literally look like they were made with AI.” » And: “I am absolutely not impressed. This isn’t Narnia. It is Thor: Love and Thunder And barbie had a baby. They make the boy a coward, the girl an adventurer, and Aslan is supposed to be the pinnacle of masculinity.
The cast includes David McKenna, Beatrice Campbell, Emma Mackey, Carey Mulligan, Ciarán Hinds, with Daniel Craig and Meryl Streep, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, Denise Gough and Susan Wokoma. Netflix will be released Narnia: the magician’s nephew in theaters and Imax on February 12, 2027.
Gn entert
