{"id":927315,"date":"2026-10-14T02:16:13","date_gmt":"2026-10-14T02:16:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/927315\/"},"modified":"2026-10-14T02:16:13","modified_gmt":"2026-10-14T02:16:13","slug":"greta-gerwigs-narnia-has-big-rock-musical-energy-russh","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/927315\/","title":{"rendered":"Greta Gerwig’s ‘Narnia’ has big rock musical energy- RUSSH"},"content":{"rendered":"

Of course, a great many of us have now seen what Gerwig did with Barbie\u00a0\u2013 a children’s doll more polarising than pineapple on pizza. And after the film’s resounding critical and commercial success, it’s no surprise that we’re waiting with bated breath to see what the director will transform C.S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia in a series of films for Netflix.<\/p>\n

While the classic Narnia books and the original 2000s adaptations leant into the more typical fantasy genre, it seems \u2013 the closer we get to Gerwig’s release date \u2013 that she has taken a different turn. Unsurprising, when you see the director flipped the script with\u00a0Barbie\u00a0and\u00a0Little Women.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For her latest IP adaptation, Gerwig seems to be channelling the rock musicals of the 70s (think\u00a0Tommy or Hedwig and the Angry Inch). We already had some evidence to suggest such a direction from the soundtrack credits, but now a Zeppelin-backed trailer has been dropped, the case is all but closed.<\/p>\n

For all the evidence \u2013 and everything we know so far about Greta Gerwig’s\u00a0Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew adaptation \u2013 read on.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

A Led-Zeppelin backed trailer<\/p>\n

Released Wednesday 14 October, the trailer is backed by a soundtrack of Led Zeppelin’s\u00a0Stairway to Heaven\u00a0(those in the know will know that Zeppelin’s songs are notoriously difficult to procure film rights to, so hopefully this means we’re in for a real treat…)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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Mark Ronson is giving us a rock score<\/p>\n

At its first test screenings, the unfinished two-hour directors cut reportedly had a contemporary, rock-influenced soundtrack. We’ve already confirmed that DJ and producer Mark Ronson would be serving at the helm of the film’s score \u2013 but what we didn’t expect was for him to spin anachronistic, 1960s\/70s rock tunes to accompany its 1950s setting.<\/p>\n

Reports circulating on Narnia fan threads online<\/a> say the soundtrack spans influences like Pink Floyd and The Doors. Even the film’s producer, Amy Pascal, made a similar remark in 2024, when she infamously described the project as \u201call about rock and roll.”<\/p>\n

“This is not your mother\u2019s or your Grandmother\u2018s Narnia,” Pascal went on to say. “The music in it is unbelievably contemporary music, which IMAX fans like.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Meryl Streep’s Aslan is based on David Bowie<\/p>\n

And what’s more rock and roll than that, really?<\/p>\n

“I wanted someone who was profound but not pretentious, who had gravitas but not morose self-seriousness,” Gerwig shared in an <\/a>interview<\/a> with Empire. “Someone who could communicate depth and pathos as well as joy and delight.”<\/p>\n

The inspiration for Aslan\u2019s appearance in Gerwig\u2019s adaptation is David Bowie<\/a> (another rock musical legend), with his mismatched eyes and red facial stripe paying homage to the late musician. Gerwig has said that Bowie\u2019s music gives her a deep sense of reassurance \u2013 a feeling of, \u201cYou\u2019re gonna be OK.\u201d That influence extends beyond Aslan\u2019s appearance, informing the film\u2019s rock-opera soundtrack and the world Gerwig has built around it.<\/p>\n

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\u00a0<\/p>\n

When will it be released?<\/p>\n

Gerwig’s first film in the series, Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew will hit cinemas (including IMAX) next year on Friday 12 February 2027. There will be special IMAX sneak previews starting from Wednesday 10 February too.<\/p>\n

In terms of streaming, the film will premiere exclusively on Netflix<\/a> on Friday 2 April 2027.<\/p>\n

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\u00a0<\/p>\n

It takes place after The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe<\/p>\n

Reportedly, the film is set to follows the plot of The Magician\u2019s Nephew, which is the sixth novel in C.S. Lewis\u2019 series.<\/p>\n

Producer Amy Pascal revealed to Deadline that production for the film is set to begin next July, adding: \u201c[It will be] a very new take on Narnia. It\u2019s all about rock and roll.”<\/p>\n

The CEO of Netflix<\/a> has shared a similar sentiment, saying the project “will be bigger and bolder than [fans] thought.”<\/p>\n

As for the specifics, so far, we know that Gerwig is expected to helm at least two of the upcoming Narnia\u00a0films for the streamer, which will mark her first foray into the world of fantasy. However, based on an interview she gave on the Total Film<\/a> podcast, the project is still very much in its infancy. “I haven\u2019t even really started wrapping my arms around it, but I\u2019m properly scared of it, which feels like a good place to start,” she said.<\/p>\n

Still, Gerwig’s affiliation with this project marks a new direction for where she plans to proceed with her career. \u201cI hope to make all different kinds of movies in the course of the time I get to make movies, which \u2013 it\u2019s a long time, but it\u2019s also limited,\u201d she said per Total Film. \u201cI want to do big things and small things and everywhere in between, and having another big canvas is exciting and also daunting.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Charli XCX was *almost* the White Witch<\/p>\n

Back in March of last year, Deadline broke the news that <\/a>Charli XCX<\/a> was among the top choices for a key role in the film, heavily rumoured to be the main villain, the White Witch (Jadis). However, reporting later revealed that she did not land the part<\/a>, and Gerwig ultimately moved on to test and cast Emma Mackey<\/a> for the role.<\/p>\n

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\u00a0<\/p>\n

Who is confirmed in the cast?<\/p>\n

Confirmed main cast members include:<\/p>\n

David McKenna as Digory Kirke
\nBeatrice Campbell as Polly Plummer
\nEmma Mackey as Jadis (The White Witch)
\nDaniel Craig as Uncle Andrew Ketterley
\nCarey Mulligan as Mabel Kirke
\nMeryl Streep as the voice of Aslan
\nDenise Gough as Aunt Letty Ketterley
\nKobna Holdbrook-Smith as King Frank
\nSusan Wokoma as Queen Helen
\nCiar\u00e1n Hinds in an undisclosed role.<\/p>\n

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