{"id":2149918,"date":"2026-09-17T17:41:11","date_gmt":"2026-09-17T14:41:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2149918"},"modified":"2026-09-17T17:41:11","modified_gmt":"2026-09-17T14:41:11","slug":"first-look-at-david-bowie-inspired-aslan-in-greta-gerwigs-rock-opera-narnia-the-magicians-nephew","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2149918","title":{"rendered":"First Look at David Bowie-Inspired Aslan in Greta Gerwig’s ‘Rock-Opera’ Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Narnia: The Magician\u2019s Nephew<\/a> sounds like a very different movie than most expected.<\/p>\n

The upcoming fantasy blockbuster directed by Barbie’s Greta Gerwig will be exclusive to theaters from its release on February 12, with IMAX previews beginning on February 10, before hitting Netflix on April 2.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted a rock opera. I wanted it to be big and transporting,\u201d Gerwig said in an interview with Empire<\/a> to discuss the \u201cground-up retelling\u201d of C. S. Lewis\u2019 stories. The movie does not adapt the much-loved classic The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe, but the Narnia origin story. It isn\u2019t set in the early 1900s, but post-war \u201850s Britain.<\/p>\n

Narnia: The Magician\u2019s Nephew is not a musical, but it is inspired by rock opera, in particular British rock from the \u201860s and \u201870s. So, expect lots of Bowie-style glam.<\/p>\n

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David Bowie performs during his Ziggy Stardust era in 1973 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Michael Ochs Archives\/Getty Images.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cNarnia is literally a world made out of music,\u201d Gerwig said. \u201cIt is a world sung to life by Aslan, and rock \u2019n\u2019 roll to me felt like a world made out of music.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Netflix released a first-look at Aslan, the powerful cosmic lion who sings Narnia into existence with his magnificent song. Gerwig\u2019s take on Aslan is directly inspired by Bowie\u2019s most famous character, Ziggy Stardust, complete with heterochromic eyes and a red-striped visage. He\u2019s voiced by Meryl Streep.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted someone who was profound but not pretentious, who had gravitas but not morose self-seriousness,\u201d Gerwig said. \u201cSomeone who could communicate depth and pathos as well as joy and delight. I wanted someone who was older than 70, so there was a wisdom of experience, but who also had the capacity of 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Magician’s Nephew is chronologically the first book in C. S. Lewis’ beloved Narnia series<\/u><\/a>, though most adaptations to date have begun with The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe \u2014 the first Narnia story published, and by far the most famous. Indeed, The Magician’s Nephew has never been adapted for the screen until now.<\/p>\n

Clearly, though, Netflix hopes that this fresh entry point into the franchise will be a successful start to its plans for the series, with an all-star cast and years of work to bring the story to life. Carey Mulligan, Daniel Craig, Emma Mackey, Ciar\u00e1n Hinds and the aforementioned Meryl Streep all feature in the film, with its young leads played by newcomers David McKenna and Beatrice Campbell.<\/p>\n

PHOTO BY PETER MOUNTAIN.<\/em><\/p>\n

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\"Wesley<\/div>\n

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Wesley Yin-Poole<\/div>\n

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Director, News<\/div>\n

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