'Sex Education' Star to Lead Greta Gerwig's 'Narnia'

Director Greta Gerwig has found her White Witch. The Oscar-nominated director and screenwriter has tapped Sex Education star Emma Mackey to play one of children's literature's most iconic villains in her new Netflix adaptation of C.S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia. Mackey previously appeared in Gerwig's blockbuster Barbie, but the role of an evil sorceress who plunges Narnia into an endless winter is quite a swerve. 

In another intriguing twist, Gerwig's Narnia film franchise will reportedly not begin with Lewis's most famous novel, but rather its prequel. Although The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe was the first Narnia book to be published, its story is not the first to take place chronologically. The Magician's Nephew is the sixth installment in the series, but its events occur a thousand years before those of Wardrobe, and chronicle the creation of Narnia itself. Its primary story is set in Victorian England. It follows Polly Plummer and Digory Kirke, two young children who essentially discover the multiverse through what is known as "the Wood Between the Worlds". (If the name sounds familiar, it's because Professor Kirke, who appears as the elderly owner of the house that holds the wardrobe.)

The book's hefty middle section not only explains how Aslan's world came into being, but the origins of many of the foreign elements in Narnia, from the lamp-post in the middle of nowhere, the existence of a human king and queen, and the presence of the White Witch herself, whose name we learn is Jadis. As you probably expected, much of this story echoes the biblical creation recounted in the Book of Genesis, but with a decidedly fantastical flair.

Here's the synopsis for The Magician's Nephew. 

One touch of a magical ring sends two friends hurtling into another world and accidentally releases an evil sorceress from her enchanted sleep. Hungry for ultimate power, she’s determined to destroy everyone—and every world—in her path. But a song from the Great Lion, Aslan, awakens a new hope and a new world: Narnia, where anything is possible.

Currently, Mackey is the only confirmed cast member involved in the project. (Though rumors have been swirling for some time that Oscar-winner Meryl Streep will voice Aslan.) If Gerwig is indeed beginning her series with The Magician's Nephew, Jaydis doesn't appear until well into the story, and the more interesting question immediately becomes who will play Digory and Polly. If it's Wardrobe, then we have to wonder who might take on the roles of the four Pevensie children. (Though we all know it's Susan who's probably the most crucial choice there.)

Thus far, Gerwig is committed to helming two Narnia films, which, in a rare move for the streamer, will receive four-week theatrical runs before debuting on Netflix. Whether she'll sign on for more (or if Netflix will greenlight them) may well depend on the critical and box office reception these first two receive. (So if you, too, are dying to see The Horse & His Boy or The Silver Chair finally adapted onscreen, well. Book your multiplex tickets now.

The first installment of Gerwig's Narnia franchise will debut in IMAX theaters the week of November 23, 2026, and move to Netflix the week of December 21, 2026.