Greta Gerwig's Narnia: The Magician's Nephew arrives in theaters on February 12, 2027, with IMAX previews beginning February 10. With a reported budget of around $280 million, it is Netflix's most expensive theatrical commitment to date. The past several months have not been straightforward.
Variety, citing four sources, reported that Gerwig and then-Netflix film chief Dan Lin clashed during a Zoom call earlier this year. Lin was described as "dismissive" toward Gerwig about the film's progress. Bela Bajaria, Netflix's then-chief content officer, subsequently called producer Amy Pascal to smooth things over, while Gerwig's agent Bryan Lourd went directly to Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos. Lin was removed from the Narnia project. None of the sources cited by Variety linked the incident to his eventual departure.
Lin's exit from Netflix was confirmed on October 19. He had joined in 2024, succeeding Scott Stuber, with a mandate to reduce costs and widen the streamer's slate. Peter Rice, a former executive at Disney and Fox, will oversee the film division until a permanent replacement is named. Doug Belgrad, Lin's co-head of film, was also cut in layoffs that reduced Netflix's workforce by roughly 1,000 positions.
Separately, World of Reel reported that a summer test screening left insiders "deflated," with one attendee comparing the experience to Ava DuVernay's A Wrinkle in Time, a high-budget family film that reportedly cost its studio close to $100 million. The same source said characters do not reach Narnia until the third act. Netflix subsequently ordered reshoots. The film is scheduled to stream on Netflix on April 2, 2027, following its exclusive theatrical run.
