First Look at David Bowie-Inspired Aslan in Greta Gerwig's 'Rock-Opera' Narnia: The Magician's Nephew

Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew sounds like a very different movie than most expected.

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.

“I wanted a rock opera. I wanted it to be big and transporting,” Gerwig said in an interview with Empire to discuss the “ground-up retelling” of C. S. Lewis’ stories. The movie does not adapt the much-loved classic The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe, but the Narnia origin story. It isn’t set in the early 1900s, but post-war ‘50s Britain.

Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew is not a musical, but it is inspired by rock opera, in particular British rock from the ‘60s and ‘70s. So, expect lots of Bowie-style glam.

“Narnia is literally a world made out of music,” Gerwig said. “It is a world sung to life by Aslan, and rock ’n’ roll to me felt like a world made out of music.”

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

“I wanted someone who was profound but not pretentious, who had gravitas but not morose self-seriousness,” Gerwig said. “Someone 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.”

The Magician's Nephew is chronologically the first book in C. S. Lewis' beloved Narnia series, though most adaptations to date have begun with The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe — 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.

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, Ciarán Hinds and the aforementioned Meryl Streep all feature in the film, with its young leads played by newcomers David McKenna and Beatrice Campbell.

PHOTO BY PETER MOUNTAIN.