Image Credit: Faye Thomas
Netflix’s highly anticipated adaptation of CS Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia is gearing up for its epic release in 2027, and the casting updates just keep getting better. We can confirm that Olivier Award-winning actor Cobna Holdbrook-Smith has officially joined the cast of Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew.
Holdbrook-Smith joins what is quickly becoming one of the most star-studded casts in Netflix history. As you probably know, Academy Award nominee Greta Gerwig (barbie, little Women) is writing and directing the sweeping fantasy epic, which will serve as the origin story of Narnia.
With news of its new wide theatrical release and updated Netflix release date for 2027, we’ve now got confirmation that Kobna Holdbrook-Smith has joined the cast of the upcoming epic, along with a few more names that have yet to be revealed will be in the upcoming film.
If you’re wondering where you’ve seen (or heard) Kobna Holdbrook-Smith before, her resume is incredibly diverse across film, television, and stage.
He won the prestigious Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his brilliant portrayal of Ike Turner Tina: The Tina Turner Musical and was even awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honors for her services to drama.
On the big screen, Holdbrook-Smith has appeared in beloved family hits paddington 2, Mary Poppins ReturnsAnd wonkaAlso blockbuster movies like Marvel doctor strange And Zack Snyder’s Justice League. Fantasy TV fans will probably recognize him from his role as Balthamos in the BBC/HBO adaptation their dark stuff.
In Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew, Holdbrook-Smith is part of an absolute powerhouse cast that includes:
- Daniel Craig (knives out, sky fall)
- Meryl Streep (don’t look up, the devil Wears Prada)
- carey mulligan (artist, promising young woman)
- ciaran hinds (belfast, game of Thrones)
- emma mackey (sex education, barbie)
- dennis gough (internal management and)
- susan wokoma (enola holmes)
- David McKenna
- beatrice campbell
Netflix hasn’t confirmed who Holdbrook-Smith will play, but we’ve got some info!
We understand, he will play the role of Francis. it is believed that Frank the Cabbie from the book.
In the literary counterpart of The Magician’s Nephew, Francis is a hard-working London cab driver who finds himself caught in a magical crossfire when he, his horse Strawberry and the evil Queen Jadis are accidentally transported across dimensions by the young heroes, Digory and Polly. Entering the void just in time to see the great lion Aslan sing the living, untamed world of Narnia into existence, determined and good-natured Francis goes from wandering the gritty, chaotic streets of London to being chosen by Aslan to rule as the first king of this newly created magical realm.
Gerwig recently shared her passion for the project, saying, “Because of C.S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia, I believed in magic and hidden worlds and adventure…to be asked to imagine this into existence is the honor of a lifetime.”
Narnia: The Wizard’s Nephew Expected to be released in IMAX and theaters worldwide 12 February 2027 (with a special IMAX sneak preview starting February 10), before making its grand global streaming debut on Netflix 2 April 2027.
Are you excited to see Kobna Holdbrook-Smith in the wardrobe (or in this case, the woodwork between worlds)? Let us know in the comments below, and keep it locked to What’s on Netflix for all the latest Narnia news!
