Greta Gerwig’s new adaptation of C.S. Lewis’ “The Chronicles of Narnia” series won’t hit theaters until next year, but after some first-look images and casting news were shared over the weekend, some social media users already have opinions.
Gerwig — known for her work on “Barbie” and “Little Women” — is adapting “The Magician’s Nephew,” which is the first work chronologically in the beloved children’s book series, for Netflix, though the film will have a theatrical release next February.
Following the news that Meryl Streep has been cast in the voice role of Aslan the lion in the film, some social media users — including some who identify as Christian — have taken issue with the casting. Here’s what people online are saying about the choice, as well as a look at what to expect from “Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew.”
Why Meryl Streep was cast as Aslan in ‘Narnia’ — and why some on social media are objecting
Aslan, a talking lion, plays a central role across the “Narnia” series as a godlike figure who rules over the fantastical world of Narnia.
Gerwig — who wrote the screenplay and is directing the film — recently told Empire magazine in a cover story about “Narnia” that Streep had the characteristics she was looking for in Aslan.
“I wanted someone who was profound but not pretentious, who had gravitas but not morose self-seriousness. Someone who could communicate depth and pathos as well as joy and delight,” Gerwig told Empire. “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.”
Some social media users, however, have taken issue with the casting. In the books, Aslan is referred to with male pronouns, and in the previous film series that was launched with “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” in 2005, the lion was voiced by Liam Neeson. Aslan also traditionally viewed as a representation of Jesus Christ, which meshes with Lewis’ Christian beliefs.
“CS Lewis literally intended Aslan to be the incarnation of Christ inside the world of Narnia,” political commentator Isabel Brown wrote on X. “... Aslan is more than an allegory for Christ, he *is* how the creatures of Narnia experience Christ in their world just as we experience Jesus Christ as an incarnate MAN in ours. To cast Meryl Streep as Aslan in Greta Gerwig’s Narnia is a slap in the face to the genius of Lewis, but also a deliberate mockery of Christianity.”
Entertainment Weekly noted that it’s still “unclear” whether Aslan will be a female or male character in the upcoming adaptation.
“However, Empire referred to Aslan as ‘he’ in its reporting and its social media post about the cover, and a Netflix rep said that Empire’s post ‘says it all,’” Entertainment Weekly reported.
What people are saying on social media
Some social media users argued that Streep was the wrong casting choice for the voice of the traditionally male lion — especially because of Aslan’s common association with Jesus.
Others pointed out that it’s not uncommon for women actors to voice male characters in animated projects, and Streep has a long history of narration and voice acting.
What else we know about Greta Gerwig’s ‘Narnia’
The upcoming film will be the first ever adaptation of “The Magician’s Nephew,” according to a release from Netflix.
“The Magician’s Nephew” was the sixth book published in the “Narnia” series, although it is the first chronologically, taking place around 1900, 40 years before the events of “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.” However, the film adaptation will set the story later, in the 1950s, according to Empire.
Part of Gerwig’s inspiration for the film came from British rock music of the 1960s and ’70s, she told Empire, citing artists like David Bowie and Paul McCartney as important creative figures in her life.
“Narnia is literally a world made out of music,” she said. “It is a world sung to life by Aslan, and rock ’n’ roll to me felt like a world made out of music.”
Gerwig talked to Netflix about how important “Narnia,” and in particular “The Magician’s Nephew,” was to her growing up.
“I was a child when I first read ‘The Magician’s Nephew,’ and I fell in love with the gorgeously improbable but completely brilliant concept of a cosmic lion singing the world of Narnia to life,” Gerwig told Netflix’s Tudum. “I didn’t know that I would grow up to make films, but a universe built out of music is an idea that always lived in my heart. It is the honor of a lifetime to be asked to imagine it into being.”
Who else has been cast in ‘The Magician’s Nephew’?
David McKenna and Beatrice Campbell will take on the lead roles of Digory and Polly, two children who find themselves magically transported to another world. Emma Mackey will play Jadis, the White Witch; Daniel Craig will play Digory’s Uncle Andrew, the magician of the title; and Carey Mulligan will play Digory’s mother.
When will Greta Gerwig’s ‘Narnia’ be released?
“Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew” will be released in theaters Feb. 12, 2027, and will be released for streaming on Netflix on April 2.