Following the success of Barbie, which brought in over $1.4 billion at the box office a couple of summers ago, director Greta Gerwig was looking to make her next big move. That is now coming in the form of an origin story movie titled Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew.
Fiction and fantasy fans might remember the trilogy of Chronicles of Narnia films that spanned from the mid 2000s to the early 2010s. Author and Christian apologist, C.S. Lewis, originally penned the beloved stories (that are Christian allegories), and now, another story of his that’s never been on the big screen will be hitting theaters in 2027.
It’s exciting news for Narnia fans… well at least until this latest announcement.
For starters, Gerwig going 70’s rock opera with the film. It’s not a musical, but that’s kind of the theme of production. That’s a unique spin, to say the least, and Gerwin is giving Aslan the lion, who famously represents Jesus Christ in The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, is even getting a nod to the late David Bowie.
All pretty odd… but there’s something else even more peculiar about the announcement.
Gerwig has picked legendary actress Meryl Streep to play… Aslan, a male lion, and the creator of Narnia. The Magician’s Nephew is allegorical to the Genesis creation story, with Aslan breathing life into Narnia as the God-like Creator.
“Greta Gerwig opens the doors to ‘Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew’ in the new issue of Empire – detailing her revolutionary rock’n’roll adaptation.
Here’s your first look at Aslan – and he’s voiced by the legendary Meryl Streep.”
That “He’s voiced by the legendary Meryl Streep” makes you pause for a second, does it not?
People online have been doing their thing, which is throwing questions and criticism at the decision by the director.
Gerwig told Empire that going with Meryl Streep to play the role of Aslan was a… wait for it… no brainer:
“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.
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.”
No brainer, eh?
It’s definitely a bit of an odd casting, and one that some fans are having a hard time envisioning… to put it nicely. Most consider it to be a direct and purposeful attempt to undermine a Christian story.
Here’s how the social media world is reacting to the news:
As much as Meryl Streep may be an incredible actress, she’s not the voice for Aslan. Sorry. pic.twitter.com/AXHY8ADwU2
— Daisy (@GamingMissDaisy) September 17, 2026
“He’s voiced by Meryl Streep”
You realise that makes no sense
— Grim (@MadWokeNews) September 17, 2026
I’m trying to give this the benefit of the doubt, but they are not making it easy.
— Paul Leone (@paul_leone) September 17, 2026
Aslan is a male lion… WTF are we doing people?
— Tangmang (@Thesilentcheech) September 17, 2026
So many unnecessary creative liberties …
Going to skip this … Never liked any greta gerwig movies anyways
— Abhijit Joshi (@AbhijitJoshi87) September 17, 2026
Gender-swapping aside, Meryl Streep is just completely the wrong energy for Aslan. Yes, he’s wise and kind and has gravitas, but he also straight-up murders you if you piss him off. He’s always described as equally wonderous and terrifying. Streep’s cool grandma vibes don’t work
— Nate Birch (@NateBirch) September 17, 2026
Guess we’ll see how it all plays out when Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew hits theaters on February 12, 2027.
