Meryl Streep's casting as Aslan in Narnia film sparks religious backlash

Meryl Streep has been cast to provide the voice of Aslan in Greta Gerwig’s upcoming Netflix adaptation, ‘Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew’. The film is scheduled for a theatrical release on February 12, 2027, followed by a Netflix debut on April 2, 2027.

The casting decision has sparked significant backlash from Christian commentators and social media users. Critics argue that the choice to have a female actor voice the male lion is “blasphemous” or a “woke” gender swap, noting that Aslan is widely viewed as an allegory for Jesus Christ in C. S. Lewis’s original works. Some detractors have described the move as “creative vandalism” and a departure from the theological foundations of the series.

Director Greta Gerwig has defended the selection, stating she sought an actor with “gravitas but not morose self-seriousness” and someone capable of communicating both depth and joy. Gerwig noted she wanted a performer over the age of 70 who possesses both wisdom and a sense of childlike wonder. The production also features a visual aesthetic inspired by rock opera and artists like David Bowie.