Meryl Streep’s casting as the voice of Aslan in Greta Gerwig’s upcoming Narnia film has triggered a heated response from some Christian fans of C.S. Lewis’s beloved fantasy series. Aslan has long been viewed as more than simply Narnia’s powerful and compassionate lion. Lewis, a devout Anglican, described him as a fictional representation of what Christ might be like in a world such as Narnia. In The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Aslan sacrifices himself to save Edmund and later returns to life, while in The Magician’s Nephew—the book Gerwig is adapting for Netflix—he creates Narnia and its inhabitants. Earlier movie adaptations featured Liam Neeson as Aslan’s voice, but Gerwig chose Streep, now 77, for the role. Explaining her decision to Empire, Gerwig said she wanted someone older than 70 who could combine wisdom, emotional depth and gravitas with a sense of youthful wonder. She also described her choice as someone among “the greatest actors to ever do it.”
The casting decision has nevertheless drawn strong criticism from some Christian commentators, who object to a female voice being used for a character Lewis consistently presented as male. Texas preacher David Fairchild argued that Aslan is explicitly connected to Christ and called the decision “creative vandalism,” insisting that the character is a king rather than a queen. Evangelical influencer Jackie Chea similarly accused Gerwig of attempting to reshape Jesus into a feminist statement. Online reactions became even more intense, with some fans calling the casting ridiculous and others arguing that Hollywood was altering the religious meaning of Aslan. Some commenters went so far as to describe the film as part of a broader “woke” agenda. However, others defended Gerwig’s choice, pointing to theater history and noting that women were once prohibited from performing publicly, meaning female characters such as Shakespeare’s Juliet were originally portrayed by male actors. Gerwig has also reportedly given Aslan a distinctive visual design inspired partly by David Bowie, including mismatched eyes and a red stripe across his face.