I would be relieved? If they need to backtrack, then they can please do it, and I won't complain at them as they will have done the right thing there... But I would remain cautious about other decisions being made.

Frankly, to me, Netflix changing their minds over fan backlash would almost be worse. It would imply that they either: didn't give it enough thought in the first place; somehow didn't realize it would be controversial; or made the decisions with eyes wide open, but still lacked the creative conviction to stand by it when the (inevitable) controversy came.

I would almost rather they stood their ground than to treat such a big decision so flippantly that it can just be reversed. Either way, without an incredibly good explanation for the initial decision or the reversal, it would undermine what faith I had left in them. (And I say "incredibly" because I am incredulous that such an explanation exists.)

The whole situation reminds me a bit of when the original Sonic design for the Sonic the Hedgehog movie was revealed, and was massively reviled (even by non-fans). While they did go back and change it to something far better, and earned some respect for that decision - to me, it just raised the question of how such a bad design could have gotten as far as a trailer, if it was something that they could, or would, change. (And... frankly, I don't give them props for getting rid of a design so unpleasant, that I truly believe would've put audiences off from seeing the movie. That could've just as easily been financially motivated as creatively.)

At a certain point, it’s worth accepting that we’re not going to get clear answers to every behind-the-scenes question, that’s just not how this industry works. What really matters is whether the final adaptation tells a good story, resonates emotionally, and stands on its own. If speculation or production choices are enough to ruin the experience for someone, chances are they were never going to enjoy it to begin with.

People often project their own expectations onto a project before it even releases, sometimes based on a single image or headline, and that rarely leaves room for a fair viewing experience. There's also a gap between what the creative team actually intends and what audiences or the media choose to make the narrative about. That disconnect is especially common with high-profile adaptations, and it doesn’t necessarily reflect the actual quality of the work.

It’s also a bit of a “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” situation. No matter what Greta Gerwig or Netflix says, or doesn’t say, it’ll be interpreted in wildly different ways. Silence becomes suspicious, transparency becomes over-explaining. You can't win every discourse.

At the end of the day, the focus should be on the work itself: Is the writing sharp? Are the performances strong? Does the story carry emotional weight? These are the things that tend to matter most to viewers and that ultimately determine whether something has staying power. If it’s a good adaptation, it’ll speak for itself, it doesn’t need to resolve every online theory or answer every question to justify its place.

Agreed @rilianix, which is why I'm inclined to think that Greta Gerwig and crew may be wise to say silent on the rumour if they end up casting a male as the voice of Aslan.  However I do think it would be sensible for them to explain if there is any truth to the rumours and they do go down that direction.

@Rya I would almost rather they stood their ground than to treat such a big decision so flippantly that it can just be reversed. Either way, without an incredibly good explanation for the initial decision or the reversal, it would undermine what faith I had left in them. (And I say "incredibly" because I am incredulous that such an explanation exists.)

Has there really been any formal announcement that Meryl Streep is going to voice Aslan? I don't recall any such thing happening yet, unlike the announcement that Emma Mackey would be the actress for Jadis. Perhaps at this juncture, the least said soonest mended. Especially when a range of voices might very well be needed to portray Aslan, anyway.

Until I learn otherwise for a fact, I'll make like Trufflehunter in Prince Caspian and urge patience when the film isn't due to be released until Thanksgiving next year.  

Posted by: @waggawerewolf27

Has there really been any formal announcement that Meryl Streep is going to voice Aslan? I don't recall any such thing happening yet, unlike the announcement that Emma Mackey would be the actress for Jadis.

There hasn't been — it's all still speculation. We haven't yet had any news beyond the original article that first raised the rumour, and the follow-up article from a Hollywood news site that corroborated most of the original story but never let on what sources they were using to confirm it. There's been absolutely nothing from Netflix or from anybody actually associated with the production.

I am still hoping deep down that it's all either a totally false claim that Netflix hasn't seen fit to refute, or else it was deliberately spread by Gerwig or someone in her circles as some sort of bizarre publicity stunt, and Aslan will turn out to be portrayed as male and voiced by a male actor.

Posted by: @waggawerewolf27

Especially when a range of voices might very well be needed to portray Aslan, anyway.

I know we've all been saying this — mainly, I suspect, as a way of allowing for the possibility of Meryl Streep just providing some part of Aslan's voice while one or more male actors do the rest, which is a less disturbing prospect to most of us than Aslan being portrayed as either a female lion, or as an outwardly male lion with a feminine voice. But beyond that slightly desperate rationalisation, I can't quite see why it would be necessary. Every other adaptation of Narnia has had just one (male) voice actor for Aslan. Using multiple voices for him could easily end up sounding confusing, especially if it seems that every time he opens his mouth, a different voice comes out. Surely one very talented voice actor should be enough.

The only part I can think of where different voices might work for Aslan is in the creation scene, where he sings Narnia into being. It's pretty much a given that they'll need to use some technical wizardry to create a Lion's singing voice, which might perhaps involve one or more human singing voices, but heavily modified to sound suitably otherworldly. But even if they decide to use a female voice as part of that effect... why Meryl Streep?? She's a brilliant voice actress (not just in the legendary "The dingo took my baby", as you've mentioned before, but in her scarily accurate rendition of Maggie Thatcher), but she's not a professional singer. So that theory doesn't make much sense either.

Posted by: @waggawerewolf27

Until I learn otherwise for a fact, I'll make like Trufflehunter in Prince Caspian and urge patience when the film isn't due to be released until Thanksgiving next year.  

Indeed. "We don't change. We hold on" — just as the books themselves will always be the same and will always endure, no matter what any adaptations do with them. (And hey, Trufflehunter is one character who, in the BBC TV adaptation, was gender-swapped from male to female. But as there's nothing about Trufflehunter that absolutely requires him to be a he for the story to make sense or for the character to come across as authentic, that wasn't really a problem. Gender-swapping Aslan, on the other hand...  

Posted by: @courtenay

Posted by: @waggawerewolf27

Has there really been any formal announcement that Meryl Streep is going to voice Aslan? I don't recall any such thing happening yet, unlike the announcement that Emma Mackey would be the actress for Jadis.

There hasn't been — it's all still speculation.

To clarify, I was responding to the hypothetical scenario from the original post - that they are/were planning to do a female Aslan, but changed their mind specifically due to the backlash. I wasn't responding to any new developments, or to any other potential behind-the-scenes scenarios. Sorry for the confusion. (That's what I get for writing a post when I'm tired....)

Posted by: @courtenay

I am still hoping deep down that it's all either a totally false claim that Netflix hasn't seen fit to refute, or else it was deliberately spread by Gerwig or someone in her circles as some sort of bizarre publicity stunt, and Aslan will turn out to be portrayed as male and voiced by a male actor.

Frankly, the idea I highlighted is actually my worst-case scenario. If that turned out to be true, then it wouldn't really matter to me if the end product was good. That would still mean someone involved deliberately chose to lie to and manipulate the audience for a little free publicity.

To be clear, I don't have any reason to believe this is what actually happened. I think your first suggestion, that it's a rumor they just haven't debunked yet, is the more likely of the two. But I can't bring myself to hope it's true, either.

My opinion is similar to Narnia78's. There's always a possibility that Netflix, or any film company for that matter, could respond to fan backlash. (The Sonic movie comes to mind.) However, given how quiet they've been about the creative process, it's likely they will stick to their original plan or, if they do change their minds, we won't find out until the first trailer airs.

On the topic of fan backlash, an episode of Into the Wardrobe titled Aslan's Mane Explained came out recently and shared a link to a petition they started for keeping Aslan's gender true to the books. If anyone's interested the links to the video and the petition are posted below. Hopefully appeals like these will draw some attention from Netflix--in a respectful way, of course.

Link to "Aslan's Mane Explained": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDvOWmCakt4

Link to the petition: https://chng.it/d77RGPMbFT

I tend to doubt that Netflix will change much of anything due to fan backlash but I’m hoping we’ll get some more information about the new movie on May 31st during Tudum, Netflix’s global fan event. At the very least I expect some casting confirmations and possibly some new casting announcements.