(I'm new to the forum, so I'm still learning, so if this is in the incorrect place to post, please let me know moderators. 😊 Thank you!)

Hello Narnia Fans! 

I’ve been a longtime admirer of both C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia and the previous film adaptations. Like many of you, these stories had a deep impact on me growing up, and Aslan in particular has always stood as a powerful and meaningful symbol—one whose identity is deeply rooted in the spirit of the original works.

I know many of you have already heard the news, but I wanted to speak from the heart about something that’s really been weighing on me. It’s now been widely reported—and all but confirmed—that Greta Gerwig is seriously considering casting Meryl Streep as Aslan in the upcoming Narnia films. While I have immense respect for both Gerwig’s creative talent and Streep’s legendary career, I have to be honest: this direction is deeply troubling to me.

To me—and I believe to many others—Aslan is more than just a character. He represents strength, sacrifice, and divine kingship. His male identity is not a superficial detail; it’s part of the deeper theological and literary symbolism that Lewis embedded into the narrative. Changing that feels like a significant departure from what makes the books so meaningful, and I fear it may alienate a large portion of the devoted fanbase.

I want to be clear that I’m not sharing this to stir up negativity or backlash. I’m genuinely reaching out to see how others are feeling, and to ask: if this is something that concerns a lot of us, would anyone be open to respectfully organizing a petition or letter to Greta Gerwig and Netflix, asking them to reconsider this casting decision? Not out of anger—but out of reverence for the source material and a desire to see the spirit of Narnia preserved.

I truly want these films to succeed and resonate with new audiences, but I also believe staying true to the heart of Lewis’s work is essential. Thank you all for letting me share this honestly and respectfully.

Warmly, 

IamLionHeart

Welcome to NarniaWeb Forum, @iamlionheart!

Posted by: @iamlionheart

I want to be clear that I’m not sharing this to stir up negativity or backlash. I’m genuinely reaching out to see how others are feeling, and to ask: if this is something that concerns a lot of us, would anyone be open to respectfully organizing a petition or letter to Greta Gerwig and Netflix, asking them to reconsider this casting decision? Not out of anger—but out of reverence for the source material and a desire to see the spirit of Narnia preserved.

At the moment, we ask that members not try to organize any petitions on the forum, but rest assured that the NarniaWeb staff is working on ways to make sure that fans' voices are heard and will be sharing more on that as soon as we are able.

@rose Hi! Thank you so much for the warm welcome. 😊

And that's such a relief. Thank you so much. And thank you on behalf of a lot of us fans. Looking forward to hearing what you have store. 💯💯💯

Well. I didn’t think this was real, and yet, here we are.

It’s not even about Streep herself—it's the decision to make Aslan female. I know some will say, “But Aslan isn’t really male, he’s a God lion, he transcends gender, etc.” Sure, but Lewis chose to present him as male for a reason. And if this is just about “more female representation,” then… why not put that energy into giving Polly or Queen Helen what they deserve?

I don’t want to overreact before we hear more, but I’ll be honest—this worries me. A lot.

Loved what @iamlionheart had to share!

This is definitely not a casting which is about increasing diversity, equity, or representation in the movie 

For a start, you already have two prominent female leads in the story (Jadis and Polly) whilst Aslan is probably the one character where you could  easily cast a person of colour without it overly affecting the period setting.

In fact, I'd go as far to say that,.given the precedence the Lion King franchise has set over the last 30 years, an African Lion is the sort of role where you would both expect and maybe even demand it to go to a black actor.

Therefore casting a white woman in the role is definitely not a diversity move.

I agree that this isn't a casting choice calculated to draw in more viewers-or if it is, it doesn't seem like a well calculated one. Except for maybe diehard Meryl Streep fans, I can't think of anyone who will go to the movie because of this who wouldn't have gone anyway. Mind you, if some people heard that Narnia fans were vocally opposed to Aslan being voiced by a woman, they'd accuse them of sexism. But those same people probably wouldn't have cared about the movie otherwise. The only impact I see this having on the box office is a negative one. 

@icarus

In fact, I'd go as far to say that,.given the precedence the Lion King franchise has set over the last 30 years, an African Lion is the sort of role where you would both expect and maybe even demand it to go to a black actor.

Someone along the lines of Morgan Freeman or Denzil Washington, perhaps? Who else comes to mind? Liam Neeson did the Aslan voiceover for Walden's Voyage of the Dawn Treader, whilst Stephen Thorne was Aslan's voice in some BBC Narnia productions. I would have thought that Benedict Comberbach who the voice over for the part of Smaug the Dragon, in The hobbit movies would have been at least considered for Aslan. Regardless of what the antecedents of the actor who plays Aslan, that deep, bass masculine voice is needed to sound authentic. 

I can't believe that Mery Streep would be cast as Aslan. She is an experienced & renowned character actress, but I thought she would be better as Jadis the White Witch, if she is up to riding atop a hansom cab with a frightened, maltreated horse, in that dangerous scene outside Digory's house. I should have thought that Meryl Streep would be getting too old for that sort of thing. On the other hand, she'd be a fine Aunt Letty. 

Just to give a bit more perspective on my own thoughts on this — I belong to a Christian denomination that was founded by a woman, that has always counted both "male and female" as equally "the image of God" (per Gen. 1:27), and that has been referring to God as Father-Mother since the late 19th century. So personally, I generally have no problem with feminine representations of God. I wouldn't at all mind seeing more of them.

However — there is absolutely no question that to make Aslan female, or even to portray him as a male lion but voiced by a woman, would go completely against everything C.S. Lewis himself believed and intended for the single most important character in his Narnia books. He was a relatively (not extremely) conservative 20th-century male Anglican; he definitely voiced his opposition to women being ordained in the Church of England (which was debated during his lifetime, but didn't become allowed until some time after his death). There is NO WAY he would have accepted the idea of Aslan being female or having a feminine voice. I don't know exactly what he'd say, of course, but there is no doubt whatsoever that he would be horrified at the very suggestion.

(And while I don't agree entirely with every aspect of Lewis's theology or personal views, I understand why he took the positions he did on these issues and none of this changes my respect for him as a brilliant Christian thinker and writer. Yes, it is possible to understand and respect another's perspectives even when one doesn't agree with them. In my case, not least because the Chronicles of Narnia have had a bigger impact on my own life and faith-journey than any other works of fiction.)

So if this rumour is true, it completely dashes everything Greta Gerwig has said so far about her respect for the books themselves and for Lewis as a thinker. And it will most likely embroil Netflix's Narnia project in an even more vicious culture war than all the current kerfuffle over Disney's remake of Snow White. As a few people have said already, from a business perspective, it really does not make sense.  

What I'm still hoping (against hope), though, is that this really will turn out to be a furphy. For sure, Gerwig and Netflix have neither confirmed nor denied it, but then, they haven't confirmed or denied any of the other rumours that have been swirling around regarding casting or any other aspects of the film. And one thing's certain about this particular one: it's a MAJOR controversy. Conservative Christians and a lot of Narnia fans in general will understandably be jumping up and down screaming "NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! NO NO NO NO NO!!!" Less conservative fans will be gritting their teeth and going "Welllll... I don't think this is right, but I guess I'm going to have to see what it's actually like before I knock it completely..." (Which is about where I am.) And then there will be some people who were originally thinking "Narnia? Oh yawn. Here we go again with the lion who's supposed to be Jesus..." who may now be thinking "What?! They're making Aslan a she?? Oh wow — I just gotta see THIS..."

That's the thing — this rumour is one that will REALLY get people talking about, and wondering about, this film. And then what if, in a few weeks' time, an official representative of Gerwig or Netflix comes out with "Surprise!! Meryl Streep is actually going to play Aunt Letty [who perhaps been given a bigger role in this adaptation than she has in the book]. The voice of Aslan is... Daniel Craig!"

And at that point, those who were horrified at the prospect of a female Aslan will heave big enough sighs of relief to power a wind farm for several months, and will go and see the new movie after all — and those who were actually excited or at least curious about that prospect might be a little disappointed, but after all this unbridled hype, they may well still think "Well, I'd still better find out if they do anything else controversial and daring and different with it..." — and they may end up going to see it when perhaps they wouldn't have bothered before.

In short, the rumour is generating a LOT of stir and a LOT of free publicity for the film before it's even started to be made. It may just be nothing more than that, really. We don't yet know, but that's what I'm still hoping. 

@courtenay I've been considering the publicity stunt possibility, well, ever since I heard the rumor, honestly. If the movie were coming out two years ago or maybe even one year ago, I'd assume that, but I feel like in the current climate, controversy still carries the negative consequences without the benefit of selling stuff. 

After some more reflection, I still feel gutted and duped by this news. Was I just stupid for hoping all this time?

This is the answer to all the mystery.

Aslan will be a female lion.

This is not just a casting choice - this was Greta’s whole vision from the beginning.

I imagine the argument will go something like… CS Lewis wrote Narnia as a supposal. In his supposal the Satanic character is depicted as female in the White Witch, so it stands to reason that the Christ figure might also be female.

Now I completely disagree with that premise, since I don’t believe the gender of the White Witch was significant beyond fulfilling the classic fairytale archetype of the ‘evil witch’.

I’m sure many non-Narnia fans and people without a Christian worldview will no doubt wonder what all the fuss is about here. Why on earth shouldn’t Aslan be female? ‘It’s just a story guys!’ - they’ll say. Greta’s a genius.

But as most of us will know already, the masculinity of Aslan is not peripheral, but central to the character. And swapping the gender will fundamentally twist the whole story.

Now the only male figures in the story will be  the deluded and pathetic Uncle Andrew - just like with Ken (and the Mattel bosses) in Barbie. And Frank the cabbie - Sadly, it seems audiences will have to rely solely on Frank for some positive masculinity.

Does 'talks' always mean actually offered the role, and discussing conditions?

I looked elsewhere, and read on one site that being in negotiations does not mean an offer has been made. 

It also mentioned that she due is to film another movie, a sequel to The Devil Wears Prada, later this year.  Hmm.

Posted by: @coracle

Does 'talks' always mean actually offered the role, and discussing conditions?

I looked elsewhere, and read on one site that being in negotiations does not mean an offer has been made. 

In this case, Deadline reported that the role hasn’t yet been offered to Streep. So it appears like there’s interest from both parties to make it happen and now terms/conditions are left to be negotiated before an official offer is made.

It occurs to me that according to that audition scene Narniaweb saw, the main character of this version of The Magician's Nephew is still going to be a boy, so even if the idea behind Aslan being a lioness is to make the story more female driven, it's still not going to work! Digory (or "Isadore") is the one we're going to be following and whose emotions we're supposed to share. Aslan only appears in the last third. Talk about a band aid solution! I'm so bewildered that I'm not even sure if I'm mad.  

Posted by: @waggawerewolf27

Someone along the lines of Morgan Freeman or Denzil Washington, perhaps? Who else comes to mind?

I have always thought that Idris Elba would be a wonderful Aslan. His voice is super rich and warm, like Aslan's is described. 

But really, any of these picks would've been wonderful and would qualify as a diverse casting.

I would not have been upset with any of these, considering that none of these change canon, or change any major characters with clearly described traits etc.

I dearly hope that this is just one big publicity stunt with Meryl Streep. But then again, knowing the creative team's track record; it's most likely real. 

I'm struggling to process my feelings about the past few days. @Icarus compared it to the stages of grief and I think that's the most accurate way to describe what it's been like... denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. 

Right now, I'm firmly in the depression stage. The movie could turn out to be wonderful and capture the essence of Aslan, but as things stand, I just can't see that happening if they move forward with a female Aslan.

Netflix CEO, Ted Sarnados had this to say in 2018 when they first acquired Narnia:

“C.S. Lewis’ beloved ‘Chronicles of Narnia’ stories have resonated with generations of readers around the world,” said Ted Sarandos, chief content officer of Netflix. “Families have fallen in love with characters like Aslan and the entire world of Narnia, and we’re thrilled to be their home for years to come.”

And this was Greta Gerwig in 2024:

"I’m slightly in the place of terror because I really do have such reverence for Narnia. I loved Narnia so much as a child, [and] as an adult, C.S. Lewis as a thinker and a writer. I’m intimidated by doing this. It’s something that feels like a worthy thing to be intimidated by. As a non-British person, I feel a particular sense of wanting to do it correctly… it’s like when Americans do Shakespeare, there’s a slight feeling of reverence and as if maybe we should treat it with extra care. It is not our countryman."

I just don’t understand how you can say these things and then make such a needless change to one of the most fundamental aspects of the series