Meryl Streep Rumored To Voice Aslan In Netflix’s "Narnia"

Rumor has it that Netflix is gender-swapping Aslan, the literal Jesus figure of The Chronicles of Narnia, with none other than Meryl Streep. For those who don’t know, Aslan the lion is explicitly modeled after Jesus Christ.

The lion's entire arc mirrors the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. He sacrifices himself for Edmund’s sins, gets humiliated, and then rises again, triumphant.  

And yet, Netflix (via director Greta Gerwig) is reportedly flipping Aslan’s gender. This is all unconfirmed for now, but how many times has Netflix race-swapped or gender-swapped characters in the name of inclusivity, even when it disrespects people's cultures?  

Meryl Streep? Really?

According to Nexus Point News and MovieWeb, the three-time Oscar-winner Meryl Streep is in talks to voice the new Aslan. Streep is a phenomenal actress, no doubt. But this would still be terrible casting, as it's a fundamental rewrite of a story’s core identity and disrespects C.S. Lewis himself. 

Cynthia Erivo was just cast as Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar at the Hollywood Bowl. Again, this is a woman playing Jesus. It’s like Hollywood has a running bet on how many overtly Christian figures they can gender-swap before people notice. If this were happening to religious figures from any other faith, we’d be having an entirely different conversation about cultural and religious respect.  

Before someone inevitably argues, “But Aslan’s a fictional character!”—yes, and? The entire point of the character is that he represents Christ, who is a man. Before anyone tries to argue that Aslan is merely a symbol of Jesus, let’s go straight to Lewis himself, who said, “What might Christ become like if there really were a world like Narnia and He chose to be incarnate and die and rise again in that world as He actually has done in ours? This is not allegory at all.”

Fans are already voicing their discontent, and rightly so. If Netflix and Gerwig push forward with this casting (if these rumors turn out to be true), expect backlash not just from Christian audiences but also from longtime fans of The Chronicles of Narnia who actually care about the story and its message.  

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