'A False Aslan': Narnia Fans Outraged as Meryl Streep Reportedly 'In Talks' to Voice Christ Figure

Oscar-Award winning actress Meryl Streep is reportedly in talks to play Aslan the Great Lion in Greta Gerwig's upcoming Netflix adaptation of the "Chronicles of Narnia." Since Aslan represents Jesus Christ, many fans of the Christian-allegory series are not happy about it.

Earlier this month, Deadline reported that Streep is being eyed for the role of Aslan. Her casting, although, has not been officially confirmed as the two parties were "not quite at the offer stage yet," according to the outlet. 

But news of the idea has traveled fast, and the outrage from Narnia fans has grown with more voices speaking out on social media and news outlets, saying the choice of Streep is a bad one. 

"The Christian backlash...was swift and strong, and for good reason. Because this isn't just about Narnia — it's about Christ," wrote Katy Faust for Blaze Media. 

"C.S. Lewis didn't invent Aslan as a charming character or a clever literary device. He was explicit: Aslan is Jesus," she continued. "Tampering with Aslan is an attempt to tamper with Christ. Aslan is getting a female makeover not to depict Christ, but to dampen Him. To make Him safer, gentler, more palatable. Doing so reflects a deeper cultural effort: the feminization of Jesus."

Blogger Annie Crawford writes on Salvo, "...to change the gender of The Lion, of The King, of the Incarnate Son of the Emperor Across the Sea who symbolically represents the deity of Christ within Lewis's imaginary world is to completely alter the structure and meaning of Lewis's sacramental cosmos."

In an op-ed for conservative talk radio publication, 770KTTH, Jason Rantz suggested a few other Hollywood actors that would be better suited for the role. 

"Liam Neeson already played a brilliant Aslan. Morgan Freeman has already played G-d. Jared Leto looks like the Historical Jesus. Book one of them," he said. 

There's even a petition on Change.org calling on Netflix to "Preserve the Gender of Aslan." It states, "Make no mistake, an altered Aslan is a false Aslan. A false Aslan is a false Narnia. The integrity of the character must be preserved at all cost." You can find the petition here.

Others are saying it is a bad move for different reasons. 

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"This would be a horrible decision for every possible reason…Art should not be up to the popular vote, but adaptations of already existing works have to give the largest voice to the original work. Gerwig and Netflix are free to develop a film series about a fantasy world created and ruled by a female lion, but that's no longer Narnia," said Aaron Earls writing for The Wardrobe Door.
 
As CBN News has reported, fans have been waiting more than a decade to see if more of C.S. Lewis' beloved books would finally be turned into movies. In 2005, Walden Media and Disney scored a box office blockbuster with a film adaptation of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and then Prince Caspian in 2008. Fox later released The Voyage of the Dawn Treader in 2010.

In 2023, Gerwig secured the deal with the Netflix streaming platform to write and direct at least two movies from the seven-book series. 

"C.S. Lewis' beloved Chronicles of Narnia stories have resonated with generations of readers around the world," Ted Sarandos, Netflix's chief content officer, said in a press release at that time. "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."

According to the deal between Netflix and The C.S. Lewis Company, the streaming service will develop stories from the Narnia universe into series and films that the producers hope will cross mediums, similar to what the Star Trek and Marvel franchises have done with their successful properties.

Gerwig said her goal in creating new film adaptations for Netflix is to give viewers a "magical...re-enchantment of the world."

But if the rumors of Streep's role are true, the highly anticipated series may be a flop.

The Christian film outlet Movieguide warns, "Casting Streep as Aslan would certainly spell disaster for the project. In the books, Aslan is clearly male and — fundamentally to the story — is an allegorical representation of Christ. Changing his gender clearly reveals that Netflix and Gerwig do not understand Lewis' message symbolized by Aslan."

"Altering a central character's gender, which was integral to the book, is intentionally straying too far from the source material. ​And it feels like (Gerwig is) trying to make a political point about female empowerment," said Rantz. "Wokifying 'Snow White' didn't work. It seems foolish to do the same thing to Narnia."

Nexus Point News first reported that the first film to be adapted by Gerwig is Lewis' sixth novel, The Magician's Nephew, which chronologically takes place first in the series.

That story tells the origin of Narnia and centers on characters Digory Kirke and Polly Plummer, who both discover the parallel world through Digory's uncle's magic.

According to NarniaWeb, a fan-supported internet platform, casting for that film is already underway.