Meryl Streep is set to voice Aslan in Greta Gerwig's upcoming adaptation of The Magician's Nephew, a casting choice that has drawn sharp criticism from some US evangelical commentators. The Oscar-winning actor's involvement was confirmed by Gerwig in an interview with Empire, which also published a first look at the film.
Casting Controversy
News of Streep's potential role first emerged in April last year, prompting complaints from conservative Christians. This week, criticism resurfaced after Gerwig explained her decision. The director said she wanted someone over 70 who could convey both wisdom and childlike wonder, adding: "I wanted someone who was profound but not pretentious, who had gravitas but not morose self-seriousness." She also noted she sought one of the finest actors working today, saying: "That list is not a long one."
Some evangelical commentators have voiced strong objections. Radio host Jenna Ellis accused Gerwig of "profaning Christ with the divine feminine," while Texas preacher David Fairchild called the casting "creative vandalism." The Daily Wire's Isabel Brown said the decision was offensive because "CS Lewis literally intended Aslan to be the incarnation of Christ inside the world of Narnia," pointing to the end of Lewis's novel The Voyage of the Dawn Treader as evidence. Brown described the casting as a "deliberate mockery of Christianity."
Defense and Irony
Not all Christian voices agree with the criticism. Writer Mary Pezzulo highlighted the irony that some evangelicals accept Jesus portrayed as an animal but object to a woman's voice. "Very Online conservative Christians really think that portraying Christ as a lion, a carnivorous beast with notoriously smelly urine who sleeps 23 hours a day and steals meat from hyaenas, is beautiful sacred art," she wrote. "But having Christ portrayed by a woman is sacrilege."
Gerwig has not confirmed that this new Aslan is female. The film also features Daniel Craig as the sorcerer of the title and Emma Mackey as the White Witch, Jadis. Gerwig has said she plans to reimagine the fantasy world through a rock opera prism, with Aslan's eyes coloured like David Bowie's in publicity shots, and the creation of Narnia designed to look and sound as if Genesis is being staged by the Spiders from Mars.
Beyond the Culture War
The focus on Streep's casting overshadows the book's own merits. The Magician's Nephew tells of two children who discover a wood full of pools leading to other worlds, waking a queen who exterminated an entire population and accidentally bringing her back to London. Its madcap wonder contrasts with the slower, didactic pace of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
Whether Streep's performance will spark similar cultural impact to Barbie remains to be seen. For now, an actor whose voice has not yet been heard in the film has apparently displaced the White Witch as Narnia's most devious and malign influence.
