Is Outrage over Potential 'Narnia' Casting is Justifiable?

An op-ed written by HPN Community Member Tivoli Silas

It’s all too common in today’s divisive world to hear fans complain over the tiniest
crumbs of news relating to their favorite fandoms. But once in a while, some entertainment news justifies the resulting backlash. Such is the case for the announcement, on April Fool’s Day, unfortunately, that Meryl Streep is in talks to play Aslan in Netflix’s upcoming adaptation of C.S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia. While these are only talks and Streep has not been officially cast in the role, this brings disturbing implications for the series going forward.

To be clear, there are some details we do not know, such as if the production is intending
to gender-swap Aslan or have a woman voice the male character. But unless Streep is being considered for another role, this is not a good sign for this franchise. There are several reasons why it is imperative that Aslan be portrayed by a man. First, C.S. Lewis wrote him that way, and, considering he’s the only character who appears in all seven Chronicles, that alone should settle the issue. However, second, audiences familiar with the books and previous adaptations will expect continuity on such an important detail. And third, the Bible clearly states that Jesus was male and Aslan, as a type of Christ, needs to be also. To compromise on such a point is to disregard the very spirit of all the books in the Chronicles and myriad details which are derived from that fact.

One of the first things we learn about Aslan in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is
that he is “not safe, but he’s good.” His roar plays a significant role in several scenes in the
Chronicles. With no disrespect to women, a female’s voice cannot intimidate or transition well into a roar the same way a man’s does. For example, in the first Narnia film produced in 2005, when Aslan says “Don’t say the deep magic to me, Witch,” there’s a growl added, and with Liam Neeson’s voice, it blends seamlessly. But gender-swapping the character is careless because Aslan is a Christ-like figure for another world and was incarnate as the king of the beasts. He isn’t a character onto whom people project Christ-like qualities, such as Superman or Gandalf, since he’s is literally the Christ of a fictional world. To put it plainly, to gender-swap this character would be an attempt to gender-swap God. There is already a disturbing theology going around that “god is a woman,” which directly contradicts the Bible. On a story level, though, making Aslan a lioness would create a ripple effect that would affect the entire series, from the shaving of the mane on the Stone Table, the wording of the prophecy in the first film (“When he shakes his mane, we shall have spring again”), the imagery of characters burying themselves in his mane, and entire plot of The Last Battle. This is not a case of fans being against women, as some have claimed when reacting to the backlash. If other characters, such as the horse Strawberry/Fledge was gender-swapped, it wouldn’t be a big deal. Sure, some fans might be upset, but it wouldn’t border on blasphemy. Standing up for Aslan’s casting is not a case of being against a film turning “woke.” This is about the core of a franchise being shattered, one which leans heavily into Biblical principles. Meryl Streep would be perfect for many other characters, just not this one.

Some details of this news are confusing. For one thing, it seems too early to be casting a
voiceover role. For comparison, the voiceover parts in the Walden films were cast after principal photography had begun and for Aslan himself, Liam Neeson replaced Brian Cox late in the process. Unless they want the voice actor on set to assist the child actors with their performances or to do motion capture, it’s unclear why this casting would occur now before even the child actors are cast. This was also before any adult actors were officially cast. Emma Mackey recently signed on to play Jadis, and she seems like a good fit, at least certainly looking the part, but so many fans are guarded in their enthusiasm because of the Streep news. It’s also odd that after several weeks, Netflix has neither confirmed nor denied the details. Hopefully, this means that they’re changing their minds behind the scenes, but if that is the case, then publicly declaring so would be helpful.

While some may consider the fan backlash hysteria, this is one of the rare instances when
it isn’t. The fan site Narniaweb.com even listed email and physical addresses for fans to
respectfully voice their concerns to the various companies and people involved. Many are also comparing this outrage to Disney’s Snow White media fiasco. Having seen that film, I found much of the backlash was overblown and was focused more on the actors than the movie itself (with the main exception being the CGI dwarves). But that movie, while a remake of one of the most important animated films of all time, is also based on a fairy tale, which by nature gives the filmmakers more freedom to alter the narrative. It also won’t ever replace the original. The Magician’s Nephew, the project Greta Gerwig looks to be making first, has never been filmed before. Besides the book, there’s nothing to compare it to. This isn’t the time to experiment.

It’s the time to do a proper adaptation, only making minor modifications which help with
translating the written work to a visual medium.What’s perhaps most concerning about this is what this movie has riding on it. Gerwigmanaged to secure an historic deal with IMAX, giving her film a brief theatrical run. SinceNetflix’s corporate model generally dismisses the theatrical experience, a lot is riding on the success of this film. But there are already fans who vow to never see these movies if these talks about Streep’s casting are true. In looking at the Walden films, one of the reasons the first was so successful was because of the aggressive faith-based marketing, propelling it to the third-highest grossing film worldwide in 2005. However, Prince Caspian, while not a bomb, was considered a box office disappointment. One of the most overlooked reasons was the marketing team ignoring the faith-based audience that made the first film so successful. This new iteration’s success could hopefully convince Netflix to consider more theatrical runs and possibly even produce physical media, hopefully helping future filmmakers get similar deals. But if these
talks with Meryl Streep for the Aslan role are successful, then this film will flounder without its core audience to support it. The three Walden Narnia films are filled with the Biblical truths in the original books, as well as original elements and imagery that still line up with these principles. These new films have the opportunity to spread elements of the Gospel to a new generation, but if Aslan is compromised, then this won’t happen. Let’s hope things change, as the future of both Narnia and streaming depend on it.