Audiences have yet to see a single scene from director Greta Gerwig’s adaptation of the classic children’s book series The Chronicles of Narnia, but a casting decision has already sparked an outcry among some conservative Christian commentators.
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The controversy centers on the casting of Oscar-winning actress Meryl Streep to voice the lion Aslan in Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew. Aslan is widely viewed as a literary representation of Christ in the seven Narnia books by British Christian author C.S. Lewis, published in the 1950s. The books portray Aslan as a male lion with a majestic mane.
Filmmakers routinely take liberties when adapting books, whether by condensing timelines, combining characters or making other changes. Gerwig herself has shifted the timeline of The Magician’s Nephew, moving its setting from around 1900 to the 1950s.
Streep’s casting does not necessarily mean that Aslan will be portrayed as female. However, for some conservative Christian critics, even the possibility of portraying a divine figure representing Christ in a non-male form crosses the boundaries of artistic freedom. They view it as an affront to their faith, pointing to the Bible and historic Christian creeds, which refer to God the Father and Jesus as the Son of God.
Seth Udinsky wrote in an article for the evangelical Christian Post: “This is a familiar tactic used by the enemies of God to undermine and destroy Christian symbols, in an attempt to wage a war of attrition over the heart of culture.”
Udinsky claimed that Gerwig had turned Aslan into a “transgender” character, citing a new image released by the film’s promoters showing the lion with rainbow-colored whiskers.
Similar comments, along with opposing reactions, appeared among a large number of comments on a Netflix Instagram post about Streep’s casting.
By contrast, some scholars and Lewis enthusiasts have taken a more cautious approach, preferring to wait until the film is released before passing judgment. Netflix’s production is scheduled to hit theaters in February.
Kat Coffin, a New York-based writer and scholar specializing in Lewis’s work, said she has questions about Streep’s casting but added: “What bothers me much more are the people who vehemently oppose and get angry at the mere idea that an incarnation of God could carry any indication, however slight, of femininity.”
Gerwig wanted a voice “deep without being affected”
Gerwig has not directly addressed the issue of gender in her public remarks, but said she saw Streep as one of the few actors capable of meeting the standards she had set for Aslan’s voice.
“I wanted someone deep without being affected, with presence and authority without being overly dark or serious. Someone who could express depth and pain, as well as joy and delight.
“I wanted someone over 70, with the wisdom of experience, but still capable of feeling the renewed sense of wonder that a child has. And, of course, someone who is one of the greatest actors to have ever worked in this profession.”
She added that she first read The Magician’s Nephew as a child and fell in love with its story and magical world.
Gerwig is known for bringing feminist perspectives to her acclaimed films, including Barbie and Little Women, both of which are also based on literary or cultural works that have long been popular with children.
The debate intensified following a report by Empire magazine, which said Gerwig drew inspiration for the lion’s appearance from pop star David Bowie, known for an image that challenged traditional gender conventions. Aslan was reportedly depicted with different-colored eyes and prominent red markings across his face.
Published in 1955, eight years before Lewis’s death, The Magician’s Nephew follows two children, Digory and Polly, who are sent by dark magic into parallel worlds. They eventually arrive in the newly created fantasy land of Narnia, but unintentionally bring the evil witch Jadis with them. In this book and those that follow, Aslan leads his young followers in confronting and overcoming evil.
Critic: Gospel themes cannot be treated like “The Odyssey”
For Ted Baehr, casting a woman as Aslan represents a direct challenge to Christian doctrine concerning the nature of God.
Baehr is the founder and publisher of Movieguide, a website that provides Christian parents with guidance on suitable entertainment.
Baehr said the film “could be a huge success, but the more successful it is, the more Christians will be concerned about their children and grandchildren.”
Baehr previously headed a company that produced a 1979 animated television adaptation of another book in the Narnia series.
He praised Gerwig’s directing skills but said she may not understand how important the issue is to many Christians. Although Lewis said the Narnia books were not allegorical works in a direct sense, they contain clear parallels with biblical stories and concepts.
Baehr said the works cannot be adapted with the same degree of freedom that Christopher Nolan’s recent film The Odyssey applied to Greek mythology.
“The Gospel is not a myth,” he said.
These criticisms reflect the deep connection many Christians, particularly evangelicals, feel with Lewis, who promoted Christian teachings and ideas through both his fiction and nonfiction.
Narnia has a vast readership, with reports estimating that around 120 million copies of the series have been sold worldwide since the first book was published 75 years ago this month. Christian readers have developed a particularly strong connection to the books.
“I know many people who are genuinely concerned because the original stories mean so much to them,” said Kristin Ditchfield Lazo, an author of books about Lewis.
She added that the Narnia series “has had a profound impact on the lives of millions of people, particularly believers who love the spiritual truths contained in these stories and want them presented faithfully.”
Ditchfield Lazo urged Christians to wait before reaching conclusions.
“There is a big difference between a woman voicing a male character and the director changing the character’s gender. It may be problematic, but we won’t know that until we see the film,” she said.
She noted that men and women have repeatedly played or voiced characters of the opposite sex, from Shakespearean theater to modern animation.
Lewis family supports Gerwig’s work
Many evangelicals welcomed the films released in the early 2000s based on the first three Narnia books, in which actor Liam Neeson provided Aslan’s deep, masculine voice.
Coffin said God has been portrayed with feminine characteristics in other literary works, and even in Narnia itself, where Aslan also appears as a lamb with a voice described as “sweet and milky.”
“I describe that as a feminine presentation,” she said.
The family of Joy Davidman Gresham, Lewis’s late wife, praised Gerwig for her “genuine passion” for the Narnia works.
“We saw this enthusiasm during our visit to the London set. We are delighted to be working with such a talented and accomplished director and production team, and we look forward to continuing to work with them on future projects,” the family said in a statement provided by Netflix.
The C.S. Lewis Company, which owns the intellectual property rights to the author’s works and is involved in producing the film, also said: “It is deeply moving to see how profoundly Greta Gerwig is connected to the world of C.S. Lewis, and how she has infused Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew with joy, emotion and genuine love for the story.”
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Resource: Al-Ghad.
