Meryl Streep Is Voicing Aslan in Greta Gerwig’s ‘Narnia,’ and Some Christians Fear the Christ Figure Will Be Portrayed as Female

TV + Movies

By Sari Moon

Updated 38 seconds ago, October 4, 2026

Meryl Streep’s role as the voice of Aslan in Greta Gerwig’s “Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew” has raised a religious objection among some conservative Christian commentators: they fear a character they understand as a representation of Jesus will become female.

Aslan is male throughout C.S. Lewis’ 7 Narnia books, published in the 1950s, and Lewis gave the lion a mane. Streep’s casting doesn’t establish that Gerwig has changed the character’s gender, and the public hasn’t seen any footage of the film yet.

Gerwig hasn’t directly answered the gender question. Streep’s 77, and Gerwig said her ideal actor would be older than 70, with “a wisdom of experience” and “the capacity of fresh wonder, like a child.” She wanted a voice that was “profound but not pretentious, who had gravitas but not morose self-seriousness.”

For Seth Udinsky, the casting and a promotional depiction of Aslan amount to an attack on Christianity. In his Christian Post column, he accused Gerwig of making the lion “transgender,” citing whiskers tinted in rainbow colors. Aslan’s reported design also includes eyes of different colors and a “bold red-striped visage,” which Empire linked to Gerwig taking inspiration from David Bowie’s gender ambiguity.

Ted Baehr, who founded the Christian parenting site Movieguide, argues that adapting Narnia means handling Gospel themes that can’t be treated like Greek mythology. “The Gospel is not a myth,” he said.

Author Christin Ditchfield Lazo wants Christians to see the film before judging the casting. “There’s a huge difference between a woman voicing a male character and the director changing the gender of the character,” she said. She pointed to animation and Shakespearean theater as examples of performers playing characters of another gender.

Kat Coffin, a New York writer who studies Lewis, questioned the hostility toward a potentially feminine Aslan. She said she’s “far more disturbed by the people who are violently opposed and angry at the idea that the incarnation of God could be anything even hinted toward feminine.” She cited Aslan’s appearance as a lamb in the books, with a “sweet milky voice,” describing it as “a feminine presentation.”

The family of Lewis’ late wife, Joy Davidman Gresham, has expressed support for Gerwig, praising her “sincere passion” after a visit to the London set. Reported worldwide sales of the Narnia books total 120 million copies. “Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew” is scheduled to reach theaters in February.

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