Greta Gerwig’s Narnia film might just cast Meryl Streep in a gender-swapped role, and fans are already hating the idea. It was reported that the new adaptation of the series would cast Streep as Aslan, a role previously played by Liam Neeson in the films. Fans don’t want this new change as they would like Gerwig to accurately portray the wise and powerful mentor from the books.
While none of the cast for the film are confirmed as of now, there are many rumors about potential actors who could join the franchise. Netflix announced a new set of series and film projects based on C.S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia in 2018. They brought Gerwig in 2020, much before she gave the worldwide hit Barbie for Warner Bros.
Gerwig is adapting the sixth novel in the series, The Magician’s Nephew, which chronologically takes place first. It tells the origin of Narnia and will have the characters Digory Kirke and Polly Plummer at the center of the plot. Digory and Polly discover the magical world of Narnia using Digory’s uncle’s magic.
Meryl Streep as Aslan is an idea fans hate about Greta Gerwig’s Narnia
Meryl Streep is one of Hollywood’s greats, and having her in your cast for a film is guaranteed success. However, even the greatest actress can’t save your film if she’s miscast in the role. Fans have the feeling that she is not at all fit for her rumored role in Greta Gerwig’s Narnia film. Nexus Point News reported earlier that she is in talks to play Aslan, the Great Lion.
Both in C.S. Lewis’s books and the earlier film adaptation from Disney, Aslan is a male lion and the true king of Narnia. Fans felt that the gender-swapped role felt completely out of place and didn’t want Gerwig to change something that has been revered by the book fans for decades. Streep’s casting rumor got social media attention, with fans raising their objection to it.
Fans jokingly mentioned several other casting decisions the film could make, which would be as ridiculous as Streep’s casting. They mockingly suggested Brad Pitt for the role of the Ice Queen and Samuel L. Jackson for the role the White Witch. One fan wondered whether Netflix was trying to create another Snow White-like disaster.
One other problem fans had with the gender-swapped casting of Aslan is Lewis’s Christian allegory in his novel. The author had drawn parallels between Aslan and Jesus, which makes the new casting even more problematic for religious fans. Some of the fan reactions read:
Who’s playing the Ice Queen, Brad Pitt?
— Lucy Stone (@lucystone1871) March 31, 2025
Are they aiming to see if they can take less money and have emptier theatres than Snow White?
— JackRamble (@Ramble_Jack) March 31, 2025
They’ve progressed from mocking Christ to mocking Christ allegories.
— Dreams Uncharted (FREE comics in bio!) (@DreamsUnchartd) March 31, 2025
I love meryl streep, but why are they gender swapping aslan?
— paws for ackles (@thecinemadog) March 31, 2025
and cast Samuel L Jackson as the White Witch!
no fr that’d be too good pic.twitter.com/KKhiuqGZFU
— DontSmileDean (@DontSmileDean) March 31, 2025
Why are we rehashing a trilogy that came out 20 years ago? Hollywood really has run out of imagination and originality.
— 📈🧲💰 (@RG3424) March 31, 2025
Meryl Streep has been having her dream run in movies and TV lately. She was seen in Hulu’s hit comedy series, Only Murders in the Building, AppleTV+’s Extrapolations, and Adam McKay’s Don’t Look Up. While she’s still one of the names you would love to have in a film, we are not ready to see a maneless Aslan just because Streep plays the character.
Other casting rumors in Greta Gerwig’s Narnia film
A regular in Greta Gerwig‘s films, Saoirse Ronan is rumored to be a part of the Narnia film. World of Reel reported in September that Ronan had landed an unspecified role in the new film adaptation, adding that it would be a supporting role. She had worked with Gerwig in Lady Bird and Little Women.
Deadline reported in March that the film is eyeing singer Charli XCX to join the film in a main role. It was speculated that she was considered for the role of Jadis, the White Witch, the antagonist of the film. However, it is not clear whether Charli XCX would contribute any music to the new film.
The film is also eyeing Daniel Craig to play a crucial character in the film. Some fans placed their bets on the role of Uncle Andrew, Digory’s uncle whose magic takes them to Narnia. Others were convinced that he would be voicing the role of Aslan, which didn’t seem far-fetched at the time.
Interestingly, Daisy Ridley mentioned in a recent interview with Collider that she missed the opportunity to become part of Gerwig’s Narnia. The new film is preparing for a Thanksgiving release in 2026. According to Deadline, the film is receiving an exclusive IMAX global run for two weeks.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
