Before I launch into the updates on Netflix Narnia adaptations, I want you to read something C.S. Lewis wrote in a 1961 letter to a girl named Anne.
I'm not sure what questions Anne had asked him, but his response made something very clear about the character of Aslan, the lion who is both the creator and protector of the land of Narnia:
The whole Narnian story is about Christ.
That is to say, I asked myself ‘Supposing there really were a world like Narnia, and supposing it had (like our world) gone wrong, and supposing Christ wanted to go into that world and save it (as He did ours) what might have happened?’
The stories are my answer. Since Narnia is a world of Talking Beasts, I thought He would become a Talking Beast there, as he became a Man here.
I pictured Him becoming a lion there because (a) The lion is supposed to be the King of beasts: (b) Christ is called ‘The Lion of Judah’ in the Bible (Genesis 49:9-10): (c) I’d been having strange dreams about lions when I began writing the books.
In short, Aslan is Jesus. A fictional Jesus created by a very devout and intelligent man, but Aslan is an anthropomorphic Jesus in a fictional world.
I've been tracking the development of Netflix's live-action adaptation, and loyal readers know that I didn't hold out much hope for it. For starters, this is Netflix. I half expected Aslan to be represented by a transgender, wheelchair-bound diversity hire.
As you'll see, I wasn't that far off.
Moreover, the woman in charge is Greta Gerwig, most famous for her feminist Barbie movie that attacked men so badly that it inadvertently created a Shakespearean tragedy where Ken was the good guy who got cheated out of his agency by deception.
Gerwig talked about her plans for the upcoming Narnia adaptations, which I personally interpreted as threats. Still, I held out hope that at least there would be some justice done to one of the greatest Christian stories of all time.
I don't know why I did.
On Thursday, we got our first look at the new Aslan... played by Meryl Streep.
First look at Aslan in Greta Gerwig's ‘NARNIA’ movie.
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) September 17, 2026
Voiced by Meryl Streep.
(Source: @empiremagazine) pic.twitter.com/LGlALgofRV
To be clear, in the article, they're still describing Aslan as a "he," meaning he's a lion, not a lioness, but he's being voiced by a female, so I'm going to bet we're going to have a scene where confusion about his gender is voiced by someone.
The model they're using for Aslan looks very strange, as if he's an amalgamation of animals put together to make a lion, including feathers, but what struck me was the fact that the top of the head is clearly a snake's head, which leads me to ask what Gerwig is trying to say here. According to Empire, Gerwig's key inspiration for the Lion is David Bowie.
I love David Bowie... but maybe not as inspiration for a Christ-like figure. I especially don't understand why she would choose Streep, someone who once called Harvey Weinstein "God," to voice the character, and Gerwig's explanation doesn't make the choice make any more sense.
“I wanted someone who was profound but not pretentious, who had gravitas but not morose self-seriousness. Someone who could communicate depth and pathos as well as joy and delight,” Gerwig tells Empire of casting Streep as Narnia’s deity-of-sorts. “I wanted someone who was older than 70, so there was a wisdom of experience, but who also had the capacity of fresh wonder, like a child. And also to be one of the greatest actors to ever do it. That list is not a long one.”
She's right, it's not a long one, but apparently it was longer than anyone else would've guessed because she chose a woman who, while definitely talented, is not fit to play a male lion.
In a world where people like Gary Oldman and Jeremy Irons exist, Meryl Streep is a gross miscast.
But let's be clear about what's really going on here.
This is just another deconstruction. This is soft erasure.
The point is to take the stories that helped define and guide Western civilization, corrupt, pervert, and remove their substance, until they're not even a shadow of their former selves, but a grotesque doppelganger attempting to convince you they're the thing you love. If you're ignorant of the real, substantial thing it stole from, then perhaps you'll show it to your children, and that story will forever define their idea of Western values.
Do you see the trap?
They can't destroy the thing, so they can only misrepresent it. It's as insidious as it is brilliant, but in the end, it's all crap.
My suggestion? Read to your kids and grandkids the stories from the source. Do it repeatedly. Work the actual message into their hearts so that when they see the rip-off, they'll feel how nonsensical it is in their heart.
