Last year, Netflix officially announced that Oscar-winning actress Meryl Streep would voice Aslan in Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew. As the internet often does with adaptations, fans melted down over the casting despite the lack of information. This would be the first female actress to voice the character after Liam Neeson (Taken) famously did the voice in the early 2000s adaptations by Disney and Walden Media. Many wondered whether director and writer Greta Gerwig (Barbie, Little Women) was giving the character a unique twist by gender-swapping the great Lion to female in her film.
With test screenings already complete, it’s been confirmed that Aslan will remain male despite being voiced by a woman. This is not uncommon, as female actresses have voiced male characters for decades in anime, including Veronica Taylor as Ash Ketchum and Maile Flanagan as Naruto Uzumaki. In an interview with Empire, Gerwig stated on casting Streep, “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.” The film will reportedly use post-production to make Streep’s voice much deeper and gravelly. Now many can put this pointless online controversy to rest and enjoy Gerwig’s take on the classic C.S. Lewis novel. As Cam says in Modern Family, “Meryl Streep could play Batman, and it would be the right choice.”
Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew debuts in theaters and IMAX on February 12th, 2027
- Oscar-winning actress Meryl Streep was cast to voice Aslan in Narnia: The Magician's Nephew.
- Test screenings confirmed that Aslan will remain male, using post-production effects to deepen the voice of Meryl Streep.
- Director Greta Gerwig chose Meryl Streep because she wanted someone with profound depth, gravitas, joy, and delight.
