- Primary Subject: Meryl Streep as Aslan in Narnia: The Magician's Nephew
- Key Update: Greta Gerwig explained why she cast the Oscar-winning acting legend to voice Aslan in the upcoming film.
- Status: Confirmed
- Last Verified: September 18, 2026
- Quick Answer: Greta Gerwig chose Meryl Streep to voice Aslan in The Magician's Nephew for her gravitas, childlike wonder, and ability to capture Narnia's music-born creation story.
Greta Gerwig recently explained why Meryl Streep was cast to voice Aslan in the upcoming film Narnia: The Magician's Nephew.
The world of C.S. Lewis's fantasy novels is returning next year with a new movie from the Barbie director. One of the cast members is acting legend Meryl Streep, who was tapped to voice Aslan, which surprised fans given that the character is usually depicted as male in the source material and previous films.
Why Meryl Streep Is Playing Aslan in Narnia: The Magician's Nephew?
In an interview with Empire Magazine, Greta Gerwig opened up about her decision to cast Meryl Streep to voice Aslan in Narnia: The Magician's Nephew, contrary to the traditional depiction of the character.
She explained that she wanted the voice performer for the mythical lion, who is responsible for creating the world of Narnia, to have the gravitas needed for the portrayal.
"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 director said.
"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."
Gerwig also revealed that David Bowie was the main inspiration for her depiction of Aslan in the upcoming movie.
"David Bowie saved my life. Paul McCartney saved my life. David Gilmour saved my life. Pete Townshend saved my life. Jimmy Page, Robert Plant. When I heard their music, I had this deep sense of [thinking], ‘You’re gonna be OK,’" she explained.
"Narnia is literally a world made out of music. It is a world sung to life by Aslan, and rock ’n’ roll to me felt like a world made out of music."
What to Expect in Narnia: The Magician's Nephew
Greta Gerwig brings C.S. Lewis’s beloved story Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew to the screen for the first time in a sweeping adventure that invites dreamers of all ages to experience the creation of Narnia.
In case you're not familiar, The Magician’s Nephew "shows how all the comings and goings between our own world and the land of Narnia first began," as the novel’s opening lines read, and leads to the events of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
The cast includes David McKenna, Beatrice Campbell, Emma Mackey, Carey Mulligan, Ciarán Hinds, Daniel Craig, Meryl Streep, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, Denise Gough, and Susan Wokoma.
It will be released in IMAX and wide globally in theaters on February 12, 2027, and on Netflix on April 2, 2027. Sneak previews only in IMAX will begin on February 10, 2027.
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