Narnia is returning to the big screen, but not quite as audiences remember it.
Netflix has spent years developing its own version of The Chronicles of Narnia after acquiring rights to C.S. Lewis’ seven-book fantasy series in 2018. The company ultimately handed its first movies to Barbie and Little Women director Greta Gerwig.
Her first film will be Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew, an origin story showing how Narnia was created. It will also be the first feature film adaptation of the 1955 novel, which comes before The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe chronologically.
As more details emerge, it is also becoming clear that Gerwig is not trying to recreate previous Narnia adaptations.
The first major gender related change involves one of the franchise’s most recognizable characters: Aslan.
Narnia Casts a Woman as Aslan for the First Time
Meryl Streep will voice Aslan in The Magician’s Nephew, Empire confirmed on September 17.
Streep becomes the first woman to voice the lion in a major screen adaptation of The Chronicles of Narnia. Ronald Pickup previously played Aslan for the BBC, while Liam Neeson voiced him across the three Narnia movies released between 2005 and 2010.
Gerwig said she wanted someone capable of bringing “gravitas” as well as “joy and delight” to Aslan.
First look at Aslan in Greta Gerwig’s ‘NARNIA’ movie.
Voiced by Meryl Streep.
(Source: @empiremagazine)
First look at Aslan in Greta Gerwig's ‘NARNIA’ movie.
Voiced by Meryl Streep.
(Source: @empiremagazine) pic.twitter.com/LGlALgofRV
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) September 17, 2026
She also specifically sought an actor over 70, looking for someone who could bring decades of experience to the role without losing the character’s sense of wonder. That search ultimately led her back to Streep, whom she previously directed in Little Women.
The casting has naturally generated talk of Aslan being “gender swapped,” but there is an important distinction.
Netflix has not said that Aslan himself is now female. The first official look still depicts Aslan as a maned lion, and coverage surrounding the reveal continues to use male pronouns for the character.
For now, the gender change applies to the casting. A role traditionally performed by men will now be voiced by a woman.
That has still divided some Narnia fans online.
Critics of the decision have accused Netflix and Gerwig of making “REALLY weird decisions,” while another described the casting as “stupid.”
Other fans have argued that changing the gender of Aslan’s voice does not alter what the character represents.
One Reddit user wrote, “Jesus’ life and death are no more or less divine if they are told allegorically with a woman’s voice. It literally is not that hard.”
Another added, “Jesus takes the form of a talking lion—also an albatross, a lamb, and a cat. Aslan shape-shifts. There is no reason that a woman cannot VOICE the talking lion that is Jesus in our world.”
The new Aslan will look different, too.
Gerwig’s version has different colored eyes and a red stripe running through his fur, with David Bowie serving as an influence on the design.
Greta Gerwig Is Changing More Than Aslan
Aslan may be receiving the most attention, but Gerwig has already made several other changes to Lewis’ story.
One of the biggest is the setting.
The Magician’s Nephew takes place around 1900 in the book. Gerwig has shifted the movie to the 1950s, with filming recreating postwar Britain instead.
The movie follows Digory Kirke (David McKenna) and Polly Plummer (Beatrice Campbell), who discover magical rings capable of transporting them between different worlds.
Their journey eventually leads them to the creation of Narnia, where they encounter Aslan and Jadis, the future White Witch, played by Emma Mackey (and previously played by Marvel actress Tilda Swinton in the Disney movies).
Daniel Craig is also among the cast, alongside Carey Mulligan, Ciarán Hinds, Kobna Holdbrook Smith, Denise Gough, and Susan Wokoma. Netflix has not revealed every character they will play.
Starting in the 1950s could become especially significant if Netflix continues adapting the books chronologically.
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe traditionally takes place during World War II, with the Pevensie children sent away from London during the Blitz.
Netflix has not explained whether a future adaptation would retain that wartime setting or also move the story forward.
Music is another major part of Gerwig’s approach.
Aslan sings Narnia into existence in The Magician’s Nephew, something Gerwig has said fascinated her from childhood. She initially approached the movie as a “rock opera,” with British rock becoming an influence on her version of Lewis’ world.
🚨 First look at Emma Mackey as Jadis and Charn in Greta Gerwig’s Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew
🚨 First look at Emma Mackey as Jadis and Charn in Greta Gerwig’s Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew pic.twitter.com/si0zvUitkq
— NarniaWeb (@NarniaWeb) September 17, 2026
Her Barbie collaborators Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt are composing the score, while George Drakoulias is serving as music supervisor.
Netflix has not confirmed which Narnia book Gerwig will adapt next, although she has been attached to multiple films.
Audiences will get their first look at the new franchise next year.
Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew will begin IMAX previews on February 10, 2027, before opening widely in theaters on February 12. It will then arrive on Netflix on April 2.
That wide theatrical rollout is unusual for Netflix and gives the movie a significantly longer cinema window than most of the streamer’s original films.
Are you excited for Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew?
