Meryl Streep confirmed as voice of lion Aslan in Netflix’s ‘Narnia’ film

Meryl Streep will voice Aslan, the messianic lion of C.S. Lewis’ “Chronicles of Narnia,” in Greta Gerwig’s long-gestating Netflix adaptation “Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew,” ending more than a year of casting speculation.

The confirmation came Thursday when Empire magazine published its November cover story on the film, which had been rumored to feature Ms. Streep as Aslan since April 2025. The magazine’s exclusive first-look images also revealed a redesigned Aslan with heterochromatic eyes and bold red facial markings, a look Ms. Gerwig said was inspired by David Bowie.

Ms. Gerwig, the “Barbie” and “Little Women” director, explained her reasoning for casting the 77-year-old, three-time Oscar winner as the character. “I wanted someone who was profound but not pretentious, who had gravitas but not morose self-seriousness,” she said. The two previously worked together on “Little Women,” in which Ms. Streep played Aunt March.

Rumors that surfaced last year suggested Ms. Streep would voice a gender-swapped version of Aslan, who has been male throughout Lewis’s seven-book series and in Liam Neeson’s portrayal in the 2005-2010 Disney film trilogy. Thursday’s Empire reveal did not bear that out: the accompanying article continues to refer to Aslan as “he,” and a separate report on the casting news noted that Empire’s write-up left the character’s gender unaddressed. Taken together, the reporting points toward Ms. Streep voicing a male Aslan rather than a reimagined female one, though neither Netflix nor Empire has stated that explicitly.

The casting had already divided longtime fans of the books well before Thursday’s confirmation. Last November, Brian Corbin, who runs the fan site NarniaWeb and hosts the “Talking Beasts” podcast, said reaction within the fan community to the then-unconfirmed casting rumor had run largely negative. “My initial excitement is now mixed with a certain anxiety,” he said at the time, adding that many in the fan base said they wouldn’t see the film if their concerns about the character weren’t addressed.

“Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew” also stars Daniel Craig, Emma Mackey, Carey Mulligan, Ciaran Hinds and Denise Gough, with newcomers David McKenna and Beatrice Campbell in the lead roles of Digory Kirke and Polly Plummer. The film adapts the sixth book in Lewis’s series — chronologically first in the Narnia timeline — and relocates the story from its original 1900 setting to the 1950s.

The film is scheduled for IMAX and wide theatrical release Feb. 12, 2027, ahead of its Netflix streaming debut April 2, 2027.