Meryl Streep as Narnia’s Aslan: Why some evangelicals call it blasphemy

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(RNS) — For some conservative Christian fans of C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia, the idea of God being portrayed as a lion is fine.

As long as he sounds like a guy.

News that three-time Oscar winner Meryl Streep would voice Aslan — the Jesus figure at the center of Lewis’ bestselling series in Greta Gerwig’s upcoming adaptation of “Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew” — led to confusion, anger  and disappointment on social media, with some evangelical fans planning to skip the film. It’s set to be released in theaters in February 2027.

Some called the change “blasphemy” or claimed it mocked Lewis’ work , saying Aslan had become “Translan” and a symbol of the broader culture war. Others told their fellow fans to chill out.

“Meryl Streep as Aslan?” wrote conservative influencer Mike Winger in criticizing the move on social media. “It runs counter to the entire purpose of the story. CS Lewis would have a fit and rightly so.”

The dustup over Streep and Aslan echoes some of the culture war debates over the cast of “The Odyssey” earlier this year, in particular, Lupita Nyong’o being cast as…