Meryl Streep to voice Aslan in Netflix’s ‘Narnia’ as Greta Gerwig explains surprising casting: ‘I wanted…’
Meryl Streep is now the official ‘Narnia’ lion. Empire’s latest cover story confirms that Streep will lend her voice to Aslan in Greta Gerwig’s ‘Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew,’ bringing an end to speculation about the actor’s role in the film. Streep’s involvement had been rumored since April 2025, when reports first linked her to the role. Netflix later included her name in a cast listing for the film, but Empire’s latest report now confirms that she will indeed voice the iconic character. Meanwhile, Gerwig herself has explained why Streep was the perfect choice for the role.
“I wanted someone who was profound but not pretentious, who had gravitas but not morose self-seriousness,” Gerwig told Empire. “Someone who could communicate depth and pathos as well as joy and delight. 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,” she added. In fact, this won’t be the first time Gerwig and Streep have collaborated on a project. Streep previously played Aunt March in Gerwig's 2019 adaptation of ‘Little Women.’
As for the rest of the cast, Emma Mackey plays Jadis, the White Witch, with Carey Mulligan, Ciaran Hinds, Denise Gough, and Daniel Craig rounding out the adult cast, with the latter widely expected to play Uncle Andrew. Newcomers David McKenna and Beatrice Campbell lead the film as Digory and Polly, respectively. Gerwig has also relocated the story into the 1950s, rather than Lewis’ original time period of 1900. ‘Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew,’ the first chronological entry in the 'Chronicles of Narnia' series and sixth overall, will be released in IMAX and regular theaters on February 12, 2027, with IMAX previews beginning on February 10. The film will arrive on Netflix on April 2, 2027. One thing the latest update doesn’t reveal is the gender of Aslan, which has always been male in the books and previous adaptations. Liam Neeson previously voiced the character in the 2005-2010 film trilogy, the most widely seen adaptation of the series so far.
