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Netflix’s ‘Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew’: We Have Thoughts

Netflix’s ‘Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew’: We Have Thoughts

Last updated on: October 2, 2026 at 9:48 am by Kate O'Hare

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Netflix’s ‘Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew’: We Have Thoughts 2026-10-02T09:48:11-08:00 Kate O'Hare

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Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew, writer/director Greta Gerwig’s adaptation of the 1955 prequel to C.S. Lewis’ beloved faith-infused book series, doesn’t even hit theaters until next February — and won’t come to producer Netflix until April — but the controversy is already heating up.

So, I gathered some pals to talk about it. More on that in a bit.

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The Aslan Problem, and Some Rock ‘n Roll

Empire Magazine stirred up a hornet’s nest with online excerpts of its November issue cover story, on sale now.

The two main points of contention both center on Aslan, the sentient, talking lion who functions as a Christ analog among the sentient, talking animals of the magical world of Narnia.

The cover image shows the face of a lion with odd-colored eyes, scales and feathers as well as fur, along with rainbow whiskers.

�NEW ISSUE DAY�

Our Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew issue is OUT NOW!

Inside, Greta Gerwig and her cast open the doors to Narnia detailing her revolutionary rock’n’roll adaptation.

BUY NOW: https://t.co/9pBPPtK9NT pic.twitter.com/xXY820wv1B

— Empire (@empiremagazine) September 24, 2026

The story also confirmed a longtime rumor, that actress Meryl Streep voices Aslan. As for casting Streep, Gerwig said (from Variety, quoting Empire):

“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,” Gerwig told Empire in a cover story about the upcoming film.

“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.”

It may not be a long list, but it probably still has several men on it. So, this doesn’t really answer the question of why a female actor was hired to voice a male character, who’s also an analog for Christ.

Speaking of Christ

Then there’s the whole question of the Christian themes that run throughout Lewis’ work.

As someone raised Unitarian Universalist, who also attended Catholic school, Gerwig (Lady Bird, Little Women, Barbie) has a rather unorthodox relationship with traditional Christianity.

In brief, Unitarian Universalism is a liberal religious tradition characterized by a commitment to theological diversity, inclusivity and social justice.

Gerwig discussed her idea of faith with UUWorld:

I think religion has always been something that has occupied me as a person, and Unitarianism is the most complete expression of my multiple and, at times, contradictory thoughts about the spiritual life. I think the openness of the community allows for a greater variety of personal faith and ideas. It isn’t oppressively open, but generously so.

Gerwig has also said that her vision of Narnia relates to her love of such rock ‘n roll icons as the late David Bowie (who, as a result of a childhood injury, had one eye with a permanently dilated pupil).

From Variety (again quoting Empire):

David Bowie was a source of inspiration, both for the look of Aslan (who has multicolored eyes and a red-striped face in this version) as well as the essence of the movie, according to Gerwig. She described wanting the movie to be “big and transporting” and feel like a “rock opera.”

“David Bowie saved my life. Paul McCartney saved my life. David Gilmour saved my life. Pete Townshend saved my life. Jimmy Page, Robert Plant,” Gerwig told Empire. “When I heard their music, I had this deep sense of [thinking], ‘You’re gonna be OK.’”

Having the Narnia Conversation

Some folks are very angry; others are just puzzled; and even more are taking a wait-and-see attitude.

I’m not a Narnia fan (not a hater, just not a big fantasy reader in general), but I thought all this was worth discussing. So, I gathered a couple of Narnia-fan pals — not Catholic but fellow Christians — for an extended conversation.

They are:

Freelance journalist Josh Shepherd, who writes on faith and culture for several media outlets. He and his family live in central Florida.
Aaron Earls, who is is a professional writer living with his wife and children outside Nashville, Tenn. He has been reading, studying, and writing about C.S. Lewis for decades. His website, https://www.thewardrobedoor.com/, goes further into Lewis’ life and writing, including The Chronicles of Narnia.

You can watch the whole thing below, and then can keep reading for more background and a few excerpts.

Some Narnia Background

The books have been around since 1950. There have been movie and TV adaptations of the most famous books, including a Disney feature trilogy released between 2005-2010, adapting The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe; Prince Caspian; and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

Those who know and love the Narnia books are understandably the most interested in, and the most upset with, these developments.

We’d be here for hours if I dove into all the detailed Narnia lore (if you want to, there’s always the pretty comprehensive NarniaWeb), but here’s how Empire summed up the plot of the book Gerwig tackled first.

Despite being the sixth in a seven-book series, The Magician’s Nephew actually kicks off the timeline, and serves as an origin story for Narnia itself. Its aforementioned two heroes are a pair of plucky London kids: Polly (played by Beatrice Campbell in the film) and her neighbour Digory (David McKenna), who grows up to become the Professor who houses Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy Pevensie some 40 years later in The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe (Lewis’ debut Narnia book).

The book of The Magician’s Nephew takes place in 1900, but Gerwig has shifted the time frame to postwar Britain in the 1950s. Logically, that would shift the rest of the story 50 years later in time, but there’s no word yet on how Gerwig plans to deal with that.

A Few Thoughts From Our Conversation (Edited for Length and Clarity)

Shepherd on the showbiz aspect:

But I think, with this film, it is also from producer Amy Pascal, who, you know, is behind the Spider-Man films, Project Hail Mary. She also partnered with Greta Gerwig on Little Women.

So she makes very crowd-pleasing films. She knows how to bring a crowd in and tell a story, as does Greta Gerwig. And certainly Barbie was a massive, you know, $1.4 billion.

Earls on his attitude to Gerwig’s film right now:

I’m not as angry about those changes. There are legitimate criticisms that have about kind of what we know so far. Again, we’re just judging on this magazine cover. No one has seen the movie yet outside of a few test screenings.

So we’re just trying to evaluate on the information that we have. And, you know, again, with an adaptation, I can see people making changes. I’m not automatically opposed to she imagines in a rock ‘n roll world with these kind of technicolor ideas and charm being more science fiction.

When Lewis describes it in the book, it’s much more of a kind of ancient ruined world than like a futuristic sci-fi world, but I’m not necessarily opposed to that kind of reimagining of that thing.

It just cuts to, is the core spirit and idea that Lewis wanted to propagate through the story, is that still present? I think that’s really the big question that we’re looking at for this movie.

Shepherd on Gerwig’s spirituality:

Embracing Unitarian Universalism is really a core part of her belief system. That’s a rejection of the Trinity, it’s a rejection of the idea of our Father, you know, as the one that we’re praying to.

It’ll be often gender-neutral, or mother-father-god, that kind of prayer, even an Earth-centered kind of tradition where goddess, etc, is worshiped. So, that’s antithetical to how Narnia kind of operates. So, that’s, I think, where the concern would come from.

And me, on Hollywood’s discomfort with religious — especially Christian — themes:

But maybe this is a you problem, because I don’t think it’s an audience problem.

Click here for a few more photos from the Empire issue, via NarniaWeb.

Image: Netflix

Don’t miss a thing! Subscribe to my content at Authory.com/KateOHare (which also features a library of earlier, celebrity-heavy stories — and some on equestrian sports!)

About Kate O'Hare

Journalism, screenwriting, Seahawks ... I prefer stories with soul. Covering the intersection of entertainment, faith and pop culture. Writing movies in my spare time -- when not watching Seahawks football, that is. From the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains, left my heart in Saratoga Springs. Currently based in Los Angeles, where it's always another day in paradise. No, I don't pick my NFL team by geography. You can read more about the author here.

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