No one has seen a single frame yet of director Greta Gerwig's film adaptation of "The Chronicles of Narnia," but one casting decision is already generating strong reactions from many conservative Christian commentators: the Oscar-winning Meryl Streep will voice Aslan the lion in "Narnia: The Magician's Nephew."
Why the casting has provoked criticism
Aslan is widely regarded as a literary representation of Jesus Christ in the seven Narnia books by British Christian author C.S. Lewis, published in the 1950s. The books depict the lion as male, with a glorious mane — and to many Christian critics, the possibility of portraying a divine Christ figure as anything but male goes beyond artistic license into an attack on their faith, given that the Bible and ancient creeds speak of God the Father and Jesus as the Son of God.
"This is a well-known ploy of the enemies of God, to subvert and destroy symbols of Christianity in an effort to win a war of attrition for the heart of the culture," wrote Seth Udinsky in a column for the Christian Post, an evangelical news website. Udinsky contended that Gerwig is turning Aslan "transgender," citing a newly released photo from the movie's promoters depicting the lion with rainbow-tinted whiskers. Similar comments and rebuttals have flooded the replies to Netflix's Instagram post announcing the casting.
Ted Baehr, founder and publisher of Movieguide, which advises Christian parents on what to watch, said having a woman portray Aslan directly challenges Christian doctrine on the nature of God. "The Gospel is not a myth," he said, arguing the books cannot be adapted as readily as Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey" adapted Greek myth.
Gerwig and scholars respond
Gerwig has not addressed the gender question directly, but she said Streep was one of the few actors who could meet her criteria for Aslan's voice. "I wanted someone who was profound but not pretentious, who had gravitas but not morose self-seriousness," Gerwig said. "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."
Gerwig is resetting "The Magician's Nephew" from around 1900 to the 1950s. The movie magazine Empire has also reported that she took inspiration from pop artist David Bowie, known for his gender ambiguity, in depicting the lion with different-coloured eyes and a "bold red-striped visage."
Some Lewis scholars are urging patience. Kat Coffin, a New York-based writer and scholar of Lewis, said she has questions about the casting but added: "I am far more disturbed by the people who are violently opposed and angry at the idea that the incarnation of God could be anything even hinted toward feminine." Author Christin Ditchfield Lazo said there is "a huge difference between a woman voicing a male character and the director changing the gender of the character," adding: "It could be problematic, but we won't know until we see the film."
A statement from the family of Lewis's late wife, Joy Davidman Gresham, provided by Netflix, praised Gerwig for her "sincere passion" for the Narnia works after visiting the set in London. The C.S. Lewis Co., holders of Lewis's intellectual property rights and producers on the film, said: "It's incredibly moving to see how deeply Greta Gerwig has embraced C.S. Lewis' world, and infused 'Narnia: The Magician's Nephew' with joy, heart, and genuine love for the story."
"The Magician's Nephew," published in 1955, tells the story of two children, Digory and Polly, who are sent to parallel worlds by evil magic and arrive in the newly created land of Narnia — inadvertently bringing the evil witch Jadis with them. The Narnia series has sold a reported 120 million books worldwide since the first volume's publication 75 years ago. The Netflix production is scheduled for theatrical release in February. Many evangelicals embraced the early-2000s films based on the first three books, in which Liam Neeson provided Aslan's deep, masculine voice.
Sources:
Associated Press: A familiar figure, a new voice: Meryl Streep's Aslan stirs gender debate over Gerwig's 'Narnia' (via reflector.com)
The Manila Times: Meryl Streep's Aslan stirs gender debate over Gerwig's 'Narnia' (AP)
Why the casting has provoked criticism
Aslan is widely regarded as a literary representation of Jesus Christ in the seven Narnia books by British Christian author C.S. Lewis, published in the 1950s. The books depict the lion as male, with a glorious mane — and to many Christian critics, the possibility of portraying a divine Christ figure as anything but male goes beyond artistic license into an attack on their faith, given that the Bible and ancient creeds speak of God the Father and Jesus as the Son of God.
"This is a well-known ploy of the enemies of God, to subvert and destroy symbols of Christianity in an effort to win a war of attrition for the heart of the culture," wrote Seth Udinsky in a column for the Christian Post, an evangelical news website. Udinsky contended that Gerwig is turning Aslan "transgender," citing a newly released photo from the movie's promoters depicting the lion with rainbow-tinted whiskers. Similar comments and rebuttals have flooded the replies to Netflix's Instagram post announcing the casting.
Ted Baehr, founder and publisher of Movieguide, which advises Christian parents on what to watch, said having a woman portray Aslan directly challenges Christian doctrine on the nature of God. "The Gospel is not a myth," he said, arguing the books cannot be adapted as readily as Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey" adapted Greek myth.
Gerwig and scholars respond
Gerwig has not addressed the gender question directly, but she said Streep was one of the few actors who could meet her criteria for Aslan's voice. "I wanted someone who was profound but not pretentious, who had gravitas but not morose self-seriousness," Gerwig said. "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."
Gerwig is resetting "The Magician's Nephew" from around 1900 to the 1950s. The movie magazine Empire has also reported that she took inspiration from pop artist David Bowie, known for his gender ambiguity, in depicting the lion with different-coloured eyes and a "bold red-striped visage."
Some Lewis scholars are urging patience. Kat Coffin, a New York-based writer and scholar of Lewis, said she has questions about the casting but added: "I am far more disturbed by the people who are violently opposed and angry at the idea that the incarnation of God could be anything even hinted toward feminine." Author Christin Ditchfield Lazo said there is "a huge difference between a woman voicing a male character and the director changing the gender of the character," adding: "It could be problematic, but we won't know until we see the film."
A statement from the family of Lewis's late wife, Joy Davidman Gresham, provided by Netflix, praised Gerwig for her "sincere passion" for the Narnia works after visiting the set in London. The C.S. Lewis Co., holders of Lewis's intellectual property rights and producers on the film, said: "It's incredibly moving to see how deeply Greta Gerwig has embraced C.S. Lewis' world, and infused 'Narnia: The Magician's Nephew' with joy, heart, and genuine love for the story."
"The Magician's Nephew," published in 1955, tells the story of two children, Digory and Polly, who are sent to parallel worlds by evil magic and arrive in the newly created land of Narnia — inadvertently bringing the evil witch Jadis with them. The Narnia series has sold a reported 120 million books worldwide since the first volume's publication 75 years ago. The Netflix production is scheduled for theatrical release in February. Many evangelicals embraced the early-2000s films based on the first three books, in which Liam Neeson provided Aslan's deep, masculine voice.
Sources:
Associated Press: A familiar figure, a new voice: Meryl Streep's Aslan stirs gender debate over Gerwig's 'Narnia' (via reflector.com)
The Manila Times: Meryl Streep's Aslan stirs gender debate over Gerwig's 'Narnia' (AP)
