I must say it was kinda daunting to address, especially as I felt that some Christians might not feel quite feel the same way as I seeing as The Chronicles of Narnia are fiction. However, the world has become increasingly opposed to biblical truth, and this can be increasingly seen in what is being produced in Hollywood.
Whether or not the rumors are true, I hope the thoughts I've shared here will open others' eyes to just how blatant the world has become in their opposition to God.
Amen! In this day & age we're living in, many people,especially the media, wants to modernize everyone & everything! As Christians, we are to share the good news of Christ, not try to modernize His character to fit our culture!
I totally agree with you… honestly how many versions of Narnia do we need! ?!
It is a beloved story !! To change the gender of Aslan who on these stories is the King!!, would ruin the story!
The story is written like you said for Aslan to be the mysterious King of the beasts.
He represents Christ Jesus, the Son of God!
C.S. Lewis respected God the father and wrote his literary works
To respect the whole Holy Trinity of God! God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit !!
Some people think that C.S. Lewis wrote the characters from his imagination… He didn’t!!
If you read the whole series, the Chronicles of Narnia you would see that the Male lion 🦁 Aslan is in more than one book!
His name may not be mentioned but what the King of the Beasts, the Lion is, and has a God or Christ like Role!
In The Magician’s Nephew which should have been the First book in the series. A Male Lion 🦁 blows out his Breath ( which represents the Holy Spirit) and creates the world 🌎 !
In the Magician’s Nephew you also have the origins of the white witch… and the lamppost in the forest 🌳.
There is also a Male Lion who has a part in the book “The Horse and His Boy” and also in “The Last Battle” !
Thanks so much for your well-thought-out response, Jules!🤗 Yes, Aslan is most certainly the main character that ties together the whole series, and he is also used by Lewis as the representative of God in his supposal. To change Aslan for a female would be such a major change that it would flip the whole story on its head, besides the glaring issue I already touched on in the article.
Wow! I'm not used to getting comments, especially not as quickly as this one came in . . .
Thanks so much for your thoughts, and I can't help but agree with you! Good movies these days are few and far between, and ones that are both good and clean are practically extinct. That's why our family tends to watch older movies.
I'm taking this with a pinch of salt since the source that "broke" the news doesn't appear to be a credible source of cinema news, nor has Streep confirmed or denied this. I'm waiting until either Streep speaks out or a reputable source announces the casting of Aslan. Gerwig seems to have spoken respectfully about the franchise, so I'm hoping she keeps things book-accurate. We shall see. If this is true, I'm convinced that the Narnia film will fail, just like Snow White. It will also show just how blasphemous Hollywood is to Christianity.
Yeah, I find it highly unlikely that they would actually do this — especially after the Snow White flop — because it would honestly tank the whole series. Because the Chronicles of Narnia is a Christian series, a good portion of the expectant audience will be Christian, and this gender-swap idea will probably turn off most if not all of that part of the audience (and probably some of the non-Christian audience as well who don't like Hollywood tampering with classic stories). Hollywood tends to do things for numbers, and this would be extremely detrimental to the numbers, which they probably know. However, I still find it an issue even if it is a joke. (Not that I will see the movies . . . I don't have Netflix . . .)
It's only a rumor, and I don't think they would actually do it because it will turn off a good portion of the audience. Although Hollywood tends to do things like this, I think they're smart enough to know that this would be extremely detrimental in the marketing sphere. However, whether or not it is just a rumor, I think it is really overstepping the bounds. If it was a prank, I don't think it will end with most people laughing . . .
Well said, Melody!!! This was definitely worth writing. I saw these rumors too and was so discouraged I didn't feel like saying anything. I'm glad you talked about it. Thanks for sharing!
I agree that it is offensive to Christians (and C S. Lewis) to cast Aslan as a female. However, as a libertarian-minded person who values freedom of speech, I also think the producers can cast whomever they want. If enough people find it offensive/blasphemous, the free market will address the issue and the movie will flop, hopefully teaching the producers that it was a terrible idea and reducing the chances they'll do something like this in future films.
While I also value the freedom of speech, and certainly the producers have every legal right to cast whomever they wish, my point in this post was to reveal not just how offensive this is to Christians, but also point out the growing enmity the world has with us.
Also, I want to note that you put "offensive/blasphemous" almost as if the two words meant the same thing. I don't know if you meant that or not. However, the two are different. Offensive is merely when someone is irritated by what someone else has done and finds it abominable. Blasphemous is when someone is being horribly disrespectful and mocking God in some way — in this case making Him out to be a female, but it is also blasphemous to use His Name in vain or do anything else that would be equivalent to thumbing your nose in God's face — and most importantly, it is a sin.
I wouldn't have taken the time to write this post if I merely found this casting decision offensive. By all means it would offend me, but being offended gives me a chance to turn the other cheek.
I took the time to write about this because it is the most recent example of the world choosing to mock God, blaspheming who He is. And what they are doing is a sin. A sin so great that God has destroyed nations because of it. A sin so great that the Mosaic Law commanded anyone who did so to be executed.
I will not speak out publicly against something that offended me, but I will call out someone who is blatantly blaspheming the Lord of hosts.
I think it would be rather foolish of them statistically to continue with a female Aslan, because it will probably flop worse than Snow White — and they'll have to carry it through the whole series (unless they do something weird between movies). But I think it is even more foolish of them to stand in blatant opposition against the omnipotent One who rules the universe.
And lastly, I think it is important that Christians voice their concerns as the world continues to war against our God. We are His people, and it should make us angry to see people sinning so openly against Him. We are not going to execute someone who blasphemes God or ostracize them or any other such thing. But we do have a responsibility to warn them of what they are doing and to warn others not to do the same. We cannot stand by and watch the world thumb their noses in the face of God who will not be mocked.
I agree that there is a difference between "offensive" and "blasphemous." I think I put them together because neither is illegal in the U.S., which was the point I was making. I also agree that it's important that Christians "never be ashamed of the gospel" and stand up for its truth, sharing that it's not "just a story" to be manipulated and profited off of, but rather ought to be revered, studied, and used as the basis for our lives. And somehow to do that without canceling and judging those who choose to mock it instead, no matter how upsetting their actions may be.
Thanks for the encouragement, Abi! 😊
I must say it was kinda daunting to address, especially as I felt that some Christians might not feel quite feel the same way as I seeing as The Chronicles of Narnia are fiction. However, the world has become increasingly opposed to biblical truth, and this can be increasingly seen in what is being produced in Hollywood.
Whether or not the rumors are true, I hope the thoughts I've shared here will open others' eyes to just how blatant the world has become in their opposition to God.
Amen! In this day & age we're living in, many people,especially the media, wants to modernize everyone & everything! As Christians, we are to share the good news of Christ, not try to modernize His character to fit our culture!
Yes! Amen and amen!
I totally agree with you… honestly how many versions of Narnia do we need! ?!
It is a beloved story !! To change the gender of Aslan who on these stories is the King!!, would ruin the story!
The story is written like you said for Aslan to be the mysterious King of the beasts.
He represents Christ Jesus, the Son of God!
C.S. Lewis respected God the father and wrote his literary works
To respect the whole Holy Trinity of God! God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit !!
Some people think that C.S. Lewis wrote the characters from his imagination… He didn’t!!
If you read the whole series, the Chronicles of Narnia you would see that the Male lion 🦁 Aslan is in more than one book!
His name may not be mentioned but what the King of the Beasts, the Lion is, and has a God or Christ like Role!
In The Magician’s Nephew which should have been the First book in the series. A Male Lion 🦁 blows out his Breath ( which represents the Holy Spirit) and creates the world 🌎 !
In the Magician’s Nephew you also have the origins of the white witch… and the lamppost in the forest 🌳.
There is also a Male Lion who has a part in the book “The Horse and His Boy” and also in “The Last Battle” !
Thanks so much for your well-thought-out response, Jules!🤗 Yes, Aslan is most certainly the main character that ties together the whole series, and he is also used by Lewis as the representative of God in his supposal. To change Aslan for a female would be such a major change that it would flip the whole story on its head, besides the glaring issue I already touched on in the article.
Well written and one hundred percent accurate. Hollywood does a spectacular job of royally screwing up every movie idea they lay their hands on :(
Wow! I'm not used to getting comments, especially not as quickly as this one came in . . .
Thanks so much for your thoughts, and I can't help but agree with you! Good movies these days are few and far between, and ones that are both good and clean are practically extinct. That's why our family tends to watch older movies.
Amen!! Same here. I feel like I know of maybe 2-3 newer movies that are modern and decent and actually clean. That's pretty much it 🤣
No joke... Cynthia Ervo (who played Elphaba in the wicked movie) is playing Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar on Broadway. 😬
Ick. 🤢 (Not that I've ever seen either of those . . .)
I'm taking this with a pinch of salt since the source that "broke" the news doesn't appear to be a credible source of cinema news, nor has Streep confirmed or denied this. I'm waiting until either Streep speaks out or a reputable source announces the casting of Aslan. Gerwig seems to have spoken respectfully about the franchise, so I'm hoping she keeps things book-accurate. We shall see. If this is true, I'm convinced that the Narnia film will fail, just like Snow White. It will also show just how blasphemous Hollywood is to Christianity.
Yeah, I find it highly unlikely that they would actually do this — especially after the Snow White flop — because it would honestly tank the whole series. Because the Chronicles of Narnia is a Christian series, a good portion of the expectant audience will be Christian, and this gender-swap idea will probably turn off most if not all of that part of the audience (and probably some of the non-Christian audience as well who don't like Hollywood tampering with classic stories). Hollywood tends to do things for numbers, and this would be extremely detrimental to the numbers, which they probably know. However, I still find it an issue even if it is a joke. (Not that I will see the movies . . . I don't have Netflix . . .)
https://www.narniaweb.com/2025/04/make-your-voices-heard/
NarniaWeb is providing a way for disgruntled fans to let the production know their thoughts.
Thank you for sharing this, Melody! ♡
And thanks so much for reading . . . 💞
Very interesting! I did not know about Netflix wanting a female Aslan. 🥴 Thanks for writing this post!
It's only a rumor, and I don't think they would actually do it because it will turn off a good portion of the audience. Although Hollywood tends to do things like this, I think they're smart enough to know that this would be extremely detrimental in the marketing sphere. However, whether or not it is just a rumor, I think it is really overstepping the bounds. If it was a prank, I don't think it will end with most people laughing . . .
Thanks for sharing, Melody! I definitely agree with this. This is definitely a topic that should be addressed!
Thanks so much for taking the time to read, Elizabeth!🫶🏻
Well said, Melody!!! This was definitely worth writing. I saw these rumors too and was so discouraged I didn't feel like saying anything. I'm glad you talked about it. Thanks for sharing!
https://rosesinathornyworld.substack.com/p/fools-or-no-fools-this-is-quite-frankly/comment/105488854?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=3ib08r Meant to post this as reply to your comment, but evidently didn't. Whoops!🤭
I agree that it is offensive to Christians (and C S. Lewis) to cast Aslan as a female. However, as a libertarian-minded person who values freedom of speech, I also think the producers can cast whomever they want. If enough people find it offensive/blasphemous, the free market will address the issue and the movie will flop, hopefully teaching the producers that it was a terrible idea and reducing the chances they'll do something like this in future films.
While I also value the freedom of speech, and certainly the producers have every legal right to cast whomever they wish, my point in this post was to reveal not just how offensive this is to Christians, but also point out the growing enmity the world has with us.
Also, I want to note that you put "offensive/blasphemous" almost as if the two words meant the same thing. I don't know if you meant that or not. However, the two are different. Offensive is merely when someone is irritated by what someone else has done and finds it abominable. Blasphemous is when someone is being horribly disrespectful and mocking God in some way — in this case making Him out to be a female, but it is also blasphemous to use His Name in vain or do anything else that would be equivalent to thumbing your nose in God's face — and most importantly, it is a sin.
I wouldn't have taken the time to write this post if I merely found this casting decision offensive. By all means it would offend me, but being offended gives me a chance to turn the other cheek.
I took the time to write about this because it is the most recent example of the world choosing to mock God, blaspheming who He is. And what they are doing is a sin. A sin so great that God has destroyed nations because of it. A sin so great that the Mosaic Law commanded anyone who did so to be executed.
I will not speak out publicly against something that offended me, but I will call out someone who is blatantly blaspheming the Lord of hosts.
I think it would be rather foolish of them statistically to continue with a female Aslan, because it will probably flop worse than Snow White — and they'll have to carry it through the whole series (unless they do something weird between movies). But I think it is even more foolish of them to stand in blatant opposition against the omnipotent One who rules the universe.
And lastly, I think it is important that Christians voice their concerns as the world continues to war against our God. We are His people, and it should make us angry to see people sinning so openly against Him. We are not going to execute someone who blasphemes God or ostracize them or any other such thing. But we do have a responsibility to warn them of what they are doing and to warn others not to do the same. We cannot stand by and watch the world thumb their noses in the face of God who will not be mocked.
I agree that there is a difference between "offensive" and "blasphemous." I think I put them together because neither is illegal in the U.S., which was the point I was making. I also agree that it's important that Christians "never be ashamed of the gospel" and stand up for its truth, sharing that it's not "just a story" to be manipulated and profited off of, but rather ought to be revered, studied, and used as the basis for our lives. And somehow to do that without canceling and judging those who choose to mock it instead, no matter how upsetting their actions may be.