Netflix's Narnia Series Is Making A Drastic Change — But Don’t Panic
Aslan has been blessed.
Adaptations of old books present a tricky problem: how can you tell if a movie or show does its source material justice if the original creator isn’t there to give feedback? What would Bram Stoker think about Nosferatu? Would Mary Shelley prefer Guillermo Del Toro’s Frankenstein or Lisa Frankenstein?
That’s the dilemma Netflix faces with Greta Gerwig’s new take on C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia books. Gerwig is making fundamental changes, including to the era in which they’re set, and some fans of the book series are skeptical. Lewis is no longer with us, but we do have word from his family, which should offer at least some reassurance to cautious purists.
When Empire released a first look at the upcoming movie Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew, there was understandably some discourse. The sneak peek photos showed a David-Bowie-inspired Aslan voiced by Meryl Streep, Jada The White Witch in a minidress, and the entire timeline shifted decades into the future, which considerably complicates the rest of the franchise’s setting.
One critic got up in arms about Meryl Streep voicing Aslan.
During an appearance on CBN, Ted Baehr, chairman of the Christian Film & Television Commission, claimed that members of C.S. Lewis’ family were upset with Gerwig’s changes. “C.S. Lewis, his stepson, is the godfather of my daughter-in-law,” he said. “They're very concerned about it because they're worried that it's going to, you know, destroy the brand.”
This was quickly followed by Baehr’s real complaint with the film: C.S. Lewis was a devout Catholic, and in his view, Meryl Streep voicing the book’s main savior figure is disrespectful, even sacrilegious. “God is a father, He is not Meryl Streep pretending to be a father, He's not trans,” Baehr said.
Greta Gerwig’s take on Narnia comes with the Lewis estate’s seal of approval.
It’s a harsh claim, but it didn’t survive fact-checking. “From our ongoing conversations with Greta Gerwig, we have personally witnessed her sincere passion for the Narnia series,” Lewis’ two stepsons said in a statement. “Her life-long love of C.S. Lewis is apparent to everyone involved with this film. We saw this enthusiasm during our visit to the set in London. We are thrilled to be working with such a talented and accomplished director and production team, and are keen to continue working with them on future projects. Our vision is for this movie to be enormously successful and for this calibre of talent to be applied to all of the Chronicles of Narnia.”
Any personal views aside, this adaptation spiritually aligns with Lewis’ original vision, even if it doesn’t align aesthetically. That’s okay: adaptations update their source material all the time. A female Aslan is no different than Telemachus saying “Dad” in The Odyssey or the bullies in Carrie using Instagram. Adaptations can and should make changes — that’s what makes them exciting, even if it also makes them more controversial.
