Liam Neeson has reacted to the news that Meryl Streep will be taking over as the voice of Aslan in Greta Gerwig’s new Narnia films, saying there’s “nobody better.”
The Taken star, 74, previously voiced the regal lion in three Disney-produced Narnia films: 2005’s The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, 2008’s Prince Caspian and 2010’s The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.
Streep, 77, will take the role in Gerwig’s upcoming Narnia adaptation for Netflix, The Magician’s Nephew.
In an interview with ScreenRant, Neeson was asked whether he’d seen the divisive trailer for Gerwig’s version and responded: “I’m sorry, this is news to me.”
Chronicles of Narnia author C.S. Lewis, who was a devout Christian, said that he wrote Aslan to represent an incarnation of Jesus.
Reacting to the revelation that Streep will be playing the character, Neeson said: “Meryl is playing Jesus Christ? Well, if you’re going to make Christ a lady, nobody better than Meryl.”
Barbie filmmaker Gerwig’s The Magician’s Nephew is set to be released in theaters next February 12 before arriving on Netflix.
Lewis famously began his Chronicles of Narnia series with The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe in 1950, before publishing prequel The Magician’s Nephew five years later. There are seven books in total.
Based on the trailer, Gerwig’s adaptation leans into a glam rock aesthetic. It is soundtracked by Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven.”
This artistic choice divided social media users. On X, one wrote: “Anyone who defends this slop should be ashamed. They have disgraced C.S. Lewis. His family should be ashamed to sell out like this. Netflix destroys everything that is good.”
“Movie looks like crap. Congrats Netflix, another movie that disrespects the source material,” another added while someone else said, “yeaaaa i’m not too sure about this.”
However, others were more positive, with some praising the decision to start the story with the prequel rather than the better-knownThe Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
“Starting the whole cinematic run with the actual origin story instead of jumping straight back to Wardrobe is the ultimate dream for book purists,” wrote one user.
Another opined: “Gerwig is an exceptionally talented filmmaker. The aesthetic quality of the trailer is impressive. If all the trailers strike this note, it will be hard for all but the most resolved audiences to resist watching. Personally, I enjoy the cosmic rock aesthetic.”
If the film is a success, Gerwig intends to adapt further Narnia novels for Netflix.
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