Greta Gerwig Says ‘Narnia’ Is Inspired by David Bowie, Confirms Meryl Streep Is Voicing Aslan: ‘I Wanted Someone Profound but Not Pretentious’

Nearly five years after her groundbreaking adaptation of Lewis Carroll's "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland," Greta Gerwig's Narnia: The Magician's Nephew, the first film in a series of Narnia adaptations, is set to hit theaters in February 2027. However, little has been revealed about the film, save for its unconventional release strategy and the decision to make The Magician's Nephew her starting point.

(While The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe was published first, Nephew is the first book in the series' chronological order.) The main question still remains: Why did Greta Gerwig choose Meryl Streep, one of the world's greatest actors, to play Aslan, Lewis' Christ-like lion? The answer is quite straightforward, but Gerwig provides a compelling case for Streep's unique qualities.

"I wanted someone who was profound but not pretentious, who had gravitas but not morose self-seriousness," Gerwig explained. "Someone who could convey depth and pathos as well as joy and delight." Gerwig added that she desired an older actress, around 70, with both the wisdom of experience and the freshness of a child's wonder. Streep, Carey Mulligan, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, David McKenna, Beatrice Campbell, and Daniel Craig are among the cast members who will join Streep in this adaptation.

Empire's Instagram page released a first look at the multi-colored, scaled, and feathered lion, which appears more fantastical than the CGI version previously used in the Narnia series, voiced by Liam Neeson. The film will be released on February 12, 2027, on Netflix.