As news continues to trickle in forGreta Gerwig’sChronicles of Narniafilms at Netflix,Meryl Streepis in talks to voice Aslan, the Great Lion. Yes, you read that right. The films coming from the Lady Bird and Barbie director will make Aslan female in the upcoming adaptation ofC.S. Lewis' fantasy series. We’ve already learned that, the first movie will release on “1,000 Imax screens worldwide on Thanksgiving Day 2026 and will not appear on Netflix until Christmas.” Fans can look forward to then seeing the Great Lion, voiced by Streep on the big screen.
Other details about the project are being kept tightly under wraps.Gerwig has previously explainedher upcoming take on the fantasy series:
“It’s connected to the folklore and fairy stories of England, but it’s a combination of different traditions. As a child, you accept the whole thing—that you’re in this land of Narnia, there’s fauns, and then Father Christmas shows up. It doesn’t even occur to you that it’s not schematic. I’m interested in embracing the paradox of the worlds that Lewis created, because that’s what’s so compelling about them.”
What Is ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’?
The Chronicles of Narniais a series penned by author C.S. Lewis in the 20th Century. A Biblical allegory, it follows children over the course of seven books of the portal fantasy shaping the history of Narnia. The books have been adapted a few different times, in most recent history in 2005 when The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe came out, focusing on the Pevensie siblings. This adaptation would have two sequels:The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, andVoyage of the Dawn Treader. There were plans to make subsequent movies, but they were ultimately scrapped. In 2018, it was announced that Netflix had the rights to adapt the portal fantasy series and in 2023 it was announced thatBarbie’s Greta Gerwig would be helming the adaptation.
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The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
During the World War II bombings of London, four English siblings are sent to a country house where they will be safe. One day Lucy (Georgie Henley) finds a wardrobe that transports her to a magical world called Narnia. After coming back, she soon returns to Narnia with her brothers, Peter (William Moseley) and Edmund (Skandar Keynes), and her sister, Susan (Anna Popplewell). There they join the magical lion, Aslan (Liam Neeson), in the fight against the evil White Witch, Jadis (Tilda Swinton).
