Liam Neeson Just Found Out Meryl Streep Replaced Him as Aslan in NARNIA and He Had a Fun Reaction
Liam Neeson just learned that Meryl Streep is taking over as the voice of Aslan in Netflix’s upcoming Narnia reboot, and his reaction to the casting news was pretty hilarious.
Not only did he have no idea the new movie was happening, but he seemed genuinely surprised to learn who would be playing the beloved lion.
Neeson, who voiced Aslan in the three previous Chronicles of Narnia movies, was caught completely off guard when ScreenRant asked him about the recently released trailer for Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew, directed by Greta Gerwig.
“I’m sorry, this is news to me,” Neeson admitted. Things got even funnier when the interviewer told him that Streep would be stepping into his former role.
“Meryl is playing Jesus Christ?” Neeson asked. After the interviewer clarified that Streep would actually be voicing Aslan, Neeson offered his approval with another amusing comment. “Well, if you’re going to make Christ a lady, nobody better than Meryl.”
Neeson’s Jesus Christ reference makes sense to anyone familiar with C.S. Lewis and his Chronicles of Narnia books. Aslan is a Christlike figure whose story draws heavily from Christian themes, including sacrifice, resurrection, and redemption.
Having a woman voice the character is a significant change from previous adaptations, and Streep’s casting has already sparked some backlash among fans. However, Lewis’ remaining family has expressed support for Gerwig’s new adaptation.
Neeson isn’t the only original Narnia cast member who has been asked about the reboot. Anna Popplewell, who played Susan Pevensie in the earlier films, shared her enthusiasm for the project at Comic Con Brussels. She revealed that she had already seen the trailer and described it as “really exciting,” adding that she “can’t wait to watch it.”
Once Neeson had processed the news about Streep, he wanted to know who was directing the movie. When the interviewer told him it was Gerwig, his response was short and sweet. “Okay. Wow!”
Gerwig, who previously directed Barbie and Little Women, is bringing Lewis’ fantasy world back to the big screen with The Magician’s Nephew, the first film in Netflix’s planned reboot.
The movie explores the origins of Narnia, with David McKenna playing Digory, Beatrice Campbell as Polly, Emma Mackey as Jadis, Daniel Craig as Uncle Andrew, and Carey Mulligan as Flora.
The recently released trailer, featuring Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven,” has given fans their first look at Gerwig’s interpretation of the magical world.
While Neeson clearly wasn’t keeping up with the latest Narnia news, he seems interested in seeing what Gerwig and Streep have planned. It’ll be especially interesting to hear how Streep approaches Aslan, considering how closely Neeson’s commanding voice became associated with the character in the earlier films.
Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew is scheduled to hit theaters on February 12, 2027.