The daily wisdom our algorithms invite Christians to practice on the Internet: Always judge a book by its cover. Be the first to cast stones. Condemn things we haven’t seen and know little about.
What’s the latest scandal we’re supposed to respond to with speculative hot takes? Meryl Streep, one of the most acclaimed actors of all time with 21 Oscar nominations, is going
to be the voice of Aslan in Netflix’s forthcoming Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew. This casting choice has set off outrage. I understand the fears, but nothing released so far indicates Aslan will be anything other than “he.”
Still, for an outrage economy like ours, the opportunities here are tempting. In a world awash in conspiracy theories, here’s the latest diabolical masterplan we’re supposed to believe unholy Hollywood engineered:
- First, Netflix stealthily invests a boatload of money in a children’s book series beloved by the Christian community.
- Next, they hire one of the most acclaimed directors of her generation. And the underhanded genius of it? She’s adored the Narnia books in her childhood years, so we’ll never see the betrayal coming.
- Finally, work closely with the estate of C.S. Lewis to undermine Narnia, alienate millions of devoted fans around the globe and (hopefully) cause the destruction of Western civilization.
Oh, brother.
The culture war script is as tiresome as it is predictable. To the righteous gatekeepers, peddling fear to the Christian community is always a prime opportunity to fuel outrage for profit. Yet, we’ve been embarrassed so many times before. The gallery of God’s greatest threats has included Elvis, the Beatles, Harry Potter, and The Da Vinci Code. Last summer, many tried to caution us against the so-called secret dangers in The Odyssey which, thanks to their warnings, only went on to make nearly $1.8 billion at the box office.
Fellow Christians, why are we so often known by what we’re against rather than who we’re for? Do we not still follow a leader who declined the temptation to speak in his own defense, raise up an army, or rain fire upon his enemies? Why do the faith-based so often respond in a fear-based way? Perhaps we should press pause before we panic.
READ MORE: The Legacy of C.S. Lewis, 50 Years After His Death
Greta Gerwig is an amazing director. Every film she’s directed solo has been nominated for an Oscar as Best Picture. In her semi-autobiographical solo directorial debut, Lady Bird (2017), Gerwig follows a youthful heroine moving from anger and resentment towards a sense of calling. A wise, thoughtful nun affirms Lady Bird’s genuine love and affection for her Sacramento hometown. Little Women (2019) is the most captivating of the many adaptations of Louisa May Alcott’s beloved tale of the March family. Yes, Barbie (2023) made a lot of money for Mattel. But it also brings Barbie face-to-face with her maker, where she expresses the existential longing we all share—to give up our plastic selves and become fully human.
Even after Barbie made her one of the most powerful directors in Hollywood, Gerwig stuck with the series that meant so much to her as a child, The Chronicles of Narnia. Much like Peter Jackson’s expansive adaptation of Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, it seems to me that Gerwig’s masterful craft and care is a great match for a tale of kids in crisis, amid a world recovering from war, who wonder, “Is this all there is?” Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew will get moviegoers thinking about the origins of the universe and how a holy Word, a divine love song, breathed us into existence.
But what if Gerwig’s Narnia falls short of our hopes? Rest easy, friend, because it will still drive millions to read the source material for themselves, to compare, contrast and consider the Truth behind Aslan.
As a person of faith who has lived and worked in Hollywood for three decades, I’d like to provide a different frame. My fellow film professors have championed the next generation of storytellers. We’ve encouraged Christians to embrace our tastemaking role as patrons of the arts every time we buy a ticket. If Aslan is on the move, then we don’t want to miss this opportunity to interact with a major adaptation of a classic series.
In fact, we want studios to take more risks, bringing beloved Christian source material to the big screen from Dante’s Inferno and Paradise Lost through Pilgrim’s Progress and Gilead. Don’t we?
So, I’ve circled the February opening for Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew on my calendar, not to protest, but to bring my family who’ve read all the books to the theater. We will follow C.S. Lewis’s sage advice from An Experiment in Criticism: “The first demand any work of any art makes upon us is surrender. Look. Listen. Receive. Get yourself out of the way. (There is no good asking first whether the work before you deserves such a surrender, for until you have surrendered you cannot possibly find out.)”
If Aslan is on the move, then we don’t want to miss this opportunity to interact with a major adaptation of a classic series.
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