Indication of Meryl Streep Being Present on Narnia Film Set
Almost exactly one year since the controversial reports first emerged that Meryl Streep would be voicing Aslan in Greta Gerwig’s upcoming Narnia movie, the Oscar-winning actress may have indirectly acknowledged her own involvement.
While promoting the The Devil Wears Prada 2 last week on The Late Show, Streep was asked by host Stephen Colbert about her brief voice-cameo in Project Hail Mary, which is now in theaters:
“Amy Pascal is a friend, she produced lots of wonderful movies including Little Women that I was in — I’ve known her for a long time, and she’s the producer of [Project Hail Mary] and she asked me if I’d do it, we were working on another film in London, and I said “sure!”.
Meryl Streep
Based on the post-production timeline for Project Hail Mary, it is likely that the other film being referred to here is Greta Gerwig’s Narnia (for which Amy Pascal was also the producer) and would seem to imply that Meryl Streep was physically present in London for Narnia’s filming.
Later in the interview, Streep briefly mentions Greta Gerwig.
These new comments follow a recent interview with Emma Mackey (Jadis), who seemed to imply that she and Streep actually got to work together as actors on the film set. NarniaWeb has also previously received unconfirmed reports indicating Streep was present for some of the studio based filming in England.
While it is not yet possible to say what implications this may have for Aslan’s role in the film, it is worth noting that on many film productions, voice actors for CGI characters will often just show up during post-production and record their lines at a sound recording studio, whilst in other cases, the voice actors are used to perform on-set motion capture for their characters.
It could simply be the case however that Streep was required to deliver her lines on set so that the other actors could fully engage with her performance.
In a 2010 interview with NarniaWeb, Aslan actor Liam Neeson expressed his disappointment at not having been involved with any of the on-set filming for Voyage of the Dawn Treader:
“Well, I’d be honest with you. It was a little frustrating because I wasn’t part of the film process. I wasn’t on location, I wasn’t with the kids, I wasn’t with the film crew. They brought me in at the end to put in an anonymous sound booth, either in Toronto or Vancouver or here in London. That was a little frustrating.”
Liam Neeson
Exactly what level of involvement Meryl Streep had on the Narnia film set remains a mystery for now, however her presence in the film itself looks to be all-but-confirmed, with Aslan being the only role she has been connected with so far.
Thanks to NarniaWebber Alex Anar for the heads up on this story!
My fingers are crossed! Please please be amazing movie!
233 days to go!
231 days, 4 hours, 15 minutes days to go!
231 days now!
229 days, 6 hours, and 20 minutes to go! 🙂
Expecting news after cinema con, and nothing before or during
It’s very satisfying to get a bit more news on this subject! My fingers are crossed in hopes that everything will work out well. 🙂
Not to be negative, but if she is Aslan I know anyone I talk to that watches or brings up movies, I will tell them not to watch it. My dad is a bigger fan than I am of Narnia (I am a huge fan) and he told me first that if Streep is Aslan, that he won’t watch it.
If they let her be Aslan it might be the dumbest casting decision in history, like ever. There is no way to defend it. Aslan is not a female. And Netflix knows this, since they haven’t announced it yet. They fear the backlash. As they should.
If she is Aslan, it’s going to be what Rings of Power is for Lord of the Rings fans.
Don’t back down.
I agree 100%! You covered all my feelings about all of this as well. As a Christian and knowing who Aslan truly is, hearing this casting actually choked me up. Narnia has been a huge part of my childhood, and a huge encouragement for my Faith. So, seeing this type of blatant twist…it felt like a punch in the gut. You add the other concerning comments and changes (“Not your grandmother’s Narnia”, “rock and roll”, time shift to 1950s), and….well….
It’s not looking good…
Would I love to be wrong? Absolutely, but the chances of that are becoming slimmer every news drop.
Narnia feels like a dystopian mirror of our actual reality. The truly amazing part is that we are fortunate and honored enough to have a real Lion right beside us, watching over each and every one of us!
Seu sĂmbolo de fĂ© sĂł Ă© representativo se for do gĂŞnero masculino? É isso que torna ele importante pra vocĂŞ? Haha
In the original Narnia works, the figure of Aslan is unequivocally male. Consequently, I struggle to understand the rationale behind a female gender-swap. In my view, such a choice would risk completely distorting the very essence of the story and the symbolism that the Great Lion represents. I sincerely hope these rumors prove to be unfounded.
Well, some news is better than no news! Still unsure on the Streep as (allegedly) Aslan, but we will just have to wait and see! Only a few more months to go!
omg omg omg omg omg omg cant wait!!!!
loved to hear her on project hail mary!!! what a surprise!
Reallly hoping she’s another character.
I will be very disappointed if she is voicing Aslan. Not a fit.
“we were working on another film in London.”
Note the “WE”.
I am interpreting that as Amy Pascal and Meryl Streep working on a film in London.
From reading the Vogue article where Greta interviews Meryl and Anna, it seems very clear that Meryl IS going to voice Aslan. And if she wasn’t, we would have at least heard other big-name actors connected to the film, but we haven’t.
Fica? Eu só vi a parte que Greta cita o fim das gravações
Gerwig: Quando fizemos a festa de encerramento de *Nárnia*, percebi que ninguĂ©m me queria lá. Pensei: “NinguĂ©m consegue se divertir enquanto eu estiver presente”.
Wintour: Conheço bem essa sensação.
Gerwig: EntĂŁo, quando abracei a Ăşltima criança que estava chorando — triste porque o filme tinha acabado —, pensei: “Vou para casa”. E tive quase a impressĂŁo de que, no momento em que saĂ pela porta, todos pensaram: “Eba!”.
Wintour: A arte de fazer uma “passadinha” rápida tambĂ©m Ă© Ăłtima. VocĂŞ fica cinco minutos e depois foge rapidinho.
Gerwig: VocĂŞ quer nos contar a sinopse do filme?
Streep: Essa Ă©, tipo, a Ăşltima coisa de que me lembro sobre qualquer filme. Sou a melhor espectadora dos meus prĂłprios filmes, porque nunca me lembro do que aconteceu.
Wintour: Vamos torcer para que tenha um final feliz.
Streep: Sim, Ă© um final feliz. Ou nĂŁo exatamente feliz. Mas Ă© real e Ă© triunfante.
Wintour: Mal posso esperar.
As partes anteriores da entrevista tratam de projetos que não têm relação com *Nárnia*.
(Google Translate)
Vogue had conversation with Anna Wintour and Meryl Streep with The Devil Wears Prada 2, where Greta Gerwig was the moderator. Here the part related to Narnia:
Gerwig: When we had a wrap party for Narnia, I realized nobody wanted me there. I was like, Nobody can have any fun as long as I’m there.
Wintour: I know that feeling.
Gerwig: So when I embraced the last crying child, who was sad that the movie was over, I was like, “I’m going to take myself home.” And I almost felt like, as I walked out the door, everyone was like, “Yay.”
Wintour: The art of the drop-by is also good. You go for five minutes and head for the hills.
Gerwig: You want to tell us the plot of the movie?
Streep: That’s, like, the last thing I ever remember about a movie. I am the best audience for my own movies because I never remember what happened.
Here the link to the article:
https://www.vogue.com/article/meryl-streep-anna-wintour-may-cover-2026-interview
Interesting article, Digory, I guess the actors feel they are “on the clock” if the director is still at the wrap party and don’t relax.
I find the part after your excerpt intriguing, that Meryl says it’s not exactly a happy ending but triumphant. Is she speaking about the movie plot or about something else? Is the movie ending on a “Netflix cliffhanger?”
I don’t know, if Meryl Streep is playing Jadis’ sister as I think would make the most sense, well, she might not know everything about the plot of the movie, but describing the ending as triumphant does sound very much like she knows about Aslan’s role with the apple healing Digory’s mum.
She’s describing the end of Prada 2, not Narnia.
Considering that virtually every other piece of news had been the worst case scenario so far, Meryl being confirmed as Aslan would likely be the final nail in the coffin for me. As much as I respect her as an actor.
I agree, I’d say it’s a given that she’s Aslan. Reading that interview in full, you can understand Greta’s thinking and I’d say it was a deliberate choice to have a woman voice Aslan.
Obviously when Greta said she would respect the source material that was a bald-faced lie.
If she’s Aslan, I’m out. I’m already HIGHLY skeptical of Gerwig already, I don’t understand why so many people think she was a good choice.
Anyone else find it disheartening to see so many comments dissing the movie before we even know what part Meryl is playing? We are getting a Narnia movie from one of the greatest contemporary directors, who is known not only for bold viewpoints but also staying true to the spirit of the books she’s adapted. We also ALREADY have two awesome adaptations of this Universe.
The Walden Narnia movies were pivotal to my life, and my faith life. The books are possibly my favorite of all time. But part of the reason why they were that was because they opened up a new perspective for me, especially around my faith life. Which is why I find the fact that people are already dissing the movie and saying “they won’t watch it” for x or y reason, not only incredibly infantile but also quite ironic. I think being cautiously excited is one thing, but I do pray that people give this movie a chance. I think it has the potential to be brilliant. (And if it’s not, we can all be critical of it after we actually watch it!).
Great comment, Gerry. I’m in the same boat.
Thank you! I’m glad we’re not alone! 🙂