Liam Neeson Had a Priceless Reaction to Learning Meryl Streep is Voicing Aslan in Narnia: The Magician's Nephew

Liam Neeson was apparently unaware that Meryl Streep is voicing Aslan in Greta Gerwig’s adaptation of The Magician’s Nephew — and his reaction to the news was priceless.

Greta Gerwig, who famously directed the Barbie movie, is turning C.S. Lewis’ vibrant fantasy world into a rock opera-style production. This unexpected and wildly different take on the source material has left audiences split; some are welcoming Gerwig’s quirky approach to the Narnia prequel with open arms, while others are left scratching their heads. (‘Who asked for this?’ is a common sentiment among those who are less excited about the film.)

Of the many notable choices Gerwig has made in her adaptation was the eyebrow-raising decision to cast Meryl Streep as the voice of the lion Aslan, a Christ-like figure in the books who sacrifices himself and is later reincarnated. In the original movie trilogy, Aslan was brought to life by Liam Neeson, who, up until recently, was totally unaware of who was inheriting the role in Gerwig’s movie — or, indeed, that another movie was being made, at all.

Neeson was informed about the film, as well as Streep’s casting, in a November 3 interview with ScreenRant, where he appeared completely blindsided by the news.

“I’m sorry — this is news to me,” Neeson said, visibly surprised.

“Well, I’m grateful to be the one to break it to you,” ScreenRant’s interviewer said.

“Oh. Great,” Neeson replied in a tone that can only be described as forced enthusiasm.

“Meryl Streep is taking on Aslan this time around,” the interviewer added.

“Meryl is playing Jesus Christ?” Neeson asked in clear disbelief. “Well, if you’re gonna make Christ a lady, nobody better than Meryl.” He then gave a winning smile.

Watch Liam Neeson learn about Meryl Streep voicing Aslan in Greta Gerwig's new Narnia adaptation in real time! 🦁 https://t.co/fgPmvtyPE8

— ScreenRant (@screenrant) November 4, 2026

Neeson’s remarks have, perhaps unsurprisingly, gone viral, and it seems that audiences have varying opinions as to what he said and what he actually meant. Some took his response to mean that he was feigning excitement about the project, while others congratulated him for his diplomatic response to the news, regardless of his true feelings on it.

“Poor guy got blindsided and reacted as diplomatically as possible. Class act,” one viewer on Twitter/X wrote.

“He’s so awesome for this response,” another said, while another remarked that his grin was the “worst fake smile I’ve ever seen.”

Still others pointed to a famous scene from Modern Family where Cameron Tucker says, “Excuse me. Meryl Streep could play Batman and be the right choice. She's perfection. Whether she's divorcing Kramer, whether she's wearing Prada... don't even get me started on Sophie's Choice. I get emotional thinking about it.” And to be honest, I’ve got to agree with both Tucker and Neeson here — if you’re going to have a woman play C.S. Lewis’ furry Christ allegory, then who better to cast than Meryl Streep?

Greta Gerwig’s The Magician’s Nephew comes to theaters on February 12, 2027.