Netflix sparks outrage with ‘blasphemous’ Narnia film trailer as CS Lewis fans fume ‘he’d turn in his grave!’

Barbie filmmaker Ms Gerwig has previously described her vision for the project as a “rock opera,” with Aslan’s creation of Narnia designed to evoke a cosmic musical spectacle.

The film boasts a cast with some of the biggest names in Hollywood. Daniel Craig plays the titular magician, the eccentric Uncle Andrew Ketterley, whilst Emma Mackey takes on the role of Jadis, the future White Witch.

Carey Mulligan portrays Digory’s mother, Mabel Kirke, while Ciarán Hinds provides a commanding voiceover throughout the preview.

Youngsters David McKenna and Beatrice Campbell take on the roles of the young protagonists Digory Kirke and Polly Plummer and both feature prominently in the trailer.

The pair stumble upon a realm known as the Wood Between the Worlds, a place containing portals to countless dimensions, and ultimately witness Narnia’s creation.

Arguably the most contentious piece of casting comes from the aforementioned Aslan. The lion, who is widely understood as a literary representation of Christ, is voiced by Oscar-winning actress Meryl Streep.

The casting decision prompted fury from Christian groups, in particular, months before the trailer’s release, with some critics branding it “profanity” and a “deliberate mocking” of Christianity.

And after the trailer offered a first glimpse at Aslan, the backlash remained as hostile as ever.

In response to pop culture X account The Hollywood Handle, which had clipped up Aslan’s debut in the trailers, CS Lewis fans made their feelings known.

“C. S. Lewis is probably rolling in his grave hard enough to power a small nuclear plant,” one X user argued.

A second echoed: “Last time I checked Christ was a man; hence Aslan is a male lion.”

“Blasphemy,” a third simply typed, while a fourth hit out: “What happens when you let a woke feminist DEI producer make a Christian based movie.”

Another complaint read: “Aslan is a woman? WTF??? When will the woke left stop trying to erase men from society?”

And a sixth pointed out another rather glaring issue with the casting of Ms Streep: “I haven’t read the books but I love the previous movies of Narnia. I don’t really mind Aslan being a lioness if it makes sense. But why does a lady lion have a neckmane, logically speaking?”(sic)

However, others were willing to give the film a chance, with several saying they were “seated” in preparation. “I don’t understand half the controversy around this film but this is pretty cool,” another fan weighed in.

While Ms Gerwig’s adaptation may have gotten off to the rockiest of starts, the director has previously insisted she possesses a close bond with CS Lewis’s works.

“I don’t remember a time I didn’t know the books,” she told a New York audience when previewing the film, The Hollywood Reporter reports. “I wouldn’t be who I am without these books.”

She also recalled pitching her vision directly to Netflix chief Ted Sarandos at a drinks reception, insisting the series should begin with The Magician’s Nephew.

It’s believed that after roughly 20 minutes of conversation, Mr Sarandos offered Ms Gerwig the writing job.

The film will open in cinemas on February 12 before arriving on Netflix on April 2, marking the streamer’s first global theatrical release.

Should it prove successful, Ms Gerwig intends to adapt further novels from the seven-book series.

“I hope they laugh. I hope they cry. I hope they feel like they’ve been on an adventure,” she said.