Greta Gerwig revealed that David Bowie played a major role in shaping her Narnia vision. The filmmaker drew inspiration from Bowie while developing the fantasy world. His influence reached both Aslan’s appearance and the movie’s musical spirit.
David Bowie helped inspire Aslan and the rock ’n’ roll spirit of Greta Gerwig’s Narnia
Gerwig is directing Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew, her adaptation of C.S. Lewis’s fantasy series. Meryl Streep will voice Aslan, the mythical lion who created Narnia. Gerwig wanted someone who could balance wisdom, emotion, and wonder.
“I wanted someone who was profound but not pretentious,” Gerwig told Empire. She also wanted an actor with “gravitas but not morose self-seriousness.” Gerwig wanted Aslan to communicate “depth and pathos” alongside joy.
She ultimately chose Streep, who had previously worked with Gerwig on Little Women. Gerwig said she wanted someone older than 70 for the role. She also wanted “the capacity of fresh wonder, like a child.”
Bowie became another important influence during the film’s development. Gerwig said Bowie inspired the look of Aslan in her adaptation. The character features multicolored eyes and a red-striped face.
Bowie’s influence also extended beyond the character’s visual design. Gerwig wanted the movie to feel “big and transporting.” She also described the film as resembling a “rock opera.”
“David Bowie saved my life,” Gerwig shared. She also named Paul McCartney, David Gilmour, and other rock legends. “When I heard their music, I had this deep sense of [thinking], ‘You’re gonna be OK,’” Gerwig said.
Gerwig described Narnia itself as fundamentally connected to music. “Narnia is literally a world made out of music,” she explained. She said Aslan “sung” the world into existence.
“Rock ’n’ roll to me felt like a world made out of music,” Gerwig added. That idea appears central to her interpretation of Lewis’ fantasy universe. It also explains Bowie’s unusual influence on her Narnia movie.
The Magician’s Nephew follows Digory and Polly into the world of Narnia, and the story serves as a prequel to The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. The movie will premiere in theaters on February 12, 2027.
It will later arrive on Netflix on April 2, 2027. Gerwig’s Bowie-inspired approach gives the adaptation a distinct musical identity. Her vision also places Aslan at the center of that creative transformation.
