One way to observe how modern society interacts with religion is to look at its dealings with authority figures. An upcoming adaptation of The Magician’s Nephew, part of C.S. Lewis’s Narnia series, presents an opportunity to do so in the possible casting of the character Aslan as female.

In the story, the lion Aslan is an explicit Christ figure, both the creator and king of Narnia. To leave the character male is simple adherence to plot and intent. To make him Meryl Streep, as reportedly is in consideration, is a wealth of commentary on the place of Christ in the world. Oddly, the move leaves a rather significant place for him.