There was a time about 15 years ago when there was a major push to have FM radios in mobile phones. Many phones already came (and still come) with an FM receiver, but it was never turned on. One such campaign led by broadcasters was called NextRadio that seemed to gain traction—and then…nothing. The whole initiative seemed to evaporate, and everyone forgot about it. Why? Basically, broadcasting groups ran into indifference from cell phone manufacturers, sometimes pointing to the fact that FM antennas draw too much power from batteries. In other cases, the chips that run cell phones have changed, making FM tuners less desirable. And finally, once 5G technology kicked in, radio listeners were encouraged to use apps, which, of course, tax your data plan. Some regions did get FM in phones, but for the most part, these radio receivers remain disabled or have been removed altogether. Bottom line? Don’t expect an FM tuner in cell phones anytime soon—or ever.

© 2026 Corus Radio, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Montreal’s transit agency is investigating after a man in his 40s died after falling onto the tracks at a metro station on Saturday.

The Société de transport de Montréal says the man was unable to get back onto the platform and was struck by a train at the Lionel-Groulx subway station.

Montreal police confirmed the age of the man and the fact that the death appeared accidental.

A police spokesperson says a surveillance camera video showed the man wasn’t pushed and there was no criminal element.

The transit agency says it investigating the circumstances surrounding the collision.

In the meantime, it’s reminding transit users to stay behind the yellow lines on the platform and to keep a safe distance from the trains.

© 2026 The Canadian Press

Toronto police are investigating after a man was found dead in a North York home following a call for a disturbance.

Officers were called to the area of Lawrence Avenue West and William R. Allen Road around 8:20 a.m. Sunday, police said in a post on social media.

An adult male was found in the home with injuries and was later pronounced dead at the scene.

Police say the suspect fled the scene before officers arrived and no suspect description was available.

The homicide unit is now investigating.

https://x.com/TPSOperations/status/2106766312311525784

© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

The Pittsburgh Penguins may not be predicted to excel this season, but on opening night, no one impressed more than the Penguins who won 7-0 in Philadelphia. The Montreal Canadiens also won opening night 3-2 in Toronto.

The two undefeated clubs met in Pennsylvania on Saturday night. The Canadiens made it close, but fell 6-5 in overtime.

Wilde Horses 

Head Coach Martin St. Louis considers good hockey when the Canadiens hold on to the puck in every zone, rather than give it away for any reason whatsoever. It’s easy to talk about, but much harder to execute. Opponents are always trying to take away time and space. The team that wins that battle usually wins the game.

When watching the Canadiens, look for it all of the time especially in the defensive zone when forecheckers are trying to force mistakes. On the first Montreal goal, an outstanding example of Montreal calmly keeping possession while they moved it up ice.

Lane Hutson and Nick Suzuki got the helpers as they moved it into the offensive zone for Cole Caufield to streak in on the right side. Caufield looked far side high, and as he does, he found his target perfectly. Caufield with his first of the season.

In game one, all three who counted points on the first goal, didn’t count points on night one. Hutson, Suzuki and Caufield also had horrible analytics, so it was an extremely positive moment for the Canadiens early in game two of 84.

Also, it should be noted on the first goal that Chris Kreider went straight to the front of the net and created a great fly-by screen making it difficult for Pittsburgh goalie Arturs Silovs.

Montreal could have added more in the first ten minutes as they dominated. The transition game was strong. It didn’t appear that the Penguins could keep up. Josh Anderson and Jake Evans had breakaways that they couldn’t convert. Montreal had an 8-1 shot advantage in the first 10 minutes.

After that, there was very little to like for the next 30 minutes. Suzuki scored a tremendous goal on an individual effort taking it all the way to the goal against four Penguins. He backhanded it in from three feet just under the cross bar.

The top line kept it going in the third period as the architects of all of the team’s offence. Caufield with his usual perfect shot as he counted his second of the night.

It should be noted that as much as Kreider was criticized on opening night, he should be praised in the second contest. He was doing exactly what he does well. He won pucks, and he went to the net for screens and deflections.

Kreider can be effective on that line without carrying the puck. If Kreider goes to the net and takes a defender with him, that opens up ice for Caufield to shoot as he did for two goals.

Kreider went to the net on the 5-4 goal. Suzuki was behind the net, and Kreider made himself a perfect target for a one-time shot from 10 feet. Still, the Canadiens needed one more goal to pull off a remarkable four goal comeback in the final 21 minutes.

They got it with only 44 seconds left. It was Hutson to Suzuki to Ivan Demidov on an absolutely remarkable passing play. The Canadiens with a stunner of a comeback in a game they could have easily packed in late in the second period. Suzuki a four point night. Hutson a three point night.

Montreal lost in overtime, but credit to them for a valuable point that will feel important in April.

Wilde Goats 

An example of what bothers Martin St. Louis as a head coach was the first goal against. It was a power play marker by Evgeni Malkin. However, what bothers the coach happened far before that breakdown. The power play was created on a call against Mike Matheson defending Sidney Crosby.

Matheson wouldn’t have had to defend Crosby, if the Canadiens weren’t called for icing before it. That’s where we finally arrive at the irritant for the head coach. He wants the club to hang on to the puck smartly. He doesn’t want to see panic.

Panic is exactly what Jayden Struble did. He had the puck in a free spot 25 feet in front of his own net. All Struble had to do was calm himself down, because he had plenty of room to make an intelligent play. Struble iced the puck needlessly. It was a chain of events that didn’t need to have a first link.

The Canadiens looked poor in the second period. They couldn’t get any offensive zone time. Dobes had difficulty as well. His Goals Saved Above Expected on the second goal was minus .60. On the third goal, as much as it was a scramble, he can’t be on his stomach either trying to make saves.

Dobes was the best goalie in the playoffs last season in Goals Saved Above Expected. Without Dobes, the Canadiens would not have been even close to the final four. However, in Pittsburgh, Dobes was poor with a GSAE of minus 3.15. It was an abysmal night for Dobes.

The analytics tell an honest tale of the tape. The line of Philip Danault, Alexandre Texier, and Kirby Dach was horrendous. Their Expected goals was a stunningly bad 26 per cent share. It’s a line without an identity. Danault brings defence, but his offensive days are over. Lining up with Texier and Dach neutralizes the offence they could bring.

The defensive pairing of Noah Dobson and Mike Matheson also weak with a 47 per cent.

On the fourth goal against, Matheson was beaten at the Pittsburgh blue line. No forward saw the danger, so Noah Dobson was by himself to poorly not take away the pass on a two-on-one. The number one pairing cannot look like this, if the Canadiens are to meet their lofty predictions of success.

The plain truth is that the best pairing last season and this season already is Hutson with Dobson. Last year, they had a 62 per cent Corsi as the top pairing by a long mile. This year, after an injury to Carrier, Hutson and Dobson were paired and clocked a 90 per cent Corsi share.

Overall, a worrisome night as the Canadiens were chasing the game. A team predicted by some to win the Stanley Cup shouldn’t be slower to get to loose pucks, scrambling to defend, and finding the hockey too fast for them for 30 minutes despite a powerful offensive comeback.

A top team doesn’t allow six goals against.

Wilde Cards

Naturally, as the Canadiens graduated players top draft choices into the NHL, the prospect pool shrunk. However, it’s still a strong group that could become successful pros. Throughout the season, in this space, the highs and lows of the prospects will be featured.

Likely, the number one prospect is Michael Hage. It was surprising when Hage decided on a third season at Michigan, but when a young man tells you that he wants more seasoning and schooling, then he must be allowed to follow his own pace and dreams.

The Wolverines are the benefactor, while the Canadiens will have to wait their turn. In the first game of the season, on Friday night, Hage shone even more than he shone last season when he was excellent averaging more than a point-per-game with 52 in 39.

On opening night, Hage had two goals and an assist in a 7-2 over Bowling Green. They met again on Saturday night, and Hage had an even better night. Hage had a goal and three helpers in a 4-3 win. Hage with a stunning seven points in two games to start the season.

Laval also had a big opening weekend with Jacob Fowler playing both games just to show how busy they want him to be this season in preparation for a back-up role in the NHL. Fowler was exceptional in both games. Friday, Fowler lost despite stopping 29 of 31 shots. Saturday, Fowler won allowing only one goal in 24 shots. Three goals allowed on 55 shots is an outstanding .946 start to the season.

Luke Middlestadt picked up where he left off after a strong training camp with three assists in the 6-1 win Saturday. David Reinbacher was a plus-two in the easy victory.

Other prospects that will be tracked intensively this season are Bryce Pickford who remains out of action after summer shoulder surgery, Alexander Zharovsky and Gleb Pugachyov who are playing in Russia. All of these players have a serious chance at an NHL career.

 

Brian Wilde, a Montreal-based sports writer, brings you Call of the Wilde on globalnews.ca after each Canadiens game.

© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Bacalhau à Brás

Salt cod gently poached in olive oil, folded through crisp matchstick potatoes, sweet onion and softly set eggs, finished with parsley and black olives.

Serves four; soak for one to two days, cook for about one hour.

INGREDIENTS

• 450 g salt cod (bacalhau), thick pieces
• 500 ml olive oil, for poaching the cod
• 500 g potatoes (russet or Yukon Gold), peeled
• 500 ml olive oil, for frying the potatoes
• 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, finely sliced
• 6 large eggs
• 1 small bunch flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 12 black olives
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper, freshly ground

METHOD
1. Soak the cod
Rinse the salt cod, then put it in a large bowl of cold water and cover it. Keep the bowl in the fridge, and change the water 3 or 4 times a day. Thin pieces need about a day; thick loins can take up to two. To check, tear off a small flake and taste it: it should be pleasantly seasoned, not salty.

2. Poach in olive oil
Pat the cod dry and lay it in a small saucepan. Pour in the olive oil so it just covers the fish. Set the pan over the lowest heat; the oil should barely shimmer and never bubble. Poach for about 20 minutes, until the cod turns opaque and separates into flakes when nudged with a fork.

3. Flake the cod
Lift the cod out onto a plate and let it cool enough to handle. Pull it into large flakes, discarding any skin and bones. Save 4 tablespoons of the poaching oil for the onions.

4. Cut the potatoes
Cut the potatoes into very thin matchsticks, or use the julienne blade of a mandoline. Rinse them in cold water and dry them thoroughly in a clean towel, because wet potatoes will spit in the hot oil.

5. Fry the potatoes
Heat the frying oil in a deep pan until a potato stick sizzles on contact. Fry the potatoes in small batches until golden and crisp, about 5–6 minutes per batch. Drain them on paper towels and sprinkle with the salt.

6. Cook the onions
Warm the reserved poaching oil in a large frying pan over medium-low heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook slowly, stirring now and then, for about 12 minutes, until soft, sweet and golden at the edges.

7. Add cod and potatoes
Add the flaked cod to the onions and warm it through for a minute or two. Then toss in the potatoes.

8. Stir in the eggs
Beat the eggs with the black pepper and pour them over everything. Turn the heat to low and stir gently and constantly until the eggs are just set and creamy, like soft scrambled eggs.
Take the pan off the heat a moment early, because they will keep cooking. Taste, and add a pinch more salt if needed.

9. Serve
Spoon onto warm plates, scatter with the parsley and olives, and eat straight away while the potatoes still have some crunch.

NOTES
Shortcut: buy a bag of ready-made potato sticks (batata palha) and skip the frying.

Food safety: keep the cod in the fridge the whole time it soaks. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours, eat
them within 2 days, and reheat until piping hot all the way through.

Allergens: fish (cod) and eggs

© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

The Curator independently decides what topics and products we feature. When you purchase an item through our links, we may earn a commission. Promotions and products are subject to availability and retailer terms.

I recently acquired my dream expresso machine after putting my trusty De’Longhi to rest (I could’t even tell you the name of the model because she was that old). Well-loved throughout all her years, my daily go-to appliance was replaced by a much more sophisticated and shinier beast – The Specialista Opera. I felt the weight of the portafilter, which felt much sturdier than my previous model’s. I ground my beans, listened to the sounds of the machine come alive, and watched the dark liquid hit the inside of my favourite mug. Am I in heaven?

Even on my busiest days, a morning or afternoon cup of coffee has become the ultimate me-time. La Specialista Opera and I – we’ve become inseparable. But truthfully, everyone has different preferences when it comes to getting the perfect brew. We’ve rounded up the top picks from De’Longhi, Breville, KitchenAid for every kind of coffee lover. We hope you find your perfect match.

Quick pick summary

If you want café-style lattes and specialty drinks:: La Specialista Opera Espresso Machine

If you want something for beginners: The Barista Express

If you want a smart machine that does it all for you: De’Longhi Eletta Explore Espresso Machine

If you want an affordable way to get into espresso: De’Longhi Stilosa Manual Espresso Machine

If you want less counter clutter: Nespresso Vertuo Next Coffee and Espresso Machine

If you want an easy, fully automatic machine: KitchenAid KF6, KES8556 Fully Automatic Espresso Machine

If you want the premium upgrade or splurge: Breville The Dual Boiler Espresso Machine

 

If you want café-style lattes and specialty drinks

This machine makes espresso-making approachable while still giving you the satisfaction of crafting your drink exactly how you like it. Unlike fully automatic models, it offers more control over the grind, tamp, temperature, and milk texture, while the built-in technology helps keep every shot smooth and consistent. Between the smart sensor grinder, precise temperature control, and powerful milk frother, the De’Longhi La Specialista Opera feels like a serious upgrade for anyone ready to bring café-quality coffee into their daily routine. Starbucks who?[/product_listing]

 

If you want something for beginners

Especially well-suited for beginners, the Breville Barista Express Impress Brushed Stainless Steel reduces much of the learning curve with smart dosing and an assisted tamping system that helps take the guesswork out of pulling espresso shots. Its built-in grinder, quick heat-up time, and precise temperature control make it easier to get consistent results and smooth, café-style milk drinks from the very first attempts.[/product_listing]

 

If you want a smart machine that does it all for you

The standout feature of the De’Longhi Eletta Explore Espresso Machine with Cold Brew is its ability to create both hot drinks and cold brew beverages (more than 50 recipes!) at the touch of a button, making it especially appealing for households with different coffee preferences. The machine automatically adjusts brewing settings based on the type of beans used, while the built-in grinder and intuitive touchscreen made it easy to pull consistently smooth espresso shots and creamy milk drinks. Featured in Oprah’s Favourite Things 2024, this one’s for coffee-lovers who want instant café-quality drinks with almost zero effort.[/product_listing]

You may also like:

Matteo’s Barista Style Sugar Free Coffee Syrup – $33.99

Coffee Syrup Dispenser with 36 Labels and Pump – $24.97

HiveNets Capsule Drawer Coffee Pod Storage Compatible for Nespresso – $36.89

 

If you want an affordable way to get into espresso

If you’re ready to upgrade from your standard coffee maker to something a bit more premium, this machine is an affordable way to dip your toes into the world of espresso. It features a simple 15-bar pump system and a compact, no-frills design that keeps things accessible. Unlike more advanced machines, it’s fully manual, meaning you’re in charge of grinding, tamping, and frothing — which makes it a great entry point for learning the basics without the high price tag.[/product_listing]

 

If you want less counter clutter

The Nespresso Vertuo Next is another popular choice (and for good reason). This compact machine brings café-quality coffee to your kitchen with minimal fuss. It’s deal for small kitchens, with a slim, space-saving design that fits easily on countertops. Unlike bulkier espresso machines, it uses compact, one-touch capsule brewing with barcode reading technology to automatically adjust each cup, and will give you consistent brews with virtually no set up or clean up.[/product_listing]

 

If you want an easy, fully automatic machine

If you’re looking for a machine that truly leans into a “set it and forget it” experience, this one delivers. With just a single tap, it can craft up to 15 different drinks—from bold espressos to creamy lattes—while its automatic milk frothing system handles the texture for you. The smart grinder and twist-off bean hopper also make it simple to swap in fresh beans whenever you want to change things up.[/product_listing]

 

If you want the premium upgrade or splurge

The “dual boiler” setup is what makes this machine stand out: it has two separate heating systems—one dedicated to brewing espresso and the other to steaming milk—so you can do both at the same time without waiting or losing temperature stability. Unlike single-boiler machines that have to switch between tasks (which slows things down and can affect consistency), the Breville Dual Boiler delivers more precise temperature control and smoother workflow, especially when making multiple milk-based drinks back-to-back.[/product_listing]

You may also like:

Tim Hortons Original Coffee blend, Single Serve Keurig K-Cup Pods – $37.99

Starbucks Caramel Flavoured Ground Coffee – $54.66

Iced Coffee Cups with Lids and Straws Set of 8 – $37.99

Espresso Coffee Cups – $26.97

© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Regina police are investigating after a person was found dead in the downtown area Saturday afternoon.

Officers were called to the 1300 block of Robinson Street around 2 p.m. where they located one person already deceased, police said in a news release.

Responders secured the area and requested the assistance of the major crimes unit and forensic investigators.

Residents are asked to avoid the area as the investigation continues, police said. Drivers and pedestrians are asked to take alternate routes.

The victim’s name has not been released.

© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

From the moment I sit down at my desk at 7:30 a.m. until the dogs tell me its tools down at around 5, I listen to, analyze, evaluate, research, and write about music. My job requires me to listen to music professionally. So when I encountered a story about Ella Langley, a singer I’d never heard of, setting a new record for having longest-running hit single in this history of the Billboard Hot 100 charts, I was confused.

What was this Choosin’ Texas song?  Did my music journalism have a giant blind spot? Was I failing at my job? Had I been in a coma? How was it possible that a song that had been number one on Billboard for almost half a year not graced my ears?

At first, I chalked it up to being a country song, and country is just not my jam. But that shouldn’t matter. To be number one on Billboard is to have the hittiest of hit songs, regardless of genre. I should have heard Choosin’ Texas floating through the air on some radio station. Or on TV. Or at the supermarket. Yet when I clicked on the YouTube video, I heard it for the very first time.

How is this possible? This required its own analysis, evaluation, and research. And the answer turned out to be very simple. Mainstream music ain’t what it used to be.

In the era before the internet, the amount of music we got to hear was tightly controlled by record labels, radio stations, record stores, music magazines and video channels. They were all-powerful filters, the cultural gatekeepers, that determined what we got to hear. And even if your song managed to be approved by all of them, competition for attention was fierce.

Billboard became the de facto scorekeeper for music in North America. In the old days, the magazine would call out to a panel of select record stores to find out which 45 RPM, seven-inch singles sold the most over the previous seven days. They’d do the same with a panel of radio stations: which songs were played the most on the air? This data was tabulated, resulting in a statistically relevant ranking of the most popular songs in America. Anyone who’s ever listened to American Top 40 Casey Kasem knows that.

We heard these songs everywhere, largely through radio, which was our primary source of music discovery. Mainstream music was so ubiquitous that we couldn’t escape it. Because we couldn’t skip the song that was coming at us over the radio through through our TV screens on MuchMusic, we ended up knowing all the words to even the songs we hated. The hits were heard were everywhere. I can still sing along to You’re the One That I Want by Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta because during the summer of 1978, it was played roughly every hour and 15 minutes on the AM radio perched above the grill at the cheeseburger place where I worked that summer.

A number one song actually meant that it was the number one, most-heard and most-purchased and, ergo, most popular song in the land Therefore, having a long run at number one was rare. It was a big deal in 1995 when Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men stayed at the top for 16 weeks with One Sweet Day, a stretch many thought would never be broken.

But in the digital era, the Hot 100’s methodology has changed, Sales of 45s are no longer relevant. And while radio airplay is still important, streaming numbers factor in heavily. Very heavily.

Thanks to the way things are weighted, number one songs started to get number one-ier. Despacito by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee (and featuring Justin Bieber) tied Mariah and Boys II Men in 2017. Then came Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus who held down the top spot with Old Town Road for an incredible 19 weeks in 2019. But since then — and as streaming data became more important under Billboard’s rules — longer-standing hits kept coming.

Last Night from Morgan Wallen stuck around for 16 weeks in 2022. Then A Bar Song (Tipsy) by Shaboozey tied Old Town Road at 19 weeks in 2024. Which brings us to Choosin’ Texas, which reached the top for the first time since February of this year. It’s now October.

This new Billboard methodology has also resulted in weird situations like the one we saw for the chart ending May 30 of this year, where Drake songs occupied 42 of the 100 slots. How many of those songs can you name? I thought so.

Try this: stop a random person on the street and asked them to name three Taylor Swift songs. I’ll bet that you’ll have trouble finding someone who could do that, despite Tay-Tay being so huge through her music that she’s a billionaire.

Why are the hits now so less hit-y with the general public? Because thanks to streaming, the traditional gatekeepers — labels, radio, stores, magazines, and video channels — have lost the power they once had. We are now our own individual music directors thanks to our phones and streaming. When we’re not actively choosing what to listen to, the algorithm is serving up more of what it thinks we want to hear based on past choices. And the moment we hear something unfamiliar or disagreeable, we hit the “skip” button.

There’s no longer widespread public consensus of what constitutes a hit. That’s now up to each individual. This has reduced mainstream music, the songs that everyone was at the very least aware of, to just another niche in the universe of the 250 million or so songs available through any streaming platform.

So good on you, Ella Langley. You may have the longest-running number one song in the history of the charts, but you ain’t no You Light Up My Life or One Sweet Day or Old Town Road. And for the rest of us, don’t feel bad. Mainstream music isn’t as mainstream as it used to be.

As Yogi Berra might say, “No one goes there anymore. It’s too crowded.”

© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Sass Jordan, the Montreal-raised rock singer whose career spanned nearly four decades, has died at 63.

A post on Jordan’s social media page on Saturday says she died the day before, “surrounded by her loving family” and calls her an “inimitable force of nature” and “irreplaceable being of light and joy.”

A cause of death has not been released.

Jordan was born in Birmingham, England, and raised in Montreal.

Her debut album, “Tell Somebody,” was released in 1988, and she won the Juno award for most promising female vocalist of the year in 1989, as well as being nominated several times for best female vocalist.

Her second album, “Racine,” released in 1992, included hits like “Make You a Believer.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 3, 2026

© 2026 The Canadian Press

The public hasn’t viewed a single frame yet from director Greta Gerwig’s movie adaptation from the classic children’s book series, “The Chronicles of Narnia,” but a casting decision is already generating outrage from many conservative Christian commentators.

They’re distressed by news that a female actor — the Oscar-winning Meryl Streep — will be voicing the role of Aslan the lion in “Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew.” Aslan is considered a literary representation of Jesus Christ in the seven Narnia books by British Christian author C.S. Lewis, published in the 1950s. The books depict the lion as male, with a glorious mane.

Filmmakers routinely take license in adapting books — compressing timelines, combining characters and more. Gerwig herself is resetting “The Magician’s Nephew” from around 1900 to the 1950s.

The casting of Streep doesn’t necessarily mean that Aslan will be depicted as female. But to conservative Christian critics, even the possibility of portraying a divine Christ figure as anything but male goes beyond artistic license. They deem it an attack on their faith, noting that the Bible and ancient creeds speak of God the Father and Jesus as the Son of God.

“This is a well-known ploy of the enemies of God, to subvert and destroy symbols of Christianity in an effort to win a war of attrition for the heart of the culture,” wrote Seth Udinsky in a column for the Christian Post, an evangelical news website. He contended that Gerwig is turning Aslan “transgender,” citing a newly released photo from the movie’s promoters, depicting the lion with rainbow-tinted whiskers.

Similar comments, and rebuttals, appear in numerous replies to Netflix’s posting about the casting on Instagram.

Some Lewis scholars and aficionados are taking a wait-and-see approach. The Netflix production is scheduled for theatrical release in February.

Kat Coffin, a New York-based writer and scholar of Lewis, said she has questions about the casting decision but added: “I am far more disturbed by the people who are violently opposed and angry at the idea that the incarnation of God could be anything even hinted toward feminine.”

Gerwig wanted a ‘profound but not pretentious’ voice

Gerwig, in public statements, hasn’t addressed the gender question directly, but did say she saw Streep as one of the few actors who could meet her criteria for Aslan’s voice.

“I wanted someone who was profound but not pretentious, who had gravitas but not morose self-seriousness,” Gerwig said. “Someone who could communicate depth and pathos as well as joy and delight. I wanted someone who was older than 70, so there was a wisdom of experience, but who also had the capacity of fresh wonder, like a child. And also to be one of the greatest actors to ever do it.”

Gerwig said she first read “The Magician’s Nephew” as a child, falling in love with the story and its enchanted world.

Gerwig is known for bringing feminist interpretations to her acclaimed movies “Barbie” and “Little Women,” also based on intellectual properties that have long been popular with children.

Further raising hackles is a report in the movie magazine Empire that Gerwig took inspiration from the pop artist David Bowie, known for his gender ambiguity, in depicting the lion with different-colored eyes and “bold red-striped visage.”

“The Magician’s Nephew” — published in 1955, eight years before Lewis’ death — tells the story of two children, Digory and Polly, who are sent to parallel worlds by evil magic. They ultimately arrive in the newly created, fantastical land of Narnia, but they inadvertently bring with them the evil witch, Jadis. In this and subsequent Narnia books, Aslan leads his young followers in combating and defeating evil.

Critic says Gospel themes can’t be treated like ‘The Odyssey’

For Ted Baehr, having a woman portray Aslan is a direct challenge to Christian doctrine on the nature of God.

Baehr is founder and publisher of Movieguide, which advises Christian parents on what to watch.

“This movie could do very well, but the better it does, there’s a lot of Christians who will be concerned for their children and grandchildren,” said Baehr, who led a company that produced a 1979 animated television version of another Narnia book.

Baehr praised Gerwig’s directing skills but said she may not understand the issue’s importance to many Christians. While Lewis said his Narnia books are not allegories, they do closely parallel biblical stories and concepts. Baehr said they can’t be adapted as readily as the recent Christopher Nolan movie “The Odyssey” did with Greek myth.

“The Gospel is not a myth,” he said.

The criticisms reflect the deep bond that many Christians, particularly evangelicals, feel with Lewis, who promoted Christian teachings and themes through fiction and nonfiction.

Narnia has a broad reader base, with reported sales of 120 million books worldwide since the first volume’s publication 75 years ago this month. Its Christian readers feel a particular sense of ownership.

“I know a lot of people who are genuinely concerned, because the original stories mean so much to them,” said Christin Ditchfield Lazo, an author of books on Lewis.

The Narnia series has “had a profound impact on the lives of millions of people — especially people of faith, who love the spiritual truths in these stories and want them to be faithfully represented,” she said.

Ditchfield Lazo urged Christians to reserve judgment.

“There’s a huge difference between a woman voicing a male character and the director changing the gender of the character,” she said. “It could be problematic, but we won’t know until we see the film.”

She noted that men and women have often played or voiced each others’ roles, from Shakespearean drama to modern animations.

Lewis family statement supports Gerwig’s work

Many evangelicals did embrace the early 2000s movies based on the first three Narnia books, with actor Liam Neeson providing the deep, masculine voice of Aslan.

Coffin said that God has been portrayed with feminine characteristics in other literary works — including Narnia itself, where Aslan also appears as a lamb with a “sweet milky voice.”

“I would describe that as a feminine presentation,” Coffin said.

A statement from the family of Lewis’ late wife, Joy Davidman Gresham, praised Gerwig for her “sincere passion” for the Narnia works.

“We saw this enthusiasm during our visit to the set in London,” said the statement, provided by Netflix. “We are thrilled to be working with such a talented and accomplished director and production team, and are keen to continue working with them on future projects.”

The C.S. Lewis Co. — holders of Lewis intellectual property rights and producers on the film — stated: “It’s incredibly moving to see how deeply Greta Gerwig has embraced C.S. Lewis’ world, and infused ‘Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew’ with joy, heart, and genuine love for the story.”

___

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

© 2026 The Canadian Press