Mark Gordon is not only in the process of making "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Silver Chair", but he is making an entire remake: basically, filming it as if the recent 3 movies in the "Narnia" franchise didn't exist. Different cast, different everything. In the most recent movies, the voice actor who carried the weight of representing the famous and beloved character of Aslan the Great Lion was Liam Neeson.

I've been an avid "Narnia" fan since I was 2.  Growing up, I lived and breathed "Narnia" and its stories.  They mean more to me than almost anything else in this world.  If I could, I would make the movies myself because I feel like I GET "Narnia" more than anybody else out there.

I also know that Aslan is a character that if you can "stand before without your knees knocking, you're either braver than most, or else just silly".  His voice is described as deep and wild.  HE'S described as wild, and unsafe.  He is like a wild lion - duh!  So when you're around him, he's beautiful and he's GOOD and you love him, but it's also terrifying to be in his presence! The voice needs to convey all these facts.

If you've listened to Focus on the Family Radio Theatre's production of all 7 books, you will know the type of voice I mean.  They were spot-on there with choosing David Suchet.  And I would advocate for his voice to be used again in the movies, if I didn't think Hollywood would balk at the idea.  

The creators of the first 3 Narnia movies chose Liam Neeson. Now, I like Neeson as much as the next film-goer.  He's a great actor. He has a great voice. Just not a great voice for Aslan - or, should I say, for a lion.  He sounded so soft and so gentle and so soothing and so nice.  Which is all well and good, but that's not Aslan.  Neeson didn't put that subtle undertone of danger into Aslan's personality.  He didn't get that growl in the back of his throat. And all I could see when Aslan opened his mouth was Liam Neeson's face.  Now, the filmmakers actually were considering Russell Crowe to voice Aslan initially, and then they chickened out when they decided they didn't want a rough, growly, deep, slightly dangerous voice that could possibly scare children -- they wanted the soothing voice that would make kids want to snuggle up into Aslan's mane and hear him tell a bedtime story.  Which is not who Aslan is, sorry.

Russell Crowe, aside from being my favourite actor, has the perfect voice for Aslan in my opinion. He can sound deep and growly and menacing and slightly dangerous, but he also has the ability to soften his voice which is important, because yes Aslan can be soft sometimes.  I also think Crowe can mask his voice enough so that I don’t just see his face every time Aslan speaks.  I just really want them to get this right, because getting the voice right means getting the character right, and getting the character of Aslan right is essential when filming The Chronicles of Narnia.  If you agree with me that Aslan should sound like Aslan and not like a wise old sage, please sign this petition! Maybe, just maybe, we can convince them to make a good decision.  I advocate for Russell Crowe, but I’m sure there are lots of other voices out there that could fit the bill. Please sign! I want these movies to be better than ever! I want to finally see some decent films made out of C. S. Lewis’ masterpiece.