SAY WHAT???

WOW... that IS big news... I don't know what to think!! Eddie Izzard was so perfect! I loved his impression of Reepicheep!
I don't think I like this. I mean, I have nothing against Mr. Nighy - he's a great actor, and I don't mind him in VDT, but couldn't he play someone else, like the Sea Serpent? (Ha ha, get it? A joke? Ya know, Davy Jones? Oh, nevermind, this is no time for silliness...)

I admit I like Bill's voice better for Reep than I do Eddie's (I never was a huge fan of him) but I'm VERY disappointed that they're not going to keep things consistent. This is the sort of thing that really irks me. Changing directors is one thing, but changing actors is another.

I'll always be a,
NL101

At least it's only a voice actor they're changing, and not an actor-actor!
But I agree with you, Robby, that I wasn't crazy about Reep's voice in PC. So I'm willing to try somone new, especially as I'm a big fan of Bill Nighy.

Whoa, something just dawned on me... could be totally irrelevent, but...

I was thinking "why on earth would they change him?" when suddenly it hit me: maybe they're trying to age him? There's only supposed to be, what, three years gone by in Narnia? But for a mouse, that might be a long time. Lewis never mentioned how long the lifespans of talking beasts would be compared to their nontalking counterparts; I would assume they'd live as long as humans, but maybe the movie-makers are heading in a different direction. Maybe the Reepicheep we see in VDT will be a more matured Reep? Obviously, he's still a daring warrior, as Bill Nighy said himself, but... Oh, who knows.

I get the feeling the production people didn't want us to find this so early.

That...........was...........unexpected. I haven't heard Bill Nighy's voice, so I don't know if I'll like him as Reep or not. But, seriously? Eddie Izzard is not returning? ditto NL101, I would have thought for continuity at least he would be returning. I wasn't immensely pleased with his Reep, but still.......

Interestingly, the topic on which this information was first posted on IMDB was an open-ended question posed by a user asking whether or not people thought Eddie Izzard's "cynical and ruthless" performance of Reepicheep in Prince Caspian would still be suited to the "chivalry and gallantry" of Reepicheep's character in Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Admittedly the topic didn't really get too far with any great debate on the matter, but evidently it would seem the producers may well have asked a similar sort of question.

I thought Eddie Izzards portrayal of Reepicheep in Prince Caspian was fantastic. Very suited to the character, and very suited to the PC movie - fast, energetic, dangerous, humorous. But VDT is a very different sort of story, a much slower and more emotional story. Perhaps they figured that Eddie Izzards frantic performance would seem too out of place with the direction of the movie?

thankfully, as was said already, it's just a voice actor.
I like Bill Nighy, so I am happy with this, as long as the voice work sounds great- but I trust it will.

I've never been a fan of Eddie Izzard, and still am not either, aside of PC's Reepicheep.

I swear I thought it was April Fools for a second! I can't believe they are changing Reep's voice!!!!
I'm with Valiant_Lucy at least it's not an actual actor, I can deal with a voice actor being changed, but still!
I will hold my judgment until I hear him do Reep's voice, I think it could be far worse and I have to keep reminding myself that some changes are good. Who knows maybe Bill Nighy will be a better voice then Eddie Izzard's.
I think as long as the voice has some sort of same consistency I think It'll be ok. Now I really want a trailer to hear what his voice will sound like!

Perhaps they figured that Eddie Izzards frantic performance would seem too out of place with the direction of the movie?

That's kind of what I'm thinking. As much as I enjoyed Izzard's perfomance, I wonder whether he would have done Reep justice in VDT, where Reepicheep really matures and finds a different kind of honor.

Also, from what I've heard, Izzard likes to add-lib, which, while it worked great in PC, could make things difficult in VDT, where Reep's is one of the major character arcs.

Icarus, that kind of goes along with what I was saying; they wanted a Reepicheep who was more mature and gallant. Is that change going to be unexplained in the movie, or are they intending to age the character? Or, perhaps he isn't aging so much as maturing. In the end of the Prince Caspian book, Caspian knights Reep (if I remember right); Bill Nighy mentioned that the character is now a high-ranking official in VDT. Maybe this change in status has wizened and matured him, and they wanted to reflect that with an actor who could portray him in a different light.

After getting over the initial shock, here's one person who's not too unhappy. I never cared for Eddie Izzard's interpretation of Reepicheep in PC...it lacked all of the charm and dignity that Reep of the book had, and instead turned a very noble, very stout-hearted hero into a bloodthirsty comedic relief. I wasn't happy at all.

So, I'm not upset that Eddie has been replaced by Bill. The only thing I'm worried about is that there is such a huge difference between their voices that the change in actors is going to be pretty obvious on screen, unless Bill goes all squeaky and ridiculous with his voice. I'm sure your average Joe won't care or notice at all, but we will, so I really hope they find a good way to blend the voices together fairly seamlessly.

Some of the other posters and commentators on the news story make some good points on how the producers may be trying to age Reep and make him more of an emotional part of the movie, since he has a pretty significant and emotional part at the end of the movie. They have to get it just right, or the whole finale will fall flat, and maybe they thought Eddie Izzard just wasn't right for that. Perhaps they thought that Bill, who is an actor by profession and not a comedian, and has a lot more depth with his voice, could make the character resonate in ways that Eddie couldn't/can't.

Either way, I say BRING IT ON! This is one change I'm definitely very intrigued about!

I never cared for Eddie Izzard's interpretation of Reepicheep in PC...it lacked all of the charm and dignity that Reep of the book had, and instead turned a very noble, very stout-hearted hero into a bloodthirsty comedic relief. I wasn't happy at all.

Either way, I say BRING IT ON! This is one change I'm definitely very intrigued about!

I'm with you Gymfan! I was shocked by what they did to Reepicheep's character for PC. That wasn't really Reepicheep at all, to me. I'm hoping that this change does indeed signal a greater change in the feel of the character. Otherwise I will be very disappointed.

Bill Nighy has a great voice, but I don't know how I feel about the recast. Hmm. Guess we'll just have to wait and see!

Wait...what??? I don't believe it!!!

I'm not exactly sure what to think about this. I did like Izzard's interpretation of Reepicheep in PC, but I guess it makes sense that it wouldn't exactly work in VDT. Hopefully, Nighy will try to match the voice as much as possible so there aren't continuity problems. It really bugs me when actors are changed in the middle of a series, but at least it's just a voice character and not a live one. I'm hoping Nighy understands Reepicheep enough to make him sound gallant and dignified, and I also hope he gives him the same timbre of voice as Izzard did (I really like that he tried to not give him a high, squeaky voice--Nighy better not do that! ). Oh, well, I guess we'll just have to wait for the trailer!!