I had no idea that Benedict Cumberbatch voiced Smaug, but I was going to suggest this anyway. I hope Liam Neeson makes a return though - if there's going to be continuity with anything it should be Aslan. It'd be a relatively undemanding role, you'd think.

If there's one actor they keep from the previous films, it should be Liam Neeson. But if we do have a full recast (which is likely) I think Brian Cox should voice Aslan. I know he was originally planned to be Aslan, so it's not only me who thinks he'd be great! He's certainly got the voice and he has an uncanny likeness to a lion.

It's funny that you mention Benedict Cumberbatch, a couple weeks ago my brother told me that Benedict had an 'Aslan' kind of voice!

While normally I hesitate from the urge to cast actors in similar movies and roles as something they are famous for (there was a lot of that going around after The Lord of the Rings went huge), I think Benedict Cumberbatch could be great. His voice would of course sound much different than it did as Smaug or the Necromancer and, as it is just a voice role, it wouldn't be a cash in on his Hobbit fame. This is more like what I would expect his voice to sound like as Aslan, with some slight tweaking to make it a touch less...tame.
http://inkandoldpaper.tumblr.com/post/5 ... -voice-omp

I think Geoffrey Rush would be my pick. His voice, while less golden, has great character and could be deepened after recording. Although to be honest, I think Rush could make great Puddleglum too.

I'd listened to that reading by Benedict Cumberbatch about a week ago and thought of it while reading your post, even before seeing what the link was. I could definitely see hear Cumberbatch being cast for Aslan. He has a very rich voice, one which makes me think of the old-time radio dramas my Grandpa used to share with us.

Geoffrey Rush... Maybe.

I agree with you Impending Doom. Brian Cox would be a good second choice. But Narnia wouldn't feel the same again if Liam Neeson didn't come back.
I like Benedict Cumberbatch's voice. But I can't help but thing of other roles he's played. I don't know. He could pull it off fine. Maybe I'll warm up to the idea.

oh dear, if Liam Neeson didn't come back as Aslan, I think I'd have a heart attack! Okay, that's being rather drastic, but I would be very disappointed to say the least. However IF Aslan was recast, (and I'll agree with the rest of the people who say Narnia would have a totally different feel) I could imagine Benedict Cumberbatch pulling off the role. It would be very different, but it could work. Geoffry Rush...um...I have a hard time seeing (hearing?) him as Aslan. Brian Cox could do the roll pretty well too in my opinion, though I haven't seen very many films with him to make a decent judgment. I think of all options of a 'new' voice for Aslan, so far I think Benedict Cumberbatch suits me best.

Smaug's VA would be a very interesting choice.

@ AslanTheLion

Yeah, I think Liam Neeson could pull off the wilder side of Aslan. He just hasn't had much of a opportunity. If they kept the scene with Jill and Aslan in the Giant's room looking at the words "Under Me", he would work.

I searched the internet a bit trying to find a sample of Geoffrey Rush's voice and I realized that I was wrong. While I think he could get closer to an Aslan voice if he tried, I was thinking of some one else. Now I wonder who is the real owner of the voice I had attached to Rush in my head.

How about Bill Nighy!!!

Just kidding

Donald Sutherland yes please.
Maybe John Hurt.

@FK: I LOVE the suggestion of Ben Cross. He's an excellent actor with a beautiful, deep voice. He could pull off the 'wild' side of Aslan well!

An unexpected thought occurred to me the other day: I would like Douglas Gresham to voice Aslan!

His voice is so unique and I could see it conveying both warmth and authority. He has had experience in stage and voice acting, so I would be very interested to see what his performance would be like.

Phew, I'm not even sure if a change in voice actors for Aslan would bug me as much. After all, the model they used for Aslan changed a lot after each movie for some reason