The man behind Darth Vader’s voice will let AI continue the work
James Earl Jones, the man behind the voice of iconic Star Wars character, Darth Vader, has decided to step away from the role and instead will officially let AI take over for the future. The news comes through an article from Vanity Fair on the company behind the AI technology used to bring the voice to screens.
The company behind the AI technology used in the recent shows and movies to help partially bring Jones’ vocal work to the stories is Respeecher based in Kyiv, Ukraine. You all know what the situation is currently like in the Ukraine, and one fact highlighted by the company was that on the day that the conflict started, the company was able to ship the audio files for Darth Vader’s role in the Obi-Wan series.
James Earl Jones is 91 years old at the moment and, although healthy, he wants to step back from actively voicing Darth Vader. But thankfully the character can continue with the original voice due to James Earl Jones officially licensing his voice for use by Disney through AI. Living in the times that we do, the debate behind using an actor’s image or voice, even after their deaths (such as Carrie Fisher’s Leia role in Rogue One and Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi) is still ongoing. It becomes more difficult to ascertain the actor’s original wishes if they had not explicitly mentioned their intention for their image or voice to be used after their passing. So it is good that Darth Vader can continue to be Darth Vader even if Jams Earl Jones has passed and that his family will benefit from his talent for many years to come.
