Actor James Earl Jones will no longer be tapped to voice his iconic Star Wars character Darth Vader thanks to artificial intelligence.
The 91-year-old actor has already provided plenty of archival recordings via the films that began in 1977, television series, animated programs, video games, and Disney’s various theme park rides. Now, Ukrainian start-up Respeecher will combine those recordings with artificial technology to provide a voice for Darth Vader that sounds similar to Jones’s voice.
Respeecher has already begun using the synthesized voice for the Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi while keeping the actor in the credits of each episode the voice is featured in. Jones last voiced the character during the 2019 film Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
LAST ORIGINAL HAN SOLO BLASTER EXPECTED TO FETCH OVER $500,000 AT AUCTION
A sound editor at Lucasfilm’s Skywalker Sound Studios, Matthew Wood, said in a recent interview that Jones “had mentioned he was looking into winding down this particular character.” The actor continues to have the role of “benevolent grandfather,” according to Wood, sharing his insight on the character’s development within the Star Wars franchise.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Jones has won the Behind the Voice Actors Award for Best Male Voice Actor four times, twice from the film Rogue One and twice from the series Star Wars: Rebels.
