Star Wars: James Earl Jones Officially Retires from Voicing Darth Vader
James Earl Jones is officially retiring from Star Wars. But the infamous Darth Vader voice won’t be gone for good thanks to AI.
James Earl Jones, the iconic voice of Darth Vader since 1977 is officially hanging up his Sith Lord’s cape. He announced this week that he’s officially retiring, from the galaxy far far away. But that doesn’t that Darth Vader is gone for good or that we won’t hear his Vader voice in the future.
The Voice of Vader
There are few people who wouldn’t recognize Darth Vader’s voice right away. And this is thanks entirely to James Earl Jones’ one-of-a-kind performance and voice. Though he was uncredited for his initial appearance as Vader in 1977’s A New Hope (known at the time just as Star Wars), he immediately made the role his own. And since then Jones has been involved in every Star Wars project in which Darth Vader has appeared through 2019. Even the animated shows.
Most recently he recorded a few lines for 2019’s Rise of Skywalker. But after that, it was made clear that he was looking to step back from this particular role. Sound Editor Matthew Wood told Vanity Fair, “He had mentioned he was looking into winding down this particular character. So how do we move forward?”
Obi-Wan Kenobi and the AI Voice
Turns out the answer to that question is much the same as how Star Wars pulls original trilogy characters into current projects. The magic of modern technology.
Throughout the production of Obi-Wan Kenobi, James Earl Jones was involved in the process of getting Darth Vader’s voice right without actually voicing the character himself. And no, though he won’t be recording any new lines going forward, it will still be possible to see Vader appear in any number of future Star Wars projects.
Ukrainian startup, Respeecher, has been creating an AI version of the iconic James Earl Jones/Darth Vader voice. the goal was to make it sound as much like his real voice circa the original trilogy as possible for shows and movies (such as Obi-Wan Kenobi) that take place in a similar place on the galactic timeline. And with Jones involved in this process and finally, officially retiring, Respeecher may have gotten their AI voice darn near perfect.
I guess we’ll have to see what future projects sound like to judge for ourselves. But if Obi-Wan Kenobi was any indication, I think they’ll be doing just fine.
The Legendary James Earl Jones
We all know Mr. Jones from Star Wars, but this career is legendary on the stage and screen alike. First taking to the stage in 1958’s Sunrise at Campobello, Jones transitioned to TV and then quickly to film, appearing in Dr. Strangelove in 1964. And since then he’s been in more movies, shows, and video games than we could list. The Lion King, Judge Dredd, and The Sandlot are just a few of my nostalgic favorites. But his filmography goes on and on and on.
The EGOT-winning actor will turn 92 this January.
What do you think of the use of technology to revisit older characters throughout more recent Star Wars projects? Which of James Earl Jones’ roles is your favorite? What is the most iconic Darth Vader line in your opinion? Let us know in the comments!
May The Force Be With You, Adventurers!
