STAR WARS: James Earl Jones Steps Back From Darth Vader Role After A.I. Was Used In OBI-WAN KENOBI

Respeecher technology has allowed Lucasfilm to use archival recordings to create voices with A.I., and it's now been confirmed that Obi-Wan Kenobi didn't technically star the human James Earl Jones...

Respeecher is a relatively new technology that was created by a start-up company of the same name by Bogdan Belyaev. The Star Wars franchise has so far made good use of it to generate the voice of a young Luke Skywalker in The Book of Boba Fett and, as suspected, they did the same for Darth Vader in Obi-Wan Kenobi.

For those of you wondering how it works, they essentially take archival recordings of an actor's voice, feed it through their proprietary A.I. algorithm, and then create new dialogue with voices that sound as they did decades ago. Voices do change over time, and neither Mark Hamill nor James Earl Jones sounds exactly as they did when they first played these characters.

That was evident from how different Obi-Wan Kenobi's Vader sounded compared to what we heard in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Vanity Fair (via SFFGazette.com) reveals that Jones has indeed stepped away from the role at 91, with his last actual performance a line of dialogue recorded for 2019's Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

The legendary actor signed off on his archival recordings being used to keep Vader alive, even if it is by artificial means. He is said to have provided some input, but the version of the Sith Lord in Obi-Wan Kenobi was indeed created solely with the use of a clever computer programme. Presumably, this now means Vader can continue returning for the foreseeable future.

Jones' family are said to be extremely pleased with what the Disney+ TV series delivered, and despite having to work on the show in the midst of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Belyaev remains understandably proud of what they were able to come up with. 

"Why did I do it? It’s a big honor to work with Lucasfilm, and I’ve been a fan of Star Wars since I was a kid," he explains in a lengthy interview with the site. "Even if it’s war, there’s no excuse for you to be the troublemaker of what you loved from childhood."

This is a very clever, almost scary technology that means the voices of characters in movies and TV shows can now live on long after the actors are done playing them. 

However, with the thumbs up from Jones, this hopefully means we'll be seeing (and hearing) a lot more Vader on our screens in future.

AHSOKA Details Reveal More About Grand Admiral Thrawn And A Big THE MANDALORIAN Return - SPOILERS
Related:

AHSOKA Details Reveal More About Grand Admiral Thrawn And A Big THE MANDALORIAN Return - SPOILERS

OBI-WAN KENOBI Star Ewan McGregor Returns As The Jedi Master For Recent Comic Relief Sketch
Recommended For You:

OBI-WAN KENOBI Star Ewan McGregor Returns As The Jedi Master For Recent Comic Relief Sketch

DISCLAIMER: This post was submitted by a user who has agreed to our Terms of Service and Community Guidelines. As a user-generated content platform, Comic Book Movie and Best Little Sites LLC is protected under the DMCA... [MORE]
OBI-WAN KENOBI Star Ewan McGregor Returns As The Jedi Master For Recent Comic Relief Sketch
Last year's Obi-Wan Kenobi was met with a great response from Star Wars fans, and while we all wait for season 2 news, actor Ewan McGregor recently reprised the role for a funny Comic Relief sketch...
THE MANDALORIAN & OBI WAN KENOBI Make-Up/VFX Artist Talks Working On Aliens And Darth Vader Himself
Star Wars is such a household name that everyone knows who Darth Vader is. We got the chance to speak with Hiroshi Katagiri, an artist lucky enough to work on characters in Obi-Wan Kenobi and Mandalorian.
OBI-WAN KENOBI Star Ewan McGregor Shares Which Scene In The STAR WARS Series Moved Him To Tears
Obi-Wan Kenobi star Ewan McGregor has reflected on the experience of watching the Disney+ series, revealing the unexpected scene that moved him to tears when he finally got to see it. Read on for details!
OBI-WAN KENOBI Star Ewan McGregor Reveals His Emotional Reaction To Finale's Epic Lightsaber Duel
Obi-Wan Kenobi star Ewan McGregor has revealed the emotional reaction he had to the final lightsaber duel between Ben Kenobi and Darth Vader in the Disney+ series, revealing new behind the scenes details.
OBI-WAN KENOBI Writer Andrew Stanton Explains Why Working On The Series Could Be A Frustrating Process
Wall-E director Andrew Stanton has opened up on his time working on Obi-Wan Kenobi, explaining why heading to that specific corner of the Star Wars Universe could be a frustrating process for him...

The Best Little Sites Network (BLS)

Action Movie and TV News - AnimeMojo.com
Anime News, Trailers & More - AnimeMojo.com
Superhero News, Videos, Rumors & More - ComicBookMovie.com
Horror News - FearHQ.com
Video Game News, Reviews, Trailers & More - GameFragger.com
Sci-Fi and Fantasy News, Videos, Rumors & More - SFFGazette.com
Cartoon and Animated Film News, Videos, Rumors & More - Toonado.com
Professional Wrestling News, Videos, Rumors & More - TheRingReport.com