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...

By JoshWilding - Sep 25, 2022 05:09 PM EST

Filed Under: Obi-Wan Kenobi

Source: Vanity Fair (via SFFGazette.com)

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.

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42 Comments

1 2

MasterMix - 9/25/2022, 5:03 PM

Could've used that technology when they did Rogue One. I love James Earl Jones, but you could hear the age in Vader's voice.

GeneralZod - 9/25/2022, 11:58 PM

@MasterMix - Yeah, he sounded kinda frail in R1. Not that deep booming voice we are accustomed to.

Origame - 9/25/2022, 5:05 PM

That didn't stop kenobi from claiming it was actually James earl Jones in the series of course.

HeavyMetal4Life - 9/25/2022, 6:07 PM

@Origame - you seem to know a lot about who did or didn't know that Jones had retired.

Origame - 9/25/2022, 6:13 PM

@HeavyMetal4Life - ...what are you talking about? I'm saying the kenobi series credited James earl Jones in the series despite him not actually voicing him in the show.

HeavyMetal4Life - 9/25/2022, 6:22 PM

@Origame - maybe Jones didn't want anyone to know until after the show had come out? I'm sure most of the people involved with the show had no idea either. Instead you make it seem like the show lied to us in some nefarious manner. Jones was rightfully credited with Obi-wan because he was involved with that voice. Case closed- now that was simple.

rkshuttleworth - 9/25/2022, 6:25 PM

@Origame - Well, it stlll is his voice.

Origame - 9/25/2022, 6:34 PM

@HeavyMetal4Life - I mean, they have lied to us. Like how this show was gonna add new context for the original trilogy when all it did was give bs remarks to justify its existence in canon.

Origame - 9/25/2022, 6:35 PM

@rkshuttleworth - I mean, yes and no. Yes in that the respeecher tech did use archived voice recordings, but no in that he never recorded any lines that were actually used on the show.

HeavyMetal4Life - 9/25/2022, 6:37 PM

@Origame - ahh, you're part of the toxic Star Wars fandom. Ok, nuff said then; I should have known better.

Origame - 9/25/2022, 6:57 PM

@HeavyMetal4Life - ...what part of that was in anyway toxic?

DarthVegas - 9/25/2022, 7:31 PM

@Origame - What they said was true....from a certain point of view.

Bucnastydathird - 9/25/2022, 7:47 PM

@HeavyMetal4Life - yea I saw that when he started talking out his neck about voice crediting 😂

JustBrootal - 9/25/2022, 8:13 PM

@Origame - Lmaoo dude jumped on you quick for being toxic but that was the most untoxic comic related to anything Star Wars. He must be upset.

Origame - 9/25/2022, 8:42 PM

@DarthVegas - thanks obi wan.

Origame - 9/25/2022, 8:45 PM

@JustBrootal - ikr?

AmazingFILMporg - 9/25/2022, 5:12 PM

A.I. has taken over. Even my comments are A.I. now😐

marvel72 - 9/25/2022, 5:14 PM

One of the most iconic sounding voices in cinema,a f*ckin legend.

Thank you Mr.Jones.

CorndogBurglar - 9/25/2022, 5:21 PM

I wonder if he gets royalties every time they use it?

HagridsHole1 - 9/25/2022, 5:24 PM

You could hear the age in Vaders voice in Rogue One, but I didn’t let it bother me at all because it was him coming back as the character and it was still incredible and filled me with amazement. Most of his dialogue in Obi Wan is near pitch perfect, with a few lines aside (You we’re warned etc)

I often thought the biggest stumbling block for a Vader series would be getting him back to do the voice, but with this ? And with his blessing no less…

dancingmonkey08 - 9/25/2022, 5:25 PM

And so it begins to take over, there will be no actors 100 years from now haha they can bring dead actors back, replicate voices and technology has just gotten more amazing and slightly scarier

GhostDog - 9/25/2022, 5:46 PM

Legends deserves to step away and rest.

ledis7 - 9/25/2022, 5:55 PM

The title is misleading. It's like you mean he stepped down because A.I. was used instead of his voice. In reality we see that he even cooperated with them and advised them and steps down because he's 90+ years old etc. But then again it's Josh Wilding so it makes sense...

HeavyMetal4Life - 9/25/2022, 6:06 PM

I think Josh specifically left out what I would say is a key part about Jones' involvement in the Obi-wan series. It was clearly stated that Jones helped guide the AI crew and provided input where necessary, with his role being likened to that of a "godfather" :

"When he ultimately presented Jones with Respeecher’s work, the actor signed off on using his archival voice recordings to keep Vader alive and vital even by artificial means—appropriate, perhaps, for a character who is half mechanical. Jones is credited for guiding the performance on Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Wood describes his contribution as “a benevolent godfather.” They inform the actor about their plans for Vader and heed his advice on how to stay on the right course."

Instead, that key part was reduced to "He is said to have provided some input" in this article, making it seem like he had pretty little to do with the show.

Drace24 - 9/25/2022, 6:13 PM

@bkmeijer1 - I think this is a special case cuz Vader's voice is already mechanical and artificial.

bkmeijer1 - 9/25/2022, 6:18 PM

@Drace24 - yeah true. In general though, I'm just not yet sold on the idea

bkmeijer1 - 9/25/2022, 6:13 PM

I think AI voices are a good thing for stuff like background chatter, but I'm not a fan of replacing (voice) actors with AI or deep learning tech. But I do get it why they and JEJ are going with it.

There will always be (voice) actors who can do the job just as well though. Like Scott Lawrence in this case.

Drace24 - 9/25/2022, 6:16 PM

So, from now on Darth Vader will be voiced by Skynet.

TyrantBossMedia - 9/25/2022, 7:37 PM

I called this years ago but with actor’s images. They will sign contracts that allows you to use their images and recreate them with CGI and their families will get paid royalties for decades after they pass.

kazuma - 9/25/2022, 7:53 PM

Or you could just recast. Is this what Star Wars is going to be? Just CGI humans and AI voices? Vader has been voiced by dozens of actors. This is a slap in the face to voice actors around the world.

TyrantBossMedia - 9/25/2022, 11:08 PM

@kazuma - A slap in the face?

Jones is the original.

grif - 9/25/2022, 8:23 PM

kenobi is a shit show

FishyZombie - 9/25/2022, 8:27 PM

So now Vader had truly become more machine than man...

GeneralZod - 9/25/2022, 11:55 PM

@FishyZombie -

FinnishDude - 9/25/2022, 11:07 PM

Why recasting and using impersonators has become such a taboo in Star Wars? I think most people would rather have a voice that's little off, but has an actual performance with it than other way around.

1 2

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...

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