The deal allows filmmakers to use AI to voice Vader. He’s more machine now than man.

AI Technology Enables Star Wars Filmmakers to Keep Darth Vader’s Voice Alive

Regarding the actor James Earl Jones, only one word describes his voice. Iconic. I mean can you imagine a different voice for Darth Vadar? Of course not. And now according to a piece from mashable.com, his will be the voice you hear in Star Wars movies ad infinitum.

At 91 years old, legendary actor James Earl Jones is looking to step back from his iconic role as the voice of Darth Vader. After 45 years of playing the part, Jones has signed over the rights of the Vader voice to filmmakers hoping to use artificial intelligence to “keep Vader alive,” Deadline reported Saturday morning.

In a report from Vanity Fair, the company tasked with recreating the iconic villain is Ukrainian start-up Respeecher. The voice-cloning company has been working with Lucasfilm to generate many of the voices heard throughout the Star Wars universe like Luke Skywalker in Disney’s The Book of Boba Fett. Respeecher uses “archival recordings and a proprietary AI algorithm to create new dialogue with the voices of performers from long ago,” Vanity Fair reported.

Respeecher’s re-creation of Vader’s voice can be heard in the recently released Obi-Wan Kenobi miniseries and was a momentous accomplishment for the company, having done most of their work in the midst of the Russian invasion.

Having lent his voice to the Star War’s character back in 1977, Jones says while he is looking to retire, he is still very interested in Vader. Lucasfilm has promised to seek his advice and keep him appraised of what the next adventure for Darth Vader will be. Thank you, Mr. Jones. Hopefully, that AI will do you proud.

Credit: Theo Wargo Via Getty

read more at mashable.com