Tag: darth
Fortnite will finally let Darth Vader kill Anakin Skywalker
Honestly? Good for him!
Synology’s Darth Vader-like router taught me how to control my home network
No Man’s Sky Fractal Update Lets You Be Darth Vader | GameSpot News
Darth Vader, the problematic fanzine fave of 1977
Fandom latched onto Vader back when he was just ‘Darth’
Darth Vader Gets Another Villainous Star Wars Anthology Comic
Darth Vader’s had his run of solo comic books over the years from a variety of creators. Some of them have been pretty good, some of them have been strange, but they’ve all gone a ways into showing what makes the drama queen formerly known as Anakin Skywalker utterly compelling after his fall. Vader’s cut a mean,…
Darth Vader to Glimpse the Future of the Star Wars Universe in Star Wars: Revelations #1
James Earl Is Reportedly Retiring From Voicing Darth Vader – CNET
AI is taking over the iconic voice of Darth Vader, with the blessing of James Earl Jones
From the cringe-inducing Jar Jar Binks to unconvincing virtual Leia and Luke, Disney’s history with CG characters is, shall we say, mixed. But that’s not stopping them from replacing one of the most recognizable voices in cinema history, Darth Vader, with an AI-powered voice replica based on James Earl Jones. The retirement of Jones, now […]
AI is taking over the iconic voice of Darth Vader, with the blessing of James Earl Jones by Devin Coldewey originally published on TechCrunch
An AI program voiced Darth Vader in ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ so James Earl Jones could finally retire
After 45 years of voicing one of the most iconic characters in cinema history, James Earl Jones has said goodbye to Darth Vader. At 91, the legendary actor recently told Disney he was “looking into winding down this particular character.” That forced the company to ask itself how do you even replace Jones? The answer Disney eventually settled on, with the actor’s consent, involved an AI program.
If you’ve seen any of the recent Star Wars shows, you’ve heard the work of Respeecher. It’s a Ukrainian startup that uses archival recordings and a “proprietary AI algorithm” to create new dialogue featuring the voices of “performers from long ago.” In the case of Jones, the company worked with Lucasfilm to recreate his voice as it had sounded when film audiences first heard Darth Vader in 1977.
According to Vanity Fair, Jones had signed off on Disney using recordings of his voice and Respeecher’s software to “keep Vader alive.” Lucasfilm veteran Matthew Wood told the outlet that James guided the Sith Lord’s performance in Obi-Wan Kenobi, acting as “a benevolent godfather,” but it was ultimately the AI that gave Vader his voice in many of the scenes.
While there’s something to be said about preserving Vader’s voice, Disney’s decision to use an AI to do so is likely to add fuel to disagreements over how such technology should be used in creative fields. For instance, Getty Images recently banned AI-generated art over copyright concerns. With Jones, there’s the possibility we could hear him voice Vader long after he passes away.