James Earl Jones

An A.I. voice was used on 'Obi-Wan Kenobi.'

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. You’d swear that’s the young James Earl Jones talking. The 91-year-old Jones had quietly “stepped back” from the role, and allowed Lucasfilm to create his dialogue using archival recordings and A.I. [Vanity Fair](https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/09/darth-vaders-voice-emanated-from-war-torn-ukraine) explains the difference. Jones is now 91 years old, and in recent years, his Vader performances, most notably in the [Star Wars](https://screencrush.com/tags/star-wars/) prequel Rogue One, sounded a little different. [Obi-Wan Kenobi](https://screencrush.com/tags/obi-wan-kenobi/) premiered earlier this year on [Disney+](https://screencrush.com/tags/disney-plus/), some viewers noticed that Darth Vader sounded just a little different.

The actor was credited with voicing the iconic villain in "Obi-Wan Kenobi," but did not record new dialogue for the Disney+ series.

The show’s sound editor Matthew Wood described his role as that of a “benevolent godfather,” and noted that Jones was eager to see Darth Vader remain relevant for years to come. [Star Wars](https://www.indiewire.com/t/star-wars/)” universe in 1977 when he voiced Darth Vader in “Episode IV – A New Hope.” He returned as the Sith Lord in both “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Return of the Jedi” and has been a presence in every subsequent iteration of the franchise. A new story in [Vanity Fair](https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/09/darth-vaders-voice-emanated-from-war-torn-ukraine) reveals that Jones allowed the show’s producers to recreate his voice using a combination of archival footage and AI technology. While his days of playing Darth Vader are officially behind him, “Star Wars” fans can take comfort in the fact that they’ll continue to hear his voice on screen for years to come thanks to Respeecher. There are so many other stories that have been told in these other mediums.” [Obi-Wan Kenobi](https://www.indiewire.com/t/obi-wan-kenobi/),” the show’s release was accompanied by speculation about whether he actually recorded any new dialogue for the show.

James Earl Jones has moved away from playing Darth Vader, but we'll still be hearing his voice.

One of them, Ninja Theory, has since stated that it is [not replacing its voice actors](https://www.thegamer.com/ninja-theory-denies-using-ai-voice-actors/), and simply used the AI-generated voice lines as a placeholder. Admittedly, this was [met with a mixed reaction](https://www.thegamer.com/the-book-of-boba-fett-luke-skywalker-deepfake/), with many feeling that both his appearance and voice felt far too unnatural. Most recently, two game companies were criticised for apparently [using an AI company to provide voice work for their games](https://www.thegamer.com/ninja-theory-ascent-devs-ai-voice-tech/). [having created Young Luke for The Book of Boba Fett](https://www.thegamer.com/ai-company-helped-voice-obi-wan-kenobi/). According to Skywalker Sounds, Jones made the decision to retire from Star Wars during the production of The Rise of Skywalker. Speaking to the publication, tech company Respeecher confirms that it was behind Vader's voice lines in Obi-Wan, with James Earl Jones "stepping away" from the role that has defined his long career.