James Earl Jones Signed Rights for AI To Recreate His Voice
Throughout his 60-year career, James Earl Jones’ voice became one of his most famous qualities as an actor. Jones, who passed away on Monday at age 93, played a shy writer drawn back into the public eye in Field of Dreams and a proud king in Coming to America. On stage, he won two Tony Awards for his roles in The Great White Hope and Fences. His voice acting, from the royal Mufasa in The Lion King to the deep, threatening Darth Vader in Star Wars, made him a legend for many fans.
After his death, another part of Jones’ career came to light: he had allowed artificial intelligence (AI) to recreate his Darth Vader voice after he stopped playing the character. Skywalker Sound and the Ukrainian company Respeecher used AI to bring back Jones’ villain voice in the 2022 show Obi-Wan Kenobi on Disney+. Respeecher also used AI to make Mark Hamill’s voice sound younger for his role as Luke Skywalker in The Mandalorian.
Many voice actors are worried that AI could take away job opportunities, as the technology could copy their voices for other roles without permission. This fear led video game actors from the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) to go on strike in late July. The strike was their second in ten years, following over 18 months of failed talks with video game companies about protecting performers from AI. The union says they’re not against AI but are concerned it could be used to replace them.
Concerns over AI also played a role in last year’s film and TV industry strikes, which lasted four months.
This worry actually took center stage in the sixth season of Black Mirror in the episode “Joan Is Awful.” In it, Salma Hayek hilariously faces the shock of discovering that a production company is using her AI likeness without her even knowing.
The Legacy of James Earl Jones
BET will honor the legendary James Earl Jones with a special Entertainment Tonight program, “BET & ET PRESENT JAMES EARL JONES: LIFE AND LEGACY,” airing Thursday, September 12 at 8 p.m. ET/PT. The tribute will include rare footage and interviews with the award-winning actor throughout his career. The special will be available to stream on BET+ starting Friday, September 13, with encore showings on Sunday, September 15, at noon ET/PT. Following the tribute, “Coming to America” will air Sunday at 1 p.m. ET and again at 11 p.m.
