The sound designers behind the Emmy-nominated Disney+ limited series “Obi-Wan Kenobi” sat down with Variety for Artisans, presented by HBO to discuss blending the iconic voice of Darth Vader (voiced by James Earl Jones) with his younger incarnation Hayden Christensen.
How did they do Darth Vader's voice in Obi-Wan Kenobi?
James Earl Jones has given his approval for filmmakers to use previous voice recordings of Darth Vader in upcoming Lucasfilm projects, according to Vanity Fair. The company is using artificial intelligence synthetic speech technology to reproduce the 91-year-old's younger voice from earlier projects.
While James Earl Jones provided guidance on Darth Vader's voice in Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi, what we heard was generated by an AI. For more than 40 years, James Earl Jones has provided the voice for arguably the most iconic villain in cinema history, Darth Vader.
He was its father, but the voice of the Dark Side now belongs to other forces. James Earl Jones has given up voicing “Star Wars” villain Darth Vader after 45 years.
Matt Sloan voices the Sith Lord in both video games and television productions. Both Spencer Wilding and Daniel Naprous portray Vader in Rogue One, with Jones providing the voice. Jones also voices Vader in the Star Wars Holiday Special (1978) and the animated series Star Wars Rebels.
Is Hayden Christensen doing the voice of Darth Vader?
The sound designers behind the Emmy-nominated Disney+ limited series “Obi-Wan Kenobi” sat down with Variety for Artisans, presented by HBO to discuss blending the iconic voice of Darth Vader (voiced by James Earl Jones) with his younger incarnation Hayden Christensen.
After his battle with Obi-Wan on Mustafar, Anakin's vocal cords and lungs were scorched by lava. Due to this, Darth Vader had to wear an iron lung with tubes connected to a voice synthesizer inside his mask. Using this technology, Darth Vader could speak with a deep, synthetic voice.
Darth Vader was portrayed in costume by David Prowse in the film trilogy, with Jones dubbing Vader's dialogue in postproduction because Prowse's strong West Country accent was deemed unsuitable for the role by director George Lucas.
David Charles Prowse MBE (1 July 1935 – 28 November 2020) was an English actor, bodybuilder, strongman and weightlifter. He portrayed Darth Vader (voiced by American actor James Earl Jones) in the original Star Wars trilogy and a manservant in Stanley Kubrick's 1971 film A Clockwork Orange.
According to Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy, Christensen wasn't considered for the Rogue One role because "that was just such a specific action sequence." Rogue One instead used stunt performer Daniel Naprous and actor Spencer Wilding to portray the Sith Lord.
Anakin Skywalker's birth mystery is solved - his mother, Shmi Skywalker, reveals that there was no father and she can't explain what happened. Qui-Gon Jinn believed that the Force itself created Anakin in Shmi's womb, making him the Chosen One who would bring balance to the Force.
In May 2022, Christensen reprised his role of Anakin Skywalker / Darth Vader for the Obi-Wan Kenobi limited series on Disney+. His portrayal earned positive reviews from critics, noting a huge improvement from his performance in the prequel trilogy.
Christensen made his big return to the dark side as Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader in Obi-Wan Kenobi last year, before reprising the role once again for this year's Ahsoka series. While the actor currently doesn't have any additional Star Wars projects on the horizon, he has said that he "would love to do more".
Star Wars: James Earl Jones to step back from Darth Vader role - but Ukrainian AI means his voice will live on. Star Wars villain Darth Vader is voiced by actor James Earl Jones, but now his famous tones will be recreated through the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and archived recordings.
James Earl Jones is a legendary voice actor with a deep and commanding voice. When he was first approached to provide the voice of Darth Vader, he was hesitant because he felt that his voice was too “nice” for such a menacing character.
James Earl Jones (born January 17, 1931, Arkabutla, Mississippi, U.S.) is an American actor who used his deep resonant voice to great effect in stage, film, and television roles.
