If anyone could make the Dark Side sound good, it was James Earl Jones. The actor, who died Monday at the age of 93, provided the voice for Darth Vader in more than a dozen Star Wars properties, from A New Hope to Star Tours. He made the Force sound ominous in a way that made it appealing. With his passing, it feels as though all the power and gravitas and respect he brought to the character is gone. A few years ago, when Jones provided a few lines of dialog as Vader for The Rise of Skywalker, he'd expressed interest in wrapping up his time as the Sith Lord, according to Vanity Fair.

With the advent of the ability of artificial intelligence ("AI") to alter an individual's voice and image (whether in deepfakes or expressly fictional works), it is critical to determine who – if anyone – owns the right to do so, particularly when the voice or image is clearly identified with a fictional character from an existing film. This issue is highlighted by the recent license by James Earl Jones (the voice of Darth Vader) of his voice to an AI company. While articles state that the license of his voice was for use by Disney (the owner of the Star Wars franchise), the transaction raises the following questions: (a) could anyone use his voice without permission and (b) could James Earl Jones have licensed his voice to third parties for use in other films, particularly if used in the distinctive manner of Darth Vader? This article will refer to the individual whose voice or image is at issue as the "Individual," the licensee of AI rights as the "AI Licensee," the new AI work incorporating the voice or image as the "AI Work," and any prior work that the voice or image is taken from, or resembles elements of, as the "Prior Work." Let's first deal with the right of publicity.

"Luke, I am your father" are five of the most famous words ever spoken on screen. When Darth Vader shattered Luke Skywalker's world in "The Empire Strikes Back," he sent shivers down the spines of audiences everywhere--in large part because of actor James Earl Jones' famous baritone. Now, Jones, 91, has announced he is hanging up the mask and retiring as the voice of one of the most infamous cinematic villains. But don't despair: Although Jones will no longer record new lines for Star Wars projects, the character--and Jones' voice--will live on thanks to artificial intelligence. As first reported by Vanity Fair, Respeecher, a Ukrainian voice synthesis company, will use a combination of archival recordings, voice acting and AI technology to continue bringing Darth Vader to the screen.

Although James Earl Jones has stepped away from his most iconic role, the legendary "Star Wars" actor's incredible baritone lives on, thanks to a Ukrainian artificial intelligence startup. First reported by Vanity Fair, the 91-year-old actor worked with the Ukrainian firm Respeecher to recreate Vader's instantly recognizable voice for the franchise's recent "Obi-Wan Kenobi" series -- and it was actually the second time Lucasfilm had worked with the company. Using archival soundbites, Respeecher "cloned" both Jones' voice for "Obi-Wan Kenobi" and the younger version of Mark Hamill's early Luke Skywalker for "The Mandalorian" and "The Book of Boba Fett," the report notes. Per those who worked on the Disney series, Earl Jones still provides guidance on the depiction of his infamous character. He has retired as the voice of Darth Vader so here is a young James Earl Jones reciting the alphabet and it's pretty much Oscar worthy.

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.