Acting icon James Earl Jones passed away last year, but his voice is being resurrected for a video game. Walt Disney Co. and Epic Games have partnered to bring Jones’ voice back as the legendary Darth Vader for “Fortnite.” As of May 16th, players can recruit and chat with the “Star Wars” villain in-game.
Jones’ voice is recreated Google’s Gemini 2.0 Flash model, with audio by ElevenLabs’ Flash v2.5 model.
“James Earl felt that the voice of Darth Vader was inseparable from the story of Star Wars, and he always wanted fans of all ages to continue to experience it,” Jones’ family writes in a statement. “We hope that this collaboration with Fortnite will allow both longtime fans of Darth Vader and newer generations to share in the enjoyment of this iconic character.”
Given the family’s approval, some liken this to using stand-ins for voice roles when the actor was still with us. However, we have to remind everyone that ethical issues with AI also reside in the way it is trained. Not to mention the often joked about premise of never letting popular actors truly retire, even when they’ve died.
“Epic Games and Disney have worked together to thoughtfully develop this innovative feature with a strong focus on transparency, consent, and safety — ensuring that creators, Disney IP, and players are protected in interactive experiences,” Disney and Epic said in the announcement.
“Fortnite” Safe Guards
Another potential issue with AI here is the way it learns. There are countless stories about AI characters being put online only to begin spewing incorrect or offensive content within hours. To combat that issue, Epic says that players under 13 or their country’s age of digital consent, whichever is higher, need permission to talk with Vader. There will also be the option to report anything he says in-game.
While players’ voices will be sent to Gemini to generate appropriate responses. Epic assures users that their voices will not be stored or used to train AI models.
“James Earl Jones’ legendary vocal performance is a defining element of what makes Darth Vader one of the most iconic characters in cinematic history,” says Sean Shoptaw, executive vice president of Disney Games and Digital Entertainment. “Disney, Lucasfilm, and Epic Games are honored to bring his voice to Fortnite for millions of players to experience — showcasing how we responsibly embrace emerging technologies to expand storytelling while keeping people at the heart of the creative process.”
“We just launched the most expansive Star Wars collaboration Epic and Disney have ever done, and we are excited to introduce a new and immersive way for players to interact with a legendary Star Wars character,” adds Adam Sussman, president of Epic Games. “Now players have a chance to chat in real time with Darth Vader in Fortnite, one of the most memorable characters in cinematic history.”
SAG-AFTRA’s statement and unfair labor charge against Llama Productions:
“We celebrate the right of our members and their estates to control the use of their digital replicas and welcome the use of new technologies to allow new generations to share in the enjoyment of those legacies and renowned roles. However, we must protect our right to bargain terms and conditions around uses of voice that replace the work of our members, including those who previously did the work of matching Darth Vader’s iconic rhythm and tone in video games.
Fortnite’s signatory company, Llama Productions, chose to replace the work of human performers with A.I. technology. Unfortunately, they did so without providing any notice of their intent to do this and without bargaining with us over appropriate terms. As such, we have filed an unfair labor practice charge with the NLRB against Llama Productions. A copy of the filing can be read HERE.”
