Darth Vader Speaks Again in Fortnite—with a Little Help from AI

The Dark Side of AI

Fortnite has once again pushed the boundaries of digital pop culture by reviving one of cinema’s most iconic voices—James Earl Jones’ Darth Vader—using artificial intelligence. In Epic Games’ latest Star Wars crossover event, the voice of Darth Vader appears in new dialogue powered by Respeecher, an AI voice cloning technology. This isn’t Jones in the recording booth; instead, it’s his younger voice convincingly reconstructed using machine learning models trained on archival audio. While Jones retired from the role in 2022, his unmistakable vocal signature now lives on digitally, with the 93-year-old actor reportedly granting Disney and Lucasfilm permission to use AI to recreate his voice going forward.

Legacy Lives On, Virtually

This virtual resurrection is part of Fortnite’s broader immersive Star Wars event, which includes character skins, story elements, and gameplay enhancements tied into the franchise. But Vader’s return holds unique cultural weight—not just a nostalgic thrill for fans, but a high-profile display of AI’s growing role in entertainment. It marks one of the most notable uses of synthetic voice tech in mainstream gaming, raising both excitement and broader industry questions about the ethics and future potential of digitally recreating iconic performances. In Fortnite’s hands, the Force is strong—backed this time by algorithms and archived recordings.