Darth Vader's survival due to James Earl Jones' AI decision sparks concerns among actors.

In the original "Star Wars" trilogy, one of the most renowned and cherished performances was given by the late James Earl Jones as the character of Darth Vader.

Through artificial intelligence, the signature voice and performance of Jones, who died Monday at the age of 93, can now live on in the franchise.

In 2022, Jones transferred the rights to his voice as Darth Vader to Lucasfilm and Ukrainian startup Respeecher, as reported by Vanity Fair.

In 2019's "The Rise of Skywalker," Matthew Wood, a sound editor with the company, revealed that after recording a brief line of dialogue, Jones had expressed interest in retiring from that specific character.

Jones was informed about Respeecher's work and agreed to use archival recordings of his voice, while also being kept updated on plans for the character and providing advice on maintaining consistency with his past work, as stated by Wood.

In 2022, Darth Vader made an appearance in the Disney+ series "Obi-Wan Kenobi" after Jones retired, while Mark Hamill's voice was "de-aged" by Respeecher for an appearance in "The Mandalorian" on the same platform.

"He had mentioned he was looking into winding down this particular character." — Sound editor Matthew Wood on James Earl Jones

No representatives from Lucasfilm, Respeecher, or the Jones estate immediately responded to requests for comment.

The signing of Jones' voice rights for Darth Vader has sparked worries among actors due to the recent strikes involving AI replacing actors and the ongoing video game performers' strike.

Zeke Alton, a voice actor and member of SAG-AFTRA's interactive media agreement negotiating committee, stated that if game and movie companies provided compensation transparency and consent to every actor they hired, James Earl Jones, the strike would not have occurred.

"Their ability to do it is proven, but they choose not to for those they believe lack bargaining power."

While other voice actors worry about losing work due to voice matching technology, Crispin Freeman, who has worked on matching Orlando Bloom's voice in "Pirates of the Caribbean," believes that the technology does not harm the ability of future artists to create new roles.

Another performer's recreation is being challenged by the "Star Wars" franchise in a potential legal battle.

Lunak Heavy Industries (U.K.) and Lucasfilm are being sued by the filmmakers behind 2016's "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" for the AI replication of the late Peter Cushing in the prequel film.

In "Rogue One," the likeness of actor Alec Guinness, who played Grand Moff Tarkin in the original "Star Wars" film, was used, thanks to special effects and British actor Guy Henry serving as a body double.

Cushing's friend, Kevin Francis, is suing the filmmakers through his company, alleging that the late actor did not give permission for anyone to recreate his image without his approval. Additionally, he is bringing claims against the executors of Cushing's estate, who have also passed away, and his previous representation.

In 1993, Cushing granted Francis permission to use his likeness, as reported by the outlet.

The High Court affirmed a prior decision rejecting Lucasfilm and Lunak Heavy Industries' request to dismiss the lawsuit.

Planet Chronicle Digital did not receive an immediate response from representatives for Francis and Lucasfilm.

The portrayal of Cushing in "Rogue One" marked the beginning of contentious depictions of deceased actors in movies.

In the film "Alien: Romulus," director Fede Alvarez defended the use of Ian Holm's likeness, which was recreated through AI.

"He stated to the Los Angeles Times that our goal was not to replicate that individual's acting talent, as it is impossible to do so, but rather to portray a different character. The only similarity between the two is their physical appearance."

Alvarez contacted Sophie de Stempel, Holm's widow, to request her feedback and approval.

We ensured that all actions were carried out with utmost respect and with the approval of his family, children, and widow, who expressed their desire to see his image again, as stated.

As the Cushing lawsuit continues in the U.K., new legislation in California that addresses the likenesses of actors, both living and deceased, is expected to reach Gov. Gavin Newsom's desk shortly.

The SAG-AFTRA representative explains why the devastating Hollywood strikes last year were necessary.

In August, the state Senate passed two bills: AB 1836, which prohibits the use of AI to create digital replicas of deceased performers without the consent of their estates, and AB 2602, which raises the consent requirements for living performers for AI replicas.

The union, SAG-AFTRA, has made both of these bills a legislative priority for its membership and beyond, with the aim of making explicit consent mandatory in California. The actor’s guild stated that it looks forward to these bills being signed by Governor Gavin Newsom.

The No Fakes Act, recently reintroduced in Congress, has also gained the support of the union.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.