This is information hidden within a fascinating
Vanity Fair
article on the contribution of Ukrainian sound engineers and computer scientists who worked hard, despite the Russian invasion of Ukraine, to the development of the Obi-Wan Kenobi series on Disney+.
The voice of iconic Star Wars villain Darth Vader is now generated by artificial intelligence software.
Read alsoEwan McGregor: "
I never imagined playing Obi-Wan again
"
Its original voice actor, baritone James Earl Jones, wanted to retire from the role he held for four decades.
The comedian has licensed Star Wars franchise owner LucasFilm to recreate his voice using sound archives.
At 91, the voice of the actor has changed a lot.
With this blank check, Disney, who bought the rights to the saga, will be able to make his young man's intonations resonate again.
10,000 sound files
The entertainment giant has entrusted this task to the Ukrainian company Respeecher which uses artificial intelligence to generate new conversations based on old recordings.
Respeecher previously worked on the previous
Star Wars series The Book of Bobba Feet
to resurrect the voice of young Luke Skywalker.
It was this tour de force that convinced James Earl Jones to place his trust in Respeecher.
Read alsoIs Disney killing
Star Wars
?
Disney passed on the lines and plot outlines to the comedian who offered advice for the most absolute verisimilitude.
To recreate the 50 lines of dialogue that Darth Vader has in the six episodes of Obi-Wan Kenobi, more than 10,000 sound files were exchanged between production and Respeecher.
Despite the war, the company insured all of LucasFilm's claims refusing to be discharged.
The team continues its activity and ensures to work on several projects, still confidential.