In a case that feels straight out of sci-fi satire, the voice of Darth Vader has landed at the centre of a real-world legal battle involving AI, actors’ rights, and one of the most iconic villains in cinematic history.
The Hollywood actors’ union, Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists or the SAG-AFTRA, has filed an unfair labour practice charge against Llama Productions, a subsidiary of Epic Games, after the company allegedly used AI to replicate Darth Vader’s voice in the popular online game Fortnite, without notifying the union or the original performers.
What’s happening?
Fortnite recently added a fully voiced Darth Vader character to the game. But this version doesn’t rely on the familiar timbre shaped by years of actors’ performances. Instead, it uses conversational AI, allowing players to interact with the Sith Lord in real time. Once recruited to a team, Vader can answer player questions about the Force, the Galactic Empire, or even in-game tactics.
The move, however, has stirred up more than just excitement among fans. According to SAG-AFTRA, the company made unilateral changes to the terms and conditions of employment “without providing notice to the union or the opportunity to bargain” by using AI-generated voices to replace bargaining unit work. Citing unauthorised use of AI-generated voices in place of union members’ performances, the union stated that they “failed and refused to bargain in good faith with the union”.
SAG-AFTRA insists that studios and game developers cannot sidestep negotiated contracts by generating digital replicas without explicit agreements: “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,” the union said.
This dispute comes amid an ongoing strike against major gaming companies, which began in July 2024 after more than a year of negotiations stalled, largely over the unregulated use of AI in games and interactive media. Epic Games, which owns Fortnite, has yet to publicly respond to the filing.
James Earl Jones, who passed away in January 2024, was renowned for his portrayal of iconic characters, such as the voice of Mufasa in The Lion King (1994)and Darth Vader in the Star Wars franchise.
