Star Wars’ Most Iconic Actor Returns
The most iconic actor in all of Star Wars has returned for Obi-Wan Kenobi and a chill just ran down our collective spines.
This article is more than 2 years old
James Earl Jones has returned to Star Wars. In a year of exciting news for Star Wars fans, the return of the iconic voice of Darth Vader is one of the biggest. Perhaps the only true rival to the news that Jones is once again voicing the armored and evil version of Anakin Skywalker has been the return of Ewan McGregor as his mentor and enemy Obi-Wan Kenobi. Fittingly, Jones is back as Darth Vader for the third episode of the hit new Disney+ Star Wars series, Obi-Wan Kenobi. The first two episodes of the series were dropped on streaming last Friday, but this is the first time we have actually heard the voice of Vader in the new series.
While there have been many actors who have worn the life-support armor of Darth Vader (sorry, David Prowse), James Earl Jones is the unquestioned definitive voice of the Sith Lord. He most recently voiced the character in 2019’s Rise of Skywalker in a brief vocal cameo; he also voiced Vader for Rogue One in 2016 and for five episodes of the animated Star Wars: Rebels series. However, there was absolutely no mistaking the voice of James Earl Jones in the opening scenes of the newest episode of Obi-Wan Kenobi, which is sure to send a thrill down any Star Wars fan’s back.
Prior to the third episode, there was no announced confirmation that James Earl Jones would (vocally) appear in the series. The actor is 91 years old and while he is still appearing in live-action films (most recently reprising his role as Eddie Murphy’s father in the Coming 2 America sequel), it would not be that surprising if Lucasfilm had some plan to recast the voice of Darth Vader on a more permanent basis. Happily, James Earl Jones sounded as intimidatingly baritone and flinty as he ever has while cutting short Imperial underlings for their ambition.
The return of James Earl Jones as the voice of Darth Vader also marks a reunion of sorts, as Hayden Christensen has returned to the physical role for the first time in decades. Christensen portrayed Anakin Skywalker in the prequels Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith; while he did not receive the brunt of fan complaints as Jake Lloyd reportedly did, he seems to have stepped away from acting for some years.
Unlike James Earl Jones, however, Hayden Christensen was widely publicized as having returned to the Star Wars franchise. Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen shared some of the most screen time in the prequel episodes, and the excitement of having the two of them come face to face in Obi-Wan Kenobi has been one of the driving forces of anticipation for the series. It is sadly possible that this may be the last time we get to hear the legendary James Earl Jones as the voice of one of the most iconic villains in all of pop culture, so we should savor it while we can.
