Film & TV NewsJames Earl Jones Turns to the Dark Side Again as Darth Vader in Obi-Wan Kenobi
The actor will voice the character, also being played by returning Hayden Christensen in the new Star Wars television show.
By
Leah Putnam
June 01, 2022
James Earl Jones
Disney+'s Obi-Wan Kenobi dropped its third episode June 1, revealing that Broadway favorite James Earl Jones has returned to voice Darth Vader for the new Star Wars series.
Set 10 years after Order 66 and the rise of the Empire, the streaming show features the returns of Ewan McGregor (The Real Thing) in the title role and Hayden Christensen physically playing the role of Darth Vader. McGregor and Christensen lasted starred opposite of each other in the Star Wars prequel trilogy with Christensen playing Anakin Skywalker prior to his transformation into the Sith Lord.
Jones originated the voice in the original trilogy beginning with Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, a role he reprised for The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, and in the sequel trilogy's The Rise of Skywalker. His voice can also be heard as Darth Vader in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and the animated 2014 television series Rebels.
Jones, McGregor, and Christensen are joined by Moses Ingram as Reva, Joel Edgerton reprising the role of Owen Lars, Rupert Friend as The Inquisitor, Kumail Nanjiani as Haja, Indira Varma as Tia, Bonnie Piesse as Beru Lars, Vivien Lyra Blair as Leia Organa, Grant Feely as Luke Skywalker, Marisé Alvarez as Nyche, and Rya Kihlstedt as La.
In addition to voicing Vader, Jones has had a long career on the stage. The actor made his Broadway debut as Edward in Sunrise at Campobello, and has won Tony Awards for The Great White Hope and Fences. Jones also received additional nominations for On Golden Pond and The Best Man. In 2017, the stage favorite was also the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Tony Award. Jones last appeared on Broadway with Cicely Tyson in a revival of D.L. Coburn’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play, The Gin Game.
Later this year, Jones will become the namesake of a Broadway theatre when the Cort changes its name.
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Celebrate Over 60 Years of James Earl Jones On Stage
Celebrate Over 60 Years of James Earl Jones On Stage
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Cicely Tyson and James Earl Jones in Jean Genet's The Blacks, at St, Mark's Playhouse in 1961.
James Earl Jones and Julienne Marie in Othello at Shakespeare in the Park, 1964
James Earl Jones and Jane Alexander in The Great White Hope at Arena Stage, 1967
James Earl Jones and Jane Alexander in The Great White Hope on Broadway, 1968
James Earl Jones in The Great White Hope on Broadway, 1968
The new trailer showcases the scale of the production design, as well as a first listen to the power ballad "Waiting on a Wish," one of the new original songs by Pasek and Paul.
Filmed in 2023, the one-night-only event featured Brian Stokes Mitchell, Audra McDonald, Peter Friedman, and more from the Ahrens and Flaherty musical's original cast.
