The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists has officially launched a lawsuit alleging unfair labor charges towards popular video game developers, Llama Productions.
Llama, who are perhaps best known for their work on the hit gaming franchise Fortnite, has recently featured an A.I. recreation of James Earl Jones’ immortal Star Wars villain, Darth Vader, in their latest expansion. The A.I.-generated recreation of Jones’ voice was added to Fortnite with the express permission of the actor’s estate.
According to SAG-AFTRA’s charges, however, Llama Productions had failed to notify the actors’ union of the A.I.-powered performance without proper notice, as reported by AP News.
In a written statement from the organization, SAG-AFRTA cited their particular issues with Llama’s recreation of Jones’ iconic villain, including the fact that the A.I.-generated performance takes potential work away from a willing voice actor.
“We celebrate the right of our members and their estates to control the use of their digital replicas and welcome the use of new technologies to allow new generations to share in the enjoyment of those legacies and renowned roles,” the statement reads. “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.”
Jones — who passed away last September at the age of 93 — remains one of the key prominent actors who gave formal permission to prospective studios (such as Disney) to use A.I.-backed recreations of his voice in any future media. In SAG-AFTRA’s eyes, however, this decision could hamper the potential for working actors hoping to play the role of Jones’ most notable characters, potentially upending the larger entertainment industry as a result.
“Fortnite‘s signatory company, Llama Productions, chose to replace the work of human performers with A.I. technology,” the organization wrote. “Unfortunately, they did so without providing any notice of their intent to do this and without bargaining with us over appropriate terms. As such, we have filed an unfair labor practice charge with the NLRB against Llama Production.”
