Even if you couldn’t pick James Earl Jones’ face out of a lineup, you’ll be more than familiar with his famously sonorous tones booming out of the big screen as Star Wars‘ Darth Vader and The Lion King‘s Mufasa. Voiceover work may have resulted in some of the biggest roles of his lengthy career, then, but Jones is also one of the most decorated actors of his generation.
Since getting his start in Shakespearean theater back in the 1950s, he scored an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor in 1970 and was given the honorary Lifetime Achievement award four decades later. He’s also won two Tony Awards for Best Actor, two Primetime Emmys, a Golden Globe and a Grammy, which is a trophy haul that anyone in Hollywood would be jealous of.
At 89 years old, it hardly comes as a surprise that he’s starting to wind down his output, and when he reprises the role of King Jaffe Joffer in upcoming comedy sequel Coming 2 America, it’ll mark just his sixth live-action film appearance in the last 20 years. Jones will always be remembered for Darth Vader, though, and insider Daniel Richtman now claims that due to his advancing years, Lucasfilm want to get him involved in as many future Star Wars projects as possible as soon as they can.
“Since the actor is already [almost] 90, they want to try and get him to voice Vader in as many future projects as possible,” said Richtman.
Of course, Jones is no stranger to getting into the studio’s recording booth having voiced the Sith Lord in all three Star Wars trilogies along with video game Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga, four episodes of Rebels and the infamous Holiday Special. And while the Obi-Wan Kenobi series seems like the most logical place for Darth Vader to show up next, Lucasfilm could also have something completely different in mind. Watch this space for more.
