Star Wars: Recasting the original and prequel trilogies for the 2020s

2. Keith David as Darth Vader

There are few voices in cinema as iconic as James Earl Jones, and a significant part of that legacy is his performance as the voice of Darth Vader in the original trilogy. While he’s a behemoth of cinema today, Jones had begun making his mark before Star Wars through his roles in Dr. Strangelove, The Comedians, and as the narrator of a documentary on Malcolm X.

In the years after taking on the unforgettable voice of Vader, Jones went on to score perhaps the only role that compares to his impact as Vader by voicing Mufasa in The Lion King. There are few that could take on the task of being the voice of Vader, but one who just might pull it off is legendary actor and voice actor Keith David.

While well-known for his roles in Platoon, The Thing, They Live, Armageddon, Dead Presidents, and Barbershop, Keith David is also a prolific voice actor having narrated Ken Burns’ The War and voice the Arbiter in Halo, Goliath in Gargoyles, Spawn in Todd McFarlane’s Spawn, and several other notable gaming and television voice roles.

No one can truly recreate the bellowing power of Darth Vader like James Earl Jones did, but Keith David might be the best choice to give it a legitimate attempt.