James Earl Jones has signed over the voice rights of Darth Vader to Lucasfilm and Respeecher, according to Vanity Fair. Through new technology, his voice can be used for new recordings in future projects.

Respeecher is a Ukrainian company that uses an AI program and archival recordings to create new dialogue for voice actors who may have died or are older than the part. Star Wars has already used the technology to recreate Vader’s voice for Obi-Wan Kenobi and young Mark Hamill’s voice for Luke Skywalker in The Book of Boba Fett.

Jones’ deep, authoritative voice has been synonymous with Darth Vader for 45 years. David Prowse played Vader on set in 1977’s Star Wars: A New Hope, and George Lucas hired Jones to provide the villain’s voice during the post-production process. He returned for The Empire Strikes Back in 1980 and for Return of the Jedi in ’83, and since then, Jones has voiced Vader for multiple Star Wars projects.

Because Star Wars films and TV series cover thousands of years, characters who starred in earlier projects often return for new ones. This technology brings a sense of realism to the roles; however it has been met with mixed receptions from fans. For Rogue One, CGI technology was used to recreate Grand Moff Tarkin, but actor Peter Cushing wasn’t alive to give his permission to use his likeness. By signing over the rights to his voice as Vader, Jones is giving his consent for recordings that can be used after his passing.

Jones must recently voiced Darth Vader in The Rise of Skywalker. He has also reprised other popular characters in recent years, including the voice of Mufasa for the 2019 remake of The Lion King and King Jaffe Joffer in Coming 2 America.