The voice of Alain Dorval, historic voice actor of “Sly”, was recreated by artificial intelligence for the film “Armor”. An unconvincing result, which sparked a strong reaction from Minister Aurore Bergé, daughter of the French actor who died in 2024.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – DECEMBER 3: Actor and director Sylvester Stallone attends the official grand opening of the “Rocky Shop” as the city of Philadelphia declares December 3 as “Rocky Day.”
(Photo de Gilbert Carrasquillo/GC Images)
On Arthur Barbarese
Published on January 11, 2025 at 3:54 p.m.
Updated January 11, 2025 at 4:06 p.m.
Uis « desecration “, a ” shame », « ethically foul “… With the announcement of the upcoming release ofArmoran action film by Justin Routt where Sylvester Stallone is entirely dubbed in French by an artificial intelligence, Internet users took out their boxing gloves. The project? Recreate the voice of dubbing actor Alain Dorval, historic voice of “Sly”, who died in 2024, using technology from ElevenLab, a startup specializing in AI dubbing. “Recreating Alain Dorval’s voice is an opportunity to show how technology can honor tradition while creating new possibilities in film production. »assures the company’s CEO, Mati Staniszewski.
The unconvincing trailer, where we can hear a robotic result, aroused the ire of dubbing fans. An indignation all the more intense since this whole enterprise was initially carried out with the agreement of Aurore Bergé, daughter of Alain Dorval and current Minister Delegate in charge of Equality between women and men. Faced with the excitement on social networks, the latter explains in a press release that it has given its agreement for a trial, “only a test, an agreement strictly guaranteeing that my mother and I would be in final validation before any use / publication. And that nothing could be done without our agreement. »
The announcement by EvenLab on X, Friday evening January 10, of the release of the film, as well as Aurore Bergé’s response, have since been deleted. We could read the minister’s distancing from the start-up: “I discover… on X that this commitment is not respected. I have never validated such a broadcast. And my father would never have validated it as it was”. The subject is all the more sensitive since dubbing actors fear being replaced in the long term by increasingly efficient technology – the question of the supervision of AI was thus at the heart of the historic strike of actors and screenwriters in Hollywood in spring and summer 2023.
Armor was released in the United States on November 22, 2024. It should arrive in France on Amazon Prime in 2025. With what voice, finally, for Sylvester Stallone? Remember that the late Alain Dorval was not the only voice actor for the Rocky and Rambo performer. If the result with AI still leaves something to be desired, why not offer the living and very human Richard Darbois, who was the voice of “Sly” for Copland (1997), to succeed him?
