A partnership between licensing startup Lumiere Ventures and AI dubbing startup ElevenLabs is targeting the international cinema market, starting with Sylvester Stallone-starring action film “Armor,” which is set to premiere on Amazon France in March.
For nearly 50 years, Alain Dorval has been the French voice of Stallone in dubbed movies. Following Droval’s passing in 2024, his voice will be recreated for the first time using ElevenLabs’ AI technology.
According to the announcement, Lumiere Ventures received the support of Dorval’s family for this project. “We wanted to do something that honors my father’s craft and legacy,” said Dorval’s daughter, Aurore Bergé, in a released statement. “There is a main difference between artificially creating a new voice – and my dad was strongly opposed to that – and bringing back to life an actor whose voice is deeply anchored in our collective imagination.”
ElevenLabs’ tech currently supports 32 languages and is create for use in various industries including entertainment. “AI doesn’t replace the magic of human creativity—it opens new doors for it,” asserted CEO Mati Staniszewski. “Recreating Alain Dorval’s voice is a chance to show how technology can honor tradition while creating new possibilities in film production.”
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Added Lumiere Ventures co-founder Xavier Collins, “This project reflects how dubbing can evolve. AI allows us to deliver consistent, localized versions of films while respecting the legacy of voice actors who make these stories so memorable.”
Lionsgate released “Armor” last November in the domestic market.