AI recreates late dubbing artist’s voice for Stallone
LONDON

The daughter of a deceased actor who provided the voice of Sylvester Stallone in French-dubbed movies for decades has criticized an AI clone of her father’s voice developed for use in the new film “Armor,” CNN has reported.
In a since-deleted post on X published Jan. 10, U.K.-based AI startup ElevenLabs said it had recreated the voice of Alain Dorval, who died in February last year. This sparked criticism from his daughter, Aurore Bergé, who is France’s minister for sexual equality.
“I agreed to a trial. Only a trial,” she commented on the company’s post, claiming that the company was not meant to use or publish Dorval’s cloned voice without the prior approval of her and her mother.
“I never approved this publication,” she wrote. “And my father would never have approved it as it is.”
ElevenLabs confirmed plans to recreate Dorval’s voice in a statement.
“For nearly five decades, Dorval’s baritone brought Stallone’s iconic characters – like Rocky Balboa and John Rambo – to life for French audiences,” it said. “Following his passing in February, plans are underway to recreate Dorval’s voice using our AI technology.”
The statement says the company is working with Dorval’s family to preserve his voice.
“We’ve agreed that if the quality bar isn’t met, the film will be released with traditional dubbing – the family retains full control and will decide if and how this AI dub is used,” ElevenLabs said.
“This marks the first time our technology is being used in a major motion picture. For us, it’s about showing how AI can support storytelling by respecting artistry and tradition,” the company added.