Image: Bungie
Keith David will replace the late Lance Reddick for the game's next expansion and beyond.
Bungie has laid out its plans for the future of Commander Zavala in Destiny 2, following the passing of voice actor Lance Reddick earlier this year. Instead of writing the character out of the game, Bungie has recast the role with renowned actor Keith David stepping in to portray Zavala moving forward.
Players were concerned that Commander Zavala would be written out of the game following Reddick’s passing, which would be a difficult thing to do considering how integral the character is to the main story. Bungie has had to recast roles for Destiny before, of course: Gina Torres originally played Ikora Rey before being replaced by Mara Junot. Nathan Filion originally played Cayde-6 before being replaced by Nolan North, though Fillion will return to the role for Destiny 2’s The Final Shape expansion.
Bungie will keep the character of Zavala around in much the same way. In a blog post, the developer said:
Commander Zavala has been central to the story we have been telling since the original Destiny, and we have plans to continue his journey. Keith David, a prolific actor on the stage and in television, film, and games, will assume the English language voice of Zavala in The Final Shape and beyond. Separately, Lance’s existing lines in-game will remain untouched for the upcoming release.
All of Lance Reddick’s previously-recorded lines for Zavala will remain as is, but future Destiny 2 content will see Keith David step in for the role. Keith David is certainly up to the task, being a legendary voice actor in his own right - he’s worked with Bungie before by playing the Arbiter in the Halo franchise, for example. He also played David Anderson in the original Mass Effect trilogy, Sergeant Foley in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Spawn in Mortal Kombat 11 and voiced characters in numerous other animated series.
On the announcement, David said, “I am honored to continue the great work of Lance Reddick as Zavala. Lance captured the character's sense of integrity so wonderfully. It is my intention to continue that work."
Fan reception to the announcement has been generally positive, though it’s understandable that most will miss the iconic performance Lance Reddick brought to the role. Still, Zavala is one of the most pivotal characters Destiny 2 has right now, and there was no ideal way to write the character off in a respectful and satisfying manner so abruptly. Zavala will next appear in Destiny 2: The Final Shape, which we’ll get a new look at during the Destiny 2 Showcase on August 22.
Lance Reddick also played an important character named Sylens in the Horizon Zero Dawn franchise, though at this point it’s unclear if Guerrilla Games will choose to write the character off or recast him - the latter would be jarring, considering Reddick also provided motion capture for the role.