Destiny: Keith David to replace Lance Reddick as the voice of Commander Zavala in the FPS franchise

Earlier this year, we lost Lance Reddick, a brilliant actor and commanding presence in film, television, video games, and beyond. When he wasn’t tending to the needs of assassins in the John Wick franchise or hiding secrets about a zombie apocalypse in Netflix’s Resident Evil series, he voiced Commander Zavala for Bungie’s long-running first-person-shooter video game franchise, Destiny. Sadly, now that Reddick is no longer with us, Bungie must appoint his successor. Thankfully, beloved actor Keith David is stepping into Zavala’s reinforced boots.

Bungie announced David’s appointment to the role on its official website, alongside a heartfelt message about Reddick and his contribution to the franchise:

Earlier this year, we lost Lance Reddick, the English-language voice actor of Commander Zavala. The passion and professionalism Lance brought to the role over the last decade was unmistakable and loved by all. Lance’s iconic voice led us through the most intense moments in Destiny’s history and his impact on our Guardians, our community, and Bungie as a whole will never be forgotten.

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.

“I am honored to continue the great work of Lance Reddick as Zavala,” David said as a part of the announcement. “Lance captured the character’s sense of integrity so wonderfully. It is my intention to continue that work.”

Because Destinypedia can summarize Commander Zavala’s history more than I ever could, here is the site’s official description for the pivotal character:

Commander Zavala is an Awoken Guardian who serves as the Vanguard of the Titan class and overall Vanguard Commander of The Last City. Stern and uncompromising, Zavala’s only goal is to safeguard humanity within the Last City against all threats. He oversees all Guardian military operations and led the Guardians to victory in both the Taken War and Red War. In the aftermath of both conflicts, Zavala has become increasingly isolated and reluctant to commit Guardians to conflicts outside of the Last City.

There’s much more to Commander Zavala than that, but you get the idea. I can’t think of a better actor to step in for Reddick than Keith David. His acting credits stretch for miles across live-action, animation, video game roles, and more! He voices Goliath in the outstanding animated series Gargoyles, Dr. Facillier in Disney’s The Princess & the Frog, and Spawn in Todd McFarlane’s Spawn, and that’s just the tip of a massive iceberg.

I look forward to hearing David’s version of Commander Zavala. Still, I’m glad to hear Reddick’s contributions to Destiny remain untouched, as they should be.

What do you think about Keith David being the new voice of Commander Zavala? Let us know in the comments below.