Mass Effect Actress Delivered News That May Sadden Fans of the Commander. However, Female Shepard Doesn’t Lose Hope
Nevertheless, you'd better not set your sights on bringing Commander Shepard back into favor. By doing so, you will save yourself a potential disappointment.
One of the largest current projects of the BioWare studio, apart from the upcoming (but still without a specific release date) continuation of the Dragon Age series, is the fifth installment of the cult Mass Effect. We still know relatively little about the story set in the galaxy - most of the information comes to light during the celebration of November's N7 Day.
Fans are always debating whether Commander Shepard, the protagonist of the original trilogy, will make a comeback. According to recent reports and rumors, we shouldn't get our hopes up... at least for now.
"I would love to come back to this role"
On April 24, the Dexerto platform published an interview with Jennifer Hale, the actress who plays the female version of Shepard. Many players consider the actress's voice to be one of the biggest advantages of the female variation, so there was a question about her potential involvement in ME5.
However, Sama Hale had nothing to share. As she admitted, she hasn't received any official information from EA so far.
I would love to come back, I would come back in a hot second… But I haven't heard from anyone yet.
-- Jennifer Hale
The actress's silence could very well be the result of a confidentiality agreement; However, as Dexerto's editor notes, Hale seemed to be sincere in her words, encouraging Mass Effect fans to contact BioWare employees - with a grain of salt, of course.
Email BioWare, email EA, start a campaign. I know Mark Meer [the actor who voices male Shepard] would do it too, I'll speak for Mark.
-- Jennifer Hale
Hale has openly expressed opposition to using AI to create dialogues with real voices. This would mean that using the old Shepard dialogue lines is rather out of the question.
Should Shepard return to ME5?
Some people may be saddened by the absence of official updates regarding the return of the beloved main character, as they are keen to discover his fate, albeit not necessarily in the role of the protagonist. According to commentators on X and Reddit, this would be the perfect closure to the unresolved threads from the trilogy.
I wouldn't want Shepard back as a protagonist, but I do hope they give him/her a proper send-off. As much as I love ME3, to say it had a satisfying ending would be a lie.
-- RedAyan
I honestly hope the next game doesn't feature Shepard, at least as a protagonist. Her/His story is over. I wouldn't be opposed to Shep taking the role of Hacket though, as a grizzled old commander no longer at the front lines.
-- Daemonette
Let's keep in mind that ME5 is probably still in a very early stage of development, so BioWare may not be considering voice actors yet. Furthermore, potential participants in the recordings (including Hale) wouldn't be allowed to disclose any updates from the set until the premiere, so anything is possible.
