[Music] as I'm sure you're now well aware Star Wars hasn't exactly been in the best health since Disney purchased Lucas film but having said that it hasn't all been bad 2016's Rogue one a Star Wars story was actually a pretty decent prequel film and it also has a very impressive visual effects highlight which was the digital likeness of the late Peter Cushing as Grand MF Tarin but as I've mentioned some time ago I'm not really in favor of deceased actors being brought back using CGI even if their estate Andor family have given permission for filmmakers to do so I personally think the dead should be allowed to rest we have no idea if they would have actually agreed to appear in such films I don't know why they just didn't cast a new actor in the role it makes more sense to me this trend of digital necromancy as it's been called is just creepy in my opinion anyway Peter Cushing's likeness was an impressive technical feat but nothing more I still don't agree with it now having said that I am more sympathetic to this kind of thing if an actor died partway through a film and they need to use their CGI likeness in order to finish the film that's different because the actor actually consented to being in the film in the first place like for example Oliver Reed in Gladiator they had to use CGI there and of course Paul Walker in Fast and Furious 7 but when it's an entirely new production there is no need to digitally resurrect someone we recently saw another digital likeness of a deceased actor in Alien Romulus where Ian holm's face and voice were digitally recreated but it turns out the use of Peter Cushings like likess in Rogue one is being challenged legally this article is from IGN Lucas film sued for recreating Grand MF Tarkin actor Peter Cushing's image in Rogue one a Star Wars story kushen died in 1994 Disney subsidary Lucas film is being sued over its Recreation of grand mof Tarkin actor Peter Cushing's image in Rogue one a Star Wars story as reported by the times a friend of kosing has alleged Disney did not have permission to recreate the actor's image with special effects for rogue one Disney tried and failed to have the case dismissed for a second time on September 9th 2024 the plaintiff Kevin Francis is suing Lucas film through his film company tyburn film Productions and also brought claims against Rogue one producer lunac heavy Industries the late Executives of Cushing's estate and Cushing's agency Associated International Management Francis claimed he must give authorization for any Recreation of Cushing's image following an agreement made between him and the actor in 1993 one year before his death at age 81 Lucas film claimed it didn't think it needed permission to recreate Cushing's image due to his original contract for Star Wars the 1977 film which became Star Wars Episode 4 A New Hope and the nature of the special effects it also paid around $37,000 to Cushing's estate after being contacted by his agent about the recreation on September 9th Deputy High Court Judge Tom mitchenson dismissed the appeal stating the case should go to trial I'm also not persuaded that the case is unarguable to the standard required to give summary judgment or to strike it out he added in an area of developing law it is very difficult to decide where the boundaries might lie in the absence of a full factual inquiry so it'll certainly be interesting to see what comes out of this it is very interesting that Disney has already tried and failed to have the case dismissed meaning that this really isn't a done deal by the looks of it anyway let me know what you guys think in the comments below and how do you feel about the likeness of dead actors being digitally recreated in this manner using CGI thanks very much for watching take care I'll see you next time bye-bye [Music]