8 Disturbing Times Actors Were Brought Back From The Dead By CGI

Some call it ghoulish while others hail it as the future of cinema.

The subject of digital resurrection is a controversial one, especially since Rogue One: A Star Wars Story perfected the technique, allowing a famous actor to reprise a role from beyond the grave.

For the record, Disney and Industrial Light & Magic went about this the right way, obtaining permission from the star's estate before bringing him back to life through FX wizardry, but it's raised a slew of ethical questions nevertheless.

Is it ever distasteful to recreate a deceased human being right down to their most intimate mannerisms? Where do you draw the line? Would an entire cast of resurrected actors from yesteryear be acceptable?

Sure, there are actors who would clearly love this form of immortality, but when they're no longer around to consent to the use of their likeness, is it okay to plaster it across cinema screens as pure intellectual property?

These are just some of the questions that were tabled in the wake of Rogue One's release, and while we don't yet have any answers to them, it's a safe bet to assume digital resurrection will continue in Hollywood indefinitely.

When the Man of Steel returned to cinemas in 2006, so did the late, great Marlon Brando.

It certainly helped that the Godfather star had appeared as Jor-El in the previous Superman films decades earlier as director Bryan Singer and his creative team were able to harvest some of the footage as a starting point.

The rest of the resurrection process was down to CGI and since his likeness isn't exactly in sharp focus in the Fortress of Solitude, the results are more than passable.

It definitely feels like Supes is receiving a message from beyond in this Superman Returns sequence, which is touching and eerie in equal measure.