Peter Cushing Being Resurrected From The Grave For Star Wars: Rogue One?
Grand Moff Tarkin may be played by a very familiar face... over 20 years since the actor's death.
Digitally enhanced performances have an increased prevalence in Hollywood today, but resurrecting a deceased actor completely remains rare practice. The most famed case is probably Oliver Reed in Gladiator, but that could change with news that Peter Cushing's Grand Moff Tarkin might have a part to play in the upcoming Star Wars: Rogue One. Rogue One follows the Rebellion's efforts to steal Death Star schematics, which positions it firmly before A New Hope in the franchise's narrative. As a result, it makes sense for Tarkin to be there, but is it a good idea to recreate Cushing rather than recast the part? Cushing died in 1994, leaving behind him a legacy of great performances. Not least among them was his turn as Tarkin, who for the opening hour at least, vies directly with Darth Vader for the position of A New Hope's chief antagonist. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0qLzsIhUMk The big question here is how much of a role Tarkin has. A cameo appearance is definitely doable with some CGI wizardy, but anything more risks entry into what's known as the Uncanny Valley. This posits that whilst photo real humans are perfectly achievable, audiences quickly become distracted by the creations because something about them isn't quite right. Maybe it's dead-eyes or just that the character doesn't have enough physical weight when pitted against actual actors, but either way, it can prove very jarring. A slip like this could really hurt Rogue One, especially if Tarkin's prominent throughout. If he's in more than one or two scenes, I'd go as far to advise a recast. Particularly when there's someone like Ben Mendelsohn already confirmed for the movie. Could they possibly find someone more perfect to play the part? Surely Mendelsohn must be playing him and the CGI must be a minimal part of the work, later in the movie? What do you guys think? Is it better to honour Cushing's legacy and give him an artificially rendered role in the feature? Or should we be content to let Rogue One exist entirely as its own thing and recast the part? Get involved below.