If it’s true, it will be a day long remembered.
We’ve known for some time now that Rogue One would take place just before A New Hope and feature a Rebel cell stealing the Death Star plans. Because of the timeframe, we’ve heard quite a few rumors for the film that even included an extended cameo from Darth Vader. However, a report from the Daily Mail has shed some light on a possible addition to the side of the Empire: Grand Moff Tarkin.
But Peter Cushing is dead.
Sadly, yes he is.
Are they recreating him with CGI?
They’re recreating him with CGI.
Oh boy.
Well, it may not be such a bad thing. Some shots of young Jeff Bridges didn’t look so bad in Tron: Legacy. And it’ll have been about five years since then by the time they do the post production on Rogue One.
All they have is archival footage. How can they do that?
It’s even harder than you think, if they are doing it. They would also need Cushing’s voice for dialogue and they also need to recreate his body language… which is much tougher than you’d think. The easiest way would be to get a body double to mimic Cushing’s body language and then recreate his face using CGI ala Tron: Legacy, however it seems they may be going for a full CGI approach:
“A source told The Mail on Sunday: ‘This is one of the most complex and costly CGI re-creations ever. Cushing is a pivotal plot line as he was the one to create Darth Vader and there’s a whole back story that will come out.’
But the film-makers face one particularly tough task – creating Cushing’s legs and feet.
When director George Lucas filmed the original Star Wars, he gave Cushing and other Galactic Imperial officers ill-fitting leather riding boots. Cushing complained so bitterly that Lucas let him wear slippers, forcing cameramen to shoot from the knees up or have him stand behind the Death Star conference table.
‘They are going through hours and hours of old footage from the horror movies to recreate his legs and feet to produce realistic movements,’ said the source. ‘It is eerie to see someone who has been dead for so long come to life on a screen.'”
How likely is this?
The slipper thing or the likelihood Tarkin is returning? Because the slipper thing is a true story.
In that case, how likely is it that Tarkin is returning? And how?
We think there may be a kernel of truth to the rumor. It’s very possible Tarkin will have some presence in the film, but we don’t know if it will be a decisive part. He could be the superior officer to Ben Mendelsohn’s character, which would make a lot of sense. If that’s the case, we imagine Tarkin would have one to three scenes rather than being a heavily recurring presence in the film.
We imagine Vader will be in the film more, as it’s a whole lot easier to have the a body actor of the right proportions running around with James Earl Jones’ voice.
