There should be moments along the way when you learn things. That may have certainly been a learning moment. Some people have talked about how, well, maybe Solo should have been a TV show. But even doing Solo as a TV show without Harrison Ford as Han Solo…it’s the same thinking. Maybe I should have recognized this before. We would never make Indiana Jones without Harrison Ford. Having just finished the fifth movie, I can tell you, there wasn’t a day I wasn’t on set where I wasn’t like, ‘Yes – this is Indiana Jones.’ — Kathleen Kennedy, President Lucasfilm
Harrison Ford with dots marking the actor’s face for CGI de-aging.
Harrison Ford’s replacement actor during his injury. Note the CGI dots which are used to align a CGI Harrison Ford face on top.
Did you read Kathleen Kennedy’s statement above carefully? It’s out of the Vanity Fair and it’s interesting because nobody really picked up on a detail that I think is profound. For years now, I’ve been saying that there is an initiative inside The Walt Disney Company to pick up the rights for actors’ likenesses and develop their CGI abilities to the point they can replicate those actors’ faces in films. If we go back to August of last year, I was talking about a Secret Deep Fake Plan the company was preparing to use for Indiana Jones 5. If I recall correctly, I was the only leaker able to tell the public that Lucasfilm was preparing a CGI Luke Skywalker prior to the debut of said Skywalker in the final episode of The Mandalorian Season 2. Now I’m telling you to pay close attention to what Kathleen Kennedy is saying in that quote we began the article with today.
May the fourth be with you 🌌@themandalorian @MarkHamill #starwars #babyyoda pic.twitter.com/ICRBXZW2F3
— Rosario Dawson (@rosariodawson) May 4, 2022
Here’s a question for you:
Who played Luke Skywalker in the latest Mandalorian episode to feature the character. Well, it was sort of Mark Hamill, but in reality it is mostly the gentleman on the left in the above photo. And then I might also ask you: who is playing Indiana Jones in the upcoming film? If you say Harrison Ford, you’re only about half right. That’s because according to my sources, Harrison Ford is only playing the character in about half the scenes in which he appears. Can I confirm that? Clearly not because the movie isn’t out yet. But I can say that there were weeks where the actor playing Indiana Jones was Mike Massa. Harrison Ford wasn’t on set during those weeks.
And let’s not forget, Disney literally just bought the rights to use Stan Lee’s likeness:
Lee’s ubiquitous cameo appearances had long been a staple of live-action Marvel movies before his death in 2018. The following summer, Lee made his final live-action cameo appearance in Avengers: Endgame. This deal could conceivably “digitally resurrect” him for similar walk-on roles à la Peter Cushing in Rogue One. But that doesn’t mean they necessarily will. Marvel’s mindful that fans might object.
According to other sources, the purchased rights include video and audio archives and may also include simulation and/or emulation of Mr. Lee’s voice.
So why does any of this matter?
It’s because you might think that Kathleen Kennedy is pointing towards having legacy actors on hand to play the parts they have always played, even when they’re past their prime or physically unable to do a scene. That’s not the full story though. Remember, Harrison Ford wasn’t on set to play Indiana Jones for a huge amount of time. And when you watch Indiana Jones 5 when it comes to theaters or your television, movie magic means that you’re often not going to be watching an actor who is really Harrison. Instead, it will be Mike Massa or another older gentleman hired after Harrison Ford was injured… just with a CGI face applied to the actor. Or it could even be a Harrison Ford head/mask that was worn and then CGI was brought in to clean it up and make it look real.
A crew member on the Indiana Jones 5 production holds a giant mask/head of a young Harrison Ford Indiana Jones.
When Kathleen Kennedy talks about having the original actors, she literally can’t be referring to the physical presence of the real actors… she’s talking about the digital presence of the original actors. And — allegedly — that is a huge push inside The Walt Disney Company. And do you know how I know she can’t be referring to having actors physically on set in every situation?
Who is playing Luke in the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi series? Not Mark Hamill. It’s a child actor. Will there be some CGI touch-up to make the child look more like a young Luke? Probably. But it ain’t Mark Hamill playing that role. You know Carrie Fisher isn’t playing a young Princess Leia. So they’re not against bringing on new actors with far smaller contract payouts to play the characters. They’re against paying money for actors to portray the characters and not look exactly like them. That’s out the door. And for better or worse, they’re looking at stuff like this Johnny Depp and Amber Heard trial and they’re thinking “why should we be tied to actors when we can be tied to physical likenesses instead.” CGI likenesses don’t send problematic texts or call TMZ to photo their bruises after they poop the bed. CGI likenesses don’t need ever-rising salaries for franchise movies. And CGI likenesses mean Harrison Ford will be Indiana Jones for all of eternity.
That’s the plan. That’s where we’re going. That’s what Kathleen Kennedy was talking about.
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