A new documentary about Hammer reportedly features Peter Cushing’s AI-generated likeness, a month after a similar case against Disney was ordered to trial.
In what lawyers everywhere must be considering ‘a bold move’, a documentary due to air on Sky this Halloween will use AI to recreate the likeness of Peter Cushing.
Hammer: Heroes, Legends and Monsters has been described by Sky as “a powerful and poignant reveal of Hammer royalty,” featuring a “special homage” to the late actor, who died in 1994.
Director Ben Field – who also runs production company Deep Fusion – said including the deepfake “allows the project to honor the spirit and impact he [Cushing] had on the studio and its fans.” Deep Fusion recently announced its involvement in a world-first podcast hosted by a replication of chat show legend Michael Parkinson, who passed away just last year, a project everyone involved should feel very good and pleased about.
“As a figure central to Hammer’s success, Cushing’s presence is crucial to telling the story authentically,” Field added, finally revealing why all previous documentaries about dead subjects have been unintelligible nonsense. We knew there must be a reason.
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Though Deep Fusion has said it has secured “all necessary permissions” for the replication, according to Deadline, this isn’t the first time Cushing’s face has caused legal repercussions after his death. A digital likeness of the actor also appeared in 2017’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story – resulting in a recent legal headache for Disney. In September, the UK High Court rejected Lucasfilm’s request to have the ongoing case between Tyburn Film Productions and the Disney company – which claims Tyburn entered an agreement with Cushing shortly before his death that prevented the reproduction of his appearance through special effects without its consent – dismissed.
Although the extent of Cushing’s appearance in the upcoming documentary isn’t yet known (the 90-minute film also includes interviews with the likes of Tim Burton, John Carpenter and John Landis, so they could be struggling for air time), it’s easy to imagine AI replicants becoming widespread in cheap TV documentaries in the future. Imagine those mannequins with faces projected onto them in a mid-noughties English Heritage site, and you might not be too far off. I for one am glad we’ve decided we need more of those.