In the original Star Wars film, screen legend Peter Cushing left an indelible impression as Grand Moff Tarkin, the commander of the Death Star and only Imperial officer who was unfazed by Darth Vader. And while Cushing passed away in 1994, a new rumor is circulating that his likeness will be digitally recreated for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. TWIST!
Rogue One will follow a team of Rebels as they attempt to steal the plans for the first Death Star. Given that Rogue One takes place shortly before A New Hope, it makes sense that Tarkin would appear in the film. The only question is “How?”
“This is one of the most complex and costly CGI re-creations ever,” claims the unnamed source behind the CGI Peter Cushing rumor. “Cushing is a pivotal plot line as he was the one to create Darth Vader and there’s a whole backstory that will come out.”
The report goes on to state that the most difficult part of the recreation will be Cushing’s legs and feet, because he was allowed to wear slippers while filming Star Wars. (Which: amazing job perk, eh?) Therefore, all of the shots of Cushing in costume are either from the knees up or obscured by other objects.
“They are going through hours and hours of old footage from the horror movies to recreate his legs and feet to produce realistic movements,” claimed the source. “It is eerie to see someone who has been dead for so long come to life on a screen.”
Do you know the expression “take this with a grain of salt?” Take this story with ALL OF THE SALT. George Lucas already recreated Tarkin for a few brief moments in Revenge of the Sith by using prosthetics and makeup to allow Wayne Pygram (Farscape) to look as similar to Cushing as possible. Given the impressive cast lined up for Rogue One, are Disney and Lucasfilm really going to spend a fortune recreating Cushing’s likeness when they could simply recast the part?
Stranger things have happened. But we’ll know for sure when Rogue One opens in theaters on December 16, 2016.
Star Wars fans: do you want to see Tarkin played by a new actor or by a CGI Peter Cushing? Roll the dice and let us know in the comment section below!
HT: The Daily Mail
Image Credit: Lucasfilm
