Speculation is Rampant that New Star Wars Projects Featuring Deep-Fake Versions of Luke, Han, and Leia are in the Works!
Exciting news has been buzzing – Lucasfilm is set to reveal a groundbreaking new series of Disney+ series starring the beloved Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Leia Organa at this year’s Star Wars Celebration.
Industry expert Shaun O’Rourke, with a longstanding background in entertainment having worked for esteemed companies like Warner Bros., Disney and Netflix (according to his IMDb bio), recently shared on YouTube that he came across a rumor of an upcoming announcement from Disney+ at Star Wars Celebration regarding short films featuring Luke, Han and Leia. Lucasfilm’s latest post hinted that the live-action shorts may be set during the Original Trilogy timeline with #DeepFake and #CGI technology used to de-age actors like Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, and Carrie Fisher. Since this is only a rumor at this point though, we should take it all with a pinch of salt until confirmed or denied by Lucasfilm officially!
Three legendary actors, Ford, Hamill and Fisher first dazzled us with their captivating performances in Star Wars (1977), a movie penned by George Lucas that was not only praised by critics but also loved wholeheartedly by audiences. The story follows Luke Skywalker as he is thrust into an intergalactic battle between the Empire and Rebel Alliance. These three stars reprised their beloved roles for two subsequent sequels –The Empire Strikes Back (1980)and Return of the Jedi (1983). Both movies saw tremendous success at the box office due to their brilliant stories and dazzling effects!
Subsequent to their previous collaboration, Ford, Hamill and Fisher reunited for the Disney and Lucasfilm sequels released between 2015-2019 that culminated in a conclusion of the illustrious Skywalker Saga.
Star Wars’ Official Deepfakes
Ever since the release of Rogue One in 2016, Lucasfilm has been actively developing deepfake technology – a technique that allowed them to superimpose digital likenesses of Peter Cushing and Carrie Fisher on Guy Henry’s Grand Moff Tarkin and Ingvild Deila’s Princess Leia Organa. This same technique was once again deployed for The Rise of Skywalker in 2019, where it allowed viewers to witness a younger version of Mark Hamill as Luke alongside an equally youthful depiction of Leia.
After the Disney Star Wars Sequel Trilogy came to its conclusion, Mark Hamill made a spectacular surprise return as Luke Skywalker in The Mandalorian’s season two finale. Reference footage of Hamill was recorded on set and then used by Max Lloyd Jones for his performance. Afterward, Jones’ head was digitally replaced with an ageless version of Hamill from the 1980s era – a process that also happened when he had a cameo in The Book Of Boba Fett!
Although deepfake technology was employed in the new Indiana Jones film to flash back to Ford raiding a Nazi castle during the 1940s, Lucasfilm hasn’t utilized it for any of their Star Wars projects featuring Han Solo. Rather, Alden Ehrenreich embodied a younger version of Ford’s beloved smuggler during 2018’s Solo: A Star Wars Story – which transpired ten years before events from the Original Trilogy.
As a result of the unfavorable reception to Solo: A Star Wars Story and its subsequent box office failure, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy declared that they will not be re-casting any iconic characters in new films.
Once again, the Star Wars Celebration will be held at London’s ExCeL Exhibition Centre from April 7 to 10, 2023! Mark your calendars for an out-of-this world event that you won’t want to miss.
Covering superheroes, anything dark, horror, and more! Lead writer for Fan Fest
