Movies | The character appearing in the new Alien is causing outrage over the use of dead actors

Warning: The story contains plot revelations Alien: Romulus from the movie.

New Alien: Romulus -film has been marketed as a return to the roots of the Alien series.

of HS in a one star rating it is described that the novelty film “does everything to bring thoughts to the 1979 classic”.

A concrete instrument Alien – The Eighth Passenger – movie has a humanoid robot Rook. Rook looks and sounds like Ash the robot from the original Alien – despite the fact that he played it Ian Holm died in 2020.

Realized with a combination of physical effects and digital production, Rook has caused a stir.

Rook has been very critical, for example Slate, Mashable and Slash Film press corps. According to the articles, a surprising cameo role from a dead actor is, for example, “questionable”, the film’s “biggest mistake” and “disturbing and strange”.

The resulting conversation has been compiled by, among other things BBC.

The director of the film Fede Alvarez has defended his decision For The Los Angeles Times. According to the director, the deceased actor was used “with great respect and with the permission of the family”.

In his defense, Álvarez also emphasizes the separateness of the characters of Ash and Rook, and how much modern puppet technology was used in Rook. This way many professionals were involved – the solution was therefore more expensive than hiring one live actor.

Discourse of bringing dead actors to life in movies using technology is not new.

In 2016 similar discussion gave birth by Peter Cushing Awakening played by Moff Tarkin Star Wars: Rogue One to the movie.

Even before Tarkin, dead Actors had been glimpsed in films, for example as digital copies utilizing archival material. Before Rogue One however, they were mostly glimpses.

Peter Cushing died in 1994, but his Star Wars character Wilhuff Tarkin was also seen in the more recent Rogue One movie. Picture: Lucasfilm

However, Tarkin was already a decent supporting character, and even in the new Alien, Rook is depicted a lot.

At the same time, questions about actors’ posthumous roles and their ethics arise again.

Despite the permission, many are disturbed by the idea of ​​bringing a dead actor back to life again and again.

Director the defense includes what is probably fueling concern: advances in technology, and especially generative artificial intelligence.

With puppet technology, i.e. physical creation, the idea that this is not the product of artificial intelligence seems to be heard between the lines.

Rook’s character has been seen as a mistake, especially because there is too much of the character in the film and it seems like a big deal. However, with the help of artificial intelligence, the cameo roles of dead people can become even more believable.

The actors the relationship with artificial intelligence has been on the back burner in recent years. In May, the Open AI company wanted Scarlett Johansson Chat as the voice of GPT AI, and compiled and published a remarkably similar sound despite the actor’s refusal.

Concern about the effects of artificial intelligence was also a factor in the 2023 Hollywood actors’ strike.

This year for AI video game actors went on strike.

In July of The New Yorker in the interview Nicolas Cage said he was horrified at what Spider Man: Noir The digital scans made for the series with the help of artificial intelligence end up.

“What is going to be done with my body and face when I’m dead? I don’t want anything done with them,” Cage says to the New Yorker.