Jared Sindt
ONLINE REPORTER
“The Book of Boba Fett” episode six opened a whole new realm of opportunities for shows and movies to take advantage of.
CGI and deepfakes have always existed, but the deepfake that was done for Luke Skywalker in episode six was on a whole new level. Disney went out of their way to make sure Luke looked much more prominent than he did in the season two finale of “The Mandalorian.”
Many fans are already speculating why Luke looked so much better than in “The Mandalorian,” and many are turning to the possibility that Disney hired YouTuber Shamook. Shamook is famous for his deepfake fixes on YouTube and episode six looked much like his work.
Despite whether they hired him or not, Disney learned from last time and continued to push the boundaries of what was once thought impossible — which begs the question, will other companies continue to follow them?
We have already seen other examples of CGI characters, with the most recent being in “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” where they brought Harold Ramis back from the dead for one last time on the big screen.
Moments like these have the potential to be so emotional, that companies would be fools to not consider it. We have seen deepfake and CGI technology evolve so much over the years, that it now becomes a question of when the right time is to resurrect or de-age our favorite characters.
There probably is no correct answer to this question, but so far, the entertainment industry has gotten it right. If the family is ok with it, then there is little reason not to move forward.
As time progresses, and we lose some of the great actors of our generation, having the option to pay tribute to their character on the big screen with this technology is something I cannot wait to see. If it is in good taste, the emotions of seeing our favorite characters return will be something unforgettable.
