With Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Disney and Lucasfilm were able to bring the look of the original 1977 movie back to the big screen with modern filmmaking technology. Perhaps the most impressive achievement amidst all that attention to detail was the film's uncanny ability to convincingly bring Peter Cushing's character, the Grand Moff Tarkin, back to life on the screen. A new video released by Industrial Light and Magic offers a look behind the effects used to reanimate one of the Star Wars franchise's first villains.
The VFX reel shows actor Guy Henry outfitted with a motion-capture suit and head-mounted gear to preserve the actor's moves and facial expressions, which were ultimately overlaid with Cushing's likeness. The rig affixed to Henry almost looks like a device straight out of a sci-fi movie on its own.
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Similar technology was likely used to replicate the likenesses of Carrie Fisher and other actors who appeared in the original film. The three-minute video also shows other VFX, including Rogue One squadron's aerial battles and the CGI construction of the Death Star.
Directed by Gareth Edwards from a script by Gary Whitta and Chris Weitz, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story stars Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Ben Mendelsohn, Donnie Yen, Mads Mikkelsen, Alan Tudyk, Jiang Wen and Forest Whitaker. The movie is now available on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital HD.
via io9