Tuesday\u2019s death of actor Carrie Fisher, who played Princess Leia in \u201cStar Wars,\u201d set off waves of remembrance among fans – but also speculation over her character\u2019s return in yet-to-be-filmed episodes.<\/p>\n
\nFilmmakers are tapping advances in digital technology to resurrect characters after a performer dies, most notably in \u201cRogue One: A Star Wars Story.\u201d The film, in theaters now, features the return of Grand Moff Tarkin, originally played by a long-dead actor.<\/p>\n
The trend has sent Hollywood actors in the here-and-now scrambling to exert control over how their characters and images are portrayed in the hereafter.<\/p>\n
\u201cCelebrities are increasingly involved in making plans to protect their intellectual property rights,\u201d said Mark Roesler, an attorney and chairman of CMG Worldwide, an agency representing celebrity estates. \u201cThey understand that their legacy will continue beyond their lifetime.\u201d<\/p>\n
Roesler said at least 25 of his clients are engaged in actively negotiating the use of their or their loved ones\u2019 computer-generated images in movies, television or commercials. Employment contracts govern how they can be used in a particular film or commercial, while a performer\u2019s will can address broader issues.<\/p>\n
Some actors or heirs worry that overexposure will tarnish a celebrity\u2019s image, Roesler said. Some explicitly rule out posthumous depictions involving sex or violence, while others focus on drugs or alcohol.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have seen people address marijuana,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019ve seen liquor addressed.\u201d<\/p>\n
California law already gives heirs control over actors\u2019 posthumous profits by requiring their permission for any of use of their likeness. As technology has improved, many living actors there are more focused on steering their legacy with stipulations on how their images are used – or by forbidding their use.<\/p>\n
Robin Williams, who committed suicide in 2014, banned any use of his image for commercial means until 2039, according to court documents. He also blocked anyone from digitally inserting him into a movie or TV scene or using a hologram, as was done with rapper Tupac Shakur at Southern California\u2019s Coachella music festival in 2012 – 16 years after his murder.<\/p>\n
Virtual characters have been used when an actor dies in the middle of a film production, as when Universal Pictures combined CGI and previous footage for Paul Walker\u2019s role in 2015\u2019s \u201cFurious 7\u201d after Walker\u2019s 2013 death in a car crash.<\/p>\n
But \u201cRogue One\u201d broke new ground by giving a significant supporting role to a dead star. A digital embodiment of British actor Peter Cushing, who died in 1994, reprised his role from the original 1997 \u201cStar Wars\u201d film as Tarkin.<\/p>\n
Walt Disney Co recreated Tarkin with a mix of visual effects and a different actor.<\/p>\n
A Disney spokeswoman declined to comment on whether Princess Leia would appear in films beyond \u201cEpisode VIII,\u201d set for release in 2017. Fisher had wrapped filming for the next \u201cStar Wars\u201d episode before she died. She suffered a heart attack on a flight from London to Los Angeles.<\/p>\n
Fisher had been expected to play a key role in the ninth installment of the sci-fi saga, due for release in 2019.<\/p>\n
Fisher\u2019s attorney, Frederick Bimbler, did not return requests for information on any stipulations the actress may have made about use of her image.<\/p>\n
Disney bought \u201cStar Wars\u201d producer Lucasfilm in 2012 for $4 billion. The two new films since released have sold some $2.7 billion worth of tickets and boosted sales of toys and other related merchandise.<\/p>\n
Disney would need to negotiate \u201cre-use fees\u201d with Fisher\u2019s estate to resurrect her character for future films, said Mark Litwak, an entertainment attorney in Los Angeles.\u2014Reuters<\/p>\n
Image: Alamy<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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