Although Peter Cushing has already been digitally re-created for a posthumous role in Rogue One, Deadline is now reporting that the iconic actor will have his likeness regenerated again with the help of AI. This time, he will be featured in a Halloweentime documentary, Hammer: Heroes, Legends and Monsters, on Sky. Cushing was a regular in the Hammer horror films, which included new adaptations of classic monsters, such as Dracula and Frankenstein.
Sky said it is part of presenting “powerful and poignant reveal of Hammer royalty” and they are doing this as a “special homage” to Cushing. Ben Field, who runs the production company, Deep Fusion, said the project had secured all necessary permissions. He stated that this decision was to show how Cushing is “tied to his significance to the Hammer legacy.” He added, “As a figure central to Hammer’s success, Cushing’s presence is crucial to telling the story authentically. His work, particularly alongside Christopher Lee, was instrumental in shaping the brand and legacy of Hammer Films. Including him allows the project to honor the spirit and impact he had on the studio and its fans, creating a connection between the past and this new exploration.”
Recently, Disney was hit with a lawsuit after recreating Cushing’s Grand Moff Tarkin character in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. The lawsuit has been filed by Kevin Francis, a film producer and friend of Peter Cushing. He claims that Cushing “agreed not to grant permission for anyone to reproduce his appearance through special effects without his authorization” and that he allegedly “signed the agreement not to allow his image to be used without Francis’s permission in 1993 while preparing to make a television film called A Heritage of Horror, which was not completed.” In addition to Disney, the lawsuit includes Lucasfilm, Lunak Heavy Industries, which produced Rogue One, as well as Cushing’s agency and the estate’s now-deceased executors. The suit alleges that the studio got “unjust enrichment” from Cushing’s digital appearance in the movie.
Disney has claimed it “did not believe permission was required to recreate Cushing because of the terms of his contract in the original film and the nature of the special effects.” They did pay Cushing’s estate “about £28,000” for the use of his likeness in Rogue One. Guy Henry played the role of Tarkin in Rogue One and provided the voice, while ILM duplicated his performance with a digital reconstruction of Cushing.
The Hammer documentary will run on Sky Arts on Halloween.