Disney sued for using Peter Cushing’s face in Star Wars: Rogue One

Remember that moment if you felt pure, unadulterated horror, the brutal chills down your spine as a flock of geese trampled your grave? Brrrr, that first time you saw the creepy CG soup that was speculated to be Grand Moff Tarkin come to life. Turns out, about eight years later, an in depth friend of the late actor Peter Cushing claims that his permission must have been obtained and is attempting to sue Disney.

According to the British Kevin Francis is taking Lucasfilm to court, arguing that Cushing agreed with him that nobody could recreate the actor’s likeness without Francis’ consent. Disney previously tried to have the case dismissed on the grounds that there was no evidence of “unjust enrichment,” however the High Court in London said no and allowed the case to proceed.

Peter Cushing lived an extended life until 1994, when he died on the age of 81, forsaking a legacy of great cinema and radio. To the British, he and his long-time colleague Christopher Lee are iconic actors, starring in hundreds of thousands of wonderful, trashy horror movies similar to , , and my absolute favourite . To fans, they’re Moff Tarkin and Count Dooku respectively.

Come, a movie that apparently everyone but me really likes, decided to bring Grand Ol’ Tarkin to life via Modern Movie Magic. That is, that miserable, unsettling valley of horror-mask-deep-fake CG faces that plagued 2010s movies. (See also) The thick plasticine of Cushing’s face was clearly meant to be a crowd-pleasing moment, but as an alternative sent kids screaming into rivers.

While using the faces of deceased actors in movies and commercials is a standard ethical issue, it appears that evidently in this case Kevin Francis is for certain that Disney and Lucasfilm didn’t have the correct permissions, as he claims that Cushing specifically asked him and his production company, Tyburn Film Productions, to guard his image after his death. He can also be suing, in line with , the executors of Cushing’s will (who’re deceased) and Cushing’s former agency, Associated International Management.

Francis, who made horror movies with Cushing in the Nineteen Seventies, says Cushing signed a contract with him in 1993 that prevented others from using his likeness without Francis’s consent. He is in search of lower than £500,000 from Lucasfilm.

Disney, meanwhile, claims it didn’t need anyone’s permission due to a contract Cushing signed in 1977. Which… well, you’ll be able to see why a judge is likely to be interested in hearing this in court. Could a contract drawn up in the Nineteen Seventies contain clauses that allow the corporate to make use of cutting-edge (albeit awful) computer technology to recreate an actor’s face and voice some 40 years later? When Cushing’s agent loudly coughed at Disney on the time, they paid a slightly paltry £28,000 ($36,600) for permission to make use of it.

Disney first tried to dismiss the case in December, lost and appealed, and lost again this week. So the case is headed to trial! And it must be fascinating, given the disparity in power and the delicate nature of everyone’s claims to the dead man’s face.

*I can not help but mention . The 1966 film is about on a distant island off the coast of Ireland where dead bodies are turning up. It seems that the cause is silicate monsters, by accident created by Dr. Lawrence Phillips after his try to cure cancer went horribly fallacious. He made the error of using silicon atoms as an alternative of carbon, so the remainder was inevitable.

And if that wasn’t enough, “say the science and hope no one pays attention,” at one point, renowned London pathologist Dr. Brian Stanley (played by Cushing) tries to work out what could have gone fallacious. He stares at Phillips’ notes, then looks up in surprise and says, “But look at this protein structure. It’s not adenosine triphosphate!” And should you remember your biology, that’s something you would like you hadn’t.

You should definitely watch it the subsequent time you get a likelihood. And should you’re not convinced yet, this scene should do the trick:

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