Action Movie Legend Bruce Willis has just become the first Hollywood actor to sell his rights to the possibility of a “digital twin” to the US company Deepcake, according to The Telegraph. Using deepfake technology, Willis has offered to use his likeness on screen for future projects, having had his first experience of manipulating digital media in a commercial for Russian phone service MegaFon last year.
Deepfake technology makes it possible to superimpose the use of one person’s likeness on another person. Using machine learning and AI, it’s possible to create a visual and auditory “twin” of someone in video. Although the ability to replicate someone so nearly flawlessly raises some ethical questions, the technology has already been used in the context of war of stars universe with Rogue One: A Star Wars Storyas well as The Mandalorian Season 2. In 2021, Willis granted Deepcake permission to appear in a commercial, which allowed his face to be “digitally transferred to another cast member.” Now the actor has officially sold the rights to his likeness in order to essentially be “hired” by Deepcake for future productions.
The 67-year-old actor recently went public with his diagnosis of aphasia, which is described as a language disorder that causes problems with reading, hearing and speaking. He and his family announced in March that Willis was “retiring” after more than four decades of filming, which wasn’t an easy decision for the star. Using deepfake technology, Willis was able to make a cameo appearance in a Russian commercial just last year without ever setting foot on a set. Regarding his experience with Deepcake, Willis said:
“I liked the precision with which my character turned out. It’s a mini film in my usual action comedy genre. For me it is a great opportunity to go back in time.
With the advent of modern technology, I was able to communicate, work and take part in the filming even on another continent. It’s a very new and interesting experience and I thank our entire team.”
Since the ’80s, Willis has been one of Hollywood’s archetypal titans of action films. It was his role as Detective John McClane in the holiday thriller Die Hard that put Willis on the map as a perpetually sinister action hero. Due to his box office success and instant classic status, McClane became the star of a franchise, while Willis later rose to fame as the typically cynical and funny good guy in movies like The Movie Armageddon, The fifth Element, and city of sin. He occasionally took on roles that poked fun at his rough personality, appearing on the sitcom as a cheeky heartthrob friends as well as Malcolm Crowe M. Night Shyamalan‘s iconic horror sixth Sense.
The Deepcake company offers their services for part of the fee required to have a star like Willis in a production. With this technology, the ability to see stars in roles after they die can become a reality, which is a little hair-raising in its infancy but not uncommon. Deepfake can be used to age actors and bring back old Hollywood stars. The company suggests that deepfakes provide a form of convenience for production teams by removing the hassle of scheduling conflicts, travel insurance, and more.
While all advances have the potential to be used nefariously, there is no denying that deepfake technology offers an intriguing solution for the future of television and film. Willis may be the first of many celebrities ready to let their legacy live on. You can watch behind the scenes of the commercial to see Willis’ deepfake come to fruition below:
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