Although Bruce Willis announced his retirement from acting after a diagnosis of aphasia earlier this year, the actor is said to have sold his rights to allow a deepfake “digital twin” to live and perform in future projects. Based on walkie talkieWillis – who has a mental illness that limits his ability to speak and understand speech – has become the first Hollywood star to sell his rights to allow participation in upcoming performances without ever setting foot on set.
Willis was “hired” by the American company Deep cakethe website features a statement from Willis: “It was a great opportunity for me to go back in time… With the advent of modern technology, I was able to communicate, work and participate filming, even on another continent.” Willis’s beauty will be used for future films, commercials and other projects.
Deepcake engineers created “digital twins” from content in Die Hard and Fifth Element, when Willis was 32 and 42 years old, respectively. The Willis estate has final approval on any project. You can see for yourself what this idea looks like in an advertisement released last year for Megafon, the third largest telecom operator in Russia. Willis’ face was changed to that of actor Konstantin Solovyov.
This technology, which might have been considered a sci-fi craze less than a decade ago, is quickly becoming a reality. Earlier this year, actor James Earl Jones announced he would be “stepping back” as the voice of Darth Vader, paving the way for an AI program to take on the role even if he has a contract to guarantee that he will be Darth Vader, literally, forever. The Star Wars franchise, in particular, has long used the technology, including digital versions of the young Mark Hamill in The Book of Boba Fett, and both Carrie Fisher and Peter Cushing appearing in Star Wars: Rogue One – despite the fact that both are dead.
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