Though it may well be common knowledge at this stage, just in case any of you have yet to catch Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, we decided not to reveal one of the film’s many secrets in the title – but major spoilers will follow from this point on.
Rogue One features the return of two fully-CG characters that were first introduced in A New Hope: Princess Leia and Grand Moff Tarkin. While the former only appears in a couple of brief shots right at the end of the movie, Tarkin is actually utilized quite a bit, and shares several scenes with Ben Mendelsohn’s Director Krennic. The use of the late Peter Cushing’s likeness for this returning villain has caused some controversy – and not just because some see it as disrespectful to his memory, but also because the effects used to render the character are seen by many as simply not being good enough to escape the dreaded Uncanny Valley.
In an interview with IGN, director Gareth Edwards reveals that he was nervous about bringing Tarkin back, but was convinced that it was the right thing to do by his FX team and the actor they found to play the character pre-CG makeover, Guy Henry.
“It was a lot of blood, sweat and tears from Industrial Light and Magic… [visual effects supervisor] John [Knoll] was always like ‘no we can do this, we can do it, we can do it. He was very confident, and we… you know, to be honest, a lot of people were nervous the whole time, like ‘is this gonna happen?’ And then we went all or nothing in. It was played by an actor called Guy Henry, who’s in Holby City, and he was amazing.”
It’s debatable as to whether taking the chance paid off, as Tarkin’s inclusion seems to be the most divisive aspect of the movie among many fans and critics alike. What do you think, though? Have you seen Rogue One: A Star Wars Story yet, and if so, what did you think of CG Tarkin? Let us known in the comments section down below.