The digital aging and de-aging technology is getting to be more and more common in the likes of the ‘Star Wars’ and Marvel movies. This is an extension of existing motion capture technology, but the results keep getting better. Generally speaking, the aging/de-aging process is used somewhat sparingly, but in Ang Lee‘s upcoming ‘Gemini Man’ starring (and co-starring) Will Smith, the technology will be responsible for creating one-half of the lead performances, as Smith plays assassin Henry Brogan at his actual age of 50, as well as at the age of 23 (referred to as Junior). In the film, Henry is on the verge of retirement from the killing life, when he suddenly finds himself the target of a would-be assassin that seems to be able to match his every move.
Paramount has released a making-of featurette in which Lee, Smith, producer Jerry Bruckheimer, and VFX Supervisor Bill Westenhofer discuss pushing this tech to the limits.
RELATED: See Double In New Pics And A VFX Making-Of Video For ‘Gemini Man’
As Westenhofer explains:
“This is not de-aging. This is not face-replacement. What you see for Junior [23 year-old Smith] is a completely digital creation 100% driven by Will Smith’s performance.”
It’s not quite clear what separates this technology from that used in previous films, but it’s a relatively short video clip. Check it out below:
Gemini Man is an innovative action-thriller starring Will Smith as Henry Brogan, an elite assassin, who is suddenly targeted and pursued by a mysterious young operative that seemingly can predict his every move. The film is directed by Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Ang Lee and produced by renown producers Jerry Bruckheimer, David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Don Granger. Also starring are Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Clive Owen and Benedict Wong.
On top of this featurette, Paramount has released a trio of new pics from ‘Gemini Man’:
‘Gemini Man’ opens on October 11, 2019.
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