While the end of his career was formalized last March, it is rumored that Bruce Willis could make his return via deepfake technology.
” Fake ! according to his agent, who indicates that the actor did not sell his image to the company Deepcake. Explanations.
Bruce Willis and the deepfake rumor
As you probably know, last March, the family of American actor Bruce Willis announced the end of the actor’s film career, the latter suffering from aphasia. For the actor, therefore, it is impossible to continue shooting… unless you use deepfake technology.
Indeed, a few days ago, many articles indicated that Bruce Willis had ceded his image rights to the company Deepcake. In this way, the actor would be able to continue to appear in new films, but in the form of a digital twin. Today, the actor’s rep was keen to deny the news, saying, ” Bruce Willis has no partnership or agreement with the Deepcake Company. »
Bruce Willis’ “digital twin”
For its part, the company Deepcake wanted to confirm that the image of the actor cannot be sold, the latter belonging to him ” by default “. However, it is worth remembering that Bruce Willis and Deepcake are not complete strangers, and have already collaborated in the past.
Indeed, last year, a Russian advertisement for Megafon made it possible to discover Bruce Willis, in a very successful TV spot. However, it was not the American actor, but a deepfake made with a Russian actor, on which Deepcake’s AI was responsible for “laying” the actor’s face, with his prior agreement.
The company Deepcake had previously trained its AI on content from diehard and Fifth Element. Bruce Willis is also quoted directly on the company’s website, the latter stating: ” With the advent of modern technology, I was able to communicate, work and participate in filming, even while being on another continent. It’s a new and interesting experience for me, and I thank our team. »
It remains to be seen now if a film with the digital understudy of Bruce Willis will really see the light of day soon. Still, deepfake technology has already been used in the cinema, and should still have a few surprises in store for us…
Source : Ars Technica
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