{"id":2341246,"date":"2024-09-14T19:25:01","date_gmt":"2024-09-14T23:25:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/disney-sued-by-friend-of-dead-actor-for-putting-deceased-man-in-cgi-movie-role\/"},"modified":"2024-09-14T19:28:55","modified_gmt":"2024-09-14T23:28:55","slug":"disney-sued-by-friend-of-dead-actor-for-putting-deceased-man-in-cgi-movie-role","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/disney-sued-by-friend-of-dead-actor-for-putting-deceased-man-in-cgi-movie-role\/","title":{"rendered":"Disney Sued by Friend of Dead Actor for Putting Deceased Man in CGI Movie Role"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdisney-sued-by-friend-of-dead-actor-for-putting-deceased-man-in-cgi-movie-role%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2341246&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/feds-knew-about-over-1b-in-human-trafficking-transactions-after-epsteins-death\/\" title=\"Feds aware of B+ human trafficking transactions post Epstein&#039;s demise.\">legal\u2062 dispute<\/a> has arisen involving the late actor Peter Cushing and Disney regarding the use of his likeness in the film\u200d &#8220;Rogue One: A Star Wars \u2064Story.&#8221; Cushing&#8217;s likeness was generated through CGI for the film, despite his\u200c passing in 1994. A \u2063friend of Cushing and producer, Kevin Francis, argues \u2064that Cushing would have not approved such use without his authorization. Disney <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/suspect-in-custody-following-alleged-mass-shooting-at-minnesota-urgent-care-clinic\/\" title=\"Suspect In Custody Following Alleged Mass Shooting At Minnesota Urgent Care Clinic\">initially believed<\/a> they had the right to use Cushing&#8217;s image based on a contract from 1977, but later\u2063 paid \u00a328,000\u200d to Cushing&#8217;s estate to secure legal rights. The lawsuit seeks less than\u2064 \u00a3500,000 and challenges Disney&#8217;s claim of having acted as a &#8220;bona fide purchaser.&#8221; Recently, the court rejected Disney&#8217;s attempt\u200c to dismiss the case, highlighting the complexities of developing legal standards concerning \u2064the posthumous use of an individual\u2019s likeness. Disney&#8217;s \u2063<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/americas-got-talent-finalists-set-to-use-groundbreaking-de-aging-metaphysic-a-i-tool-in-new-tom-hanks-and-robert-zemeckis-movie\/\" title=\"\u2018America\u2019s Got Talent\u2019 Finalists Set To Use Groundbreaking De-Aging Metaphysic A.I. Tool In New Tom Hanks and Robert Zemeckis Movie\">visual effects supervisor<\/a> claimed the work was done with care and consultation with Cushing&#8217;s estate, expressing that the intention was respectful. The\u200c outcome of this case\u2063 could set significant\u2062 legal precedents regarding the control of an individual&#8217;s likeness after death.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> <script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>A new lawsuit goes where few legal cases have gone before to determine the power of an actor to control the use of his likeness after death.<\/p>\n<p>According to a report in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thetimes.com\/article\/peter-cushings-star-wars-resurrection-at-centre-of-legal-battle-vsp8ssjg2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Times<\/a>, a friend of Peter Cushing is battling Disney in court over the use of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/advertisers-looking-to-use-cgi-to-put-product-ads-in-classic-films\/\" title=\"Advertisers Looking To Use CGI To Put Product Ads In Classic Films\">computer-generated image<\/a> of Cushing in &ldquo;Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The 2016 film was made long after Cushing died in 1994, but the prequel called for an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/monstrous-anticipation-movie-boasted-lack-cgi-tracking-huge-opening\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">appearance<\/a> by his character, Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin.<\/p>\n<p>Disney said it initially believed there was no issue because the terms of the contract from 1977 gave them free rein to do as they wished.<\/p>\n<p>However, once Cushing&rsquo;s agent was on the case, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/disney-slapped-bad-news-new-mega-project-locals-feeling-dubious\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Disney<\/a> paid &pound;28,000 to Cushing&rsquo;s estate to have a safe, legal claim to the use of Cushing&rsquo;s likeness.<\/p>\n<p>  <script> \t\t\t\tif( ! getCookie( 'ff_subbed' ) ) if( typeof FFADS.replace_ict !='undefined' ) if( FFADS.replace_ict ) eval( FFADS.replace_ict ); \t\t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>But Kevin Francis, a producer who used Cushing in some of his films and said he was a close friend of Cushing, said the actor would never have agreed to the use of his likeness because he did not want it used unless he authorized such an appearance.<\/p>\n<p>On Monday, Disney lost a round in its effort to have the lawsuit, which seeks less than &pound;500,000, thrown out.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Disney Sued For Using Peter Cushing&rsquo;s Face In Star Wars: Rogue One <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/cIjernUlB0\">https:\/\/t.co\/cIjernUlB0<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/l1w1sImmwk\">pic.twitter.com\/l1w1sImmwk<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Kotaku (@Kotaku) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Kotaku\/status\/1833861826582552859?\">September 11, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Francis is not only suing Disney&rsquo;s Lucasfilm and Lunak Heavy Industries, which produced &ldquo;Rogue One,&rdquo; but also the executors of Cushing&rsquo;s estate and the agency that represented the actor.<\/p>\n<p>Disney rejected the claim of &ldquo;unjust enrichment&rdquo; and said it was a &ldquo;bona fide purchaser for value&rdquo; of the rights to use Cushing&rsquo;s image.<\/p>\n<p>Disney lost its first bid at having the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/watch-audiences-creeped-cgi-resurrection-christopher-reeve-flash\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">case<\/a> thrown out and lost another on Monday.<\/p>\n<p>Judge Tom Mitcheson said he was &ldquo;far from persuaded&rdquo; that the case would be successful, but also said: &ldquo;I am also not persuaded that the case is unarguable to the standard required to give summary judgment or to strike it out.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;In an area of developing law it is very difficult to decide where the boundaries might lie in the absence of a full factual inquiry,&rdquo; he said.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We weren&rsquo;t doing anything that I think Peter Cushing would&rsquo;ve objected to. I think this work was done with a great deal of affection and care,&rdquo; John Knoll, who was the visual effects supervisor for &ldquo;Rogue One,&rdquo; said according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/arts-entertainment\/films\/news\/rogue-one-cgi-vfx-scene-peter-cushing-grand-moff-tarkin-princess-leia-carrie-fisher-response-a7531626.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Independent<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We know that Peter Cushing was very proud of his involvement in Star Wars and had said as much, and that he regretted that he never got a chance to be in another Star Wars film because George [Lucas] had killed off his character,&rdquo; he said.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This was done in consultation and cooperation with his estate. So we wouldn&rsquo;t do this if the estate had objected or didn&rsquo;t feel comfortable with this idea,&rdquo; he said.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\">  <\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> <label>* Name<\/label> <br \/> <input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> <\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> <label>* <\/label> <br \/> <input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> <\/div>\n<p> <label>* Message<\/label> <br \/> <textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea>  <\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> <input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\">  <\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> <script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script>  <\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> <\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\">  <\/div>\n<style> \t\t\t \t\t\t.insticator-unit.type-commenting{margin: 0 10px 25px 10px}@media screen and (max-width:1060px){#div-insticator-ad-cmt-1, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-2, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-3, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-4{margin: 0 auto 25px auto !important;}}#div-insticator-ad-cmt-1, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-2, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-3, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-4{height: 280px !important; width: 336px !important} \t\t<\/style>\n<div class=\"insticator-unit type-commenting\">\n<div class=\"insticator-ads\">   <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\t\t\tif ( ! getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-1\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-2\"); \t\t\t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-1\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-2\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t<\/script> <\/div>\n<div class=\"insticator-ads additional\">   <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\t\t\tif ( ! getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-3\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-4\"); \t\t\t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-3\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-4\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t<\/script> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A recent lawsuit is exploring the extent to which an actor can control the use of their likeness posthumously. As reported by The Times, a friend of Peter Cushing is taking Disney to court regarding the use of a computer-generated version of Cushing in &#8220;Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.&#8221; Although the film was released in 2016, Cushing passed away in 1994, but his character, Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin, was featured in the prequel. Disney initially believed they had no legal issues due to a contract from 1977 that seemed to grant them broad rights. However, after Cushing&#8217;s agent became involved, Disney paid \u00a328,000 to his estate for legal clearance to use his likeness.<\/p>\n<p>Kevin Francis, a producer who worked with Cushing and considered him a close friend, argues that Cushing would not have consented to this usage without prior approval. Recently, Disney faced setbacks in its attempts to dismiss the lawsuit seeking less than \u00a3500,000. <\/p>\n<p>Francis is suing not only Disney\u2019s Lucasfilm and Lunak Heavy Industries\u2014responsible for &#8220;Rogue One&#8221;\u2014but also those managing Cushing\u2019s estate and his representation agency. In response to claims of \u201cunjust enrichment,\u201d Disney maintains it acted as a \u201cbona fide purchaser for value\u201d regarding rights related to using Cushing&#8217;s image.<\/p>\n<p>Judge Tom Mitcheson expressed skepticism about whether the case would succeed but acknowledged that it wasn&#8217;t clear enough for summary judgment or dismissal at this stage. He noted that determining boundaries in such evolving legal matters requires thorough factual investigation.<\/p>\n<p>John Knoll, visual effects supervisor on &#8220;Rogue One,&#8221; defended their actions by stating they believed Peter Cushing would not have objected and emphasized that they approached this project with care and respect for his legacy. He mentioned that consultations were held with Cushing&#8217;s estate before proceeding with using his likeness<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2341247,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Picture-2024-09-14T163507.682.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[18422,40918,6344,36251,4585],"class_list":["post-2341246","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-cgi","tag-deceased-actor","tag-disney","tag-entertainment-news","tag-lawsuit"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Picture-2024-09-14T163507.682.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2341246","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2341246"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2341246\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2341247"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2341246"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2341246"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2341246"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}