It appears that Lucasfilm are taking the criticism of their portrayal of Luke Skywalker equipped with a CG face seriously.
Back in December when the The Mandalorian season two finale was released, the Star Wars fandom erupted as they got to see a young Luke Skywalker save the day and take little Grogu on a new adventure. However it wasn’t all positive as many fans and critics weren’t entirely pleased with how Luke Skywalker looked. Lucasfilm brought in Max Lloyd-Jones to be the body double for Skywalker and decided to use CGI to depict Luke Skywalker’s facial appearance shortly after Return of the Jedi. Though I personally didn’t mind the look, it could’ve been better.
Many talented people took to the internet in an attempt to correct the look with the most notable being a video titled “The Mandalorian Luke Skywalker Deepfake” by YouTuber Shamook.
Shamook’s video reached 1.9 million views and was met by enthusiastic comments from fans. Shamook’s channel specialises in using deepfake technology for his videos were he attempts to “fix” some dodgy CGI work such as editing the infamous Superman moustache scene from Justice League along with Leia Organa and Tarkin’s appearances in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Shamook also makes more fun videos using deepfake technology such as replacing Tom Holland’s face with Tobey Maguire’s in the recent Spider-Man movies.
Shamook randomly took an extended break from his channel this year in March and finally returned this month with a video showcasing Robert Pattinson’s face in Christian Bale’s Batman flicks. However in the comment section, Shamook finally addressed his absence saying, “I joined Lucasfilm a few months ago and haven’t had time to work on any new YouTube content. Now I’ve settled into my job, uploads should start increasing again.” Shamook even confirmed his current role at Lucasfilm is Senior Facial Capture Artist.
It’s great to see that Lucasfilm seemingly took the criticism onboard and are bringing in talent for future projects. It’s unknown what Shamook is working on at Lucasfilm, the most obvious answer seems to be Indiana Jones 5 as set pictures have revealed flashbacks are due to take place and Harrison Ford was even spotted with dots over his face in preparation of some CG work. Some fans are hoping for an updated version of The Mandalorian season two finale featuring a more accurate representation of Luke Skywalker, but I personally find it unlikely Lucasfilm will go back with more pressing projects ahead such as Indy 5 and The Book of Boba Fett which has been confirmed to feature flashbacks.
