Mark Hamill Deep Fake Was Not The Only Choice For Luke Skywalker's Cameo
One of the biggest and most delightful surprises in season 2 of The Mandalorian was hands down the heartwarming Luke Skywalker cameo in the season finale "The Rescue," in which the powerful Jedi entered the fray in his iconic Red Five X-wing, cut through hordes of Dark Troopers, and embarked on a mission to train Grogu in the ways of the Force. Seeing a young "deep-fake" version of Mark Hamill as Luke was welcomed by many, but recent interviews revealed a behind-the-scenes perspective and explained Mark Hamill's involvement in the episode's production.
VFX supervisor Hal Hickel explained in an interview with The Resistance Broadcast that while "deep-fake" technology was employed to create the Luke Skywalker as seen on the big screen, it was "always important" to have Hamill "be involved with crafting the performance" rather than it being a mere project of digital effects:
"That particular aspect of the effects of Season 2 is probably the thing I can talk about the least. But I will say this. One, it was always important for everyone involved to have Mark involved. So it’s not just like, ‘Well, we are recasting and we’ll deep-fake over him.’ Mark had to be involved with crafting the performance and he was. He was there on set when the scene was shot… he was totally involved all the way through."
While de-aging technology is a handy tool in cinematography, its use is a delicate issue and must be handled discretely. Hickel revealed that episode director Peyton Reed had previous experience with de-aging technology, as seen from his involvement in the Ant-Man movies for de-aging Michael Douglas as Hank Pym. And in The Mandalorian, Hickel and overall visual effects supervisor for the show Richard Bluff were both "very much involved in giving feedback" on Mark Hamill's de-aging process:
"Richard Bluff, who is the overall visual effects supervisor on The Mandalorian and myself, we were both very much involved in giving feedback on the work and presenting it to Jon [Favreau], and Peyton, and Dave [Filoni]. So those were the primary drivers on the work, Peyton’s experience with Ant-Man and Mark had to involved."
The use of such visual effects technology in the Star Wars universe was not unprecedented, with the studio bringing in younger and older versions of the late Carrie Fisher's Princess Leia on the silver screen for Rogue One and The Rise of Skywalker respectively, as well as Peter Cushing's Grand Moff Tarkin in Rogue One after his passing.
Mark Hamill's on-set involvement for the Luke Skywalker cameo carries immense significance, as the easily available de-aging tech in itself renders the presence of the original actor unnecessary. Lucasfilm's insistence to have Mark Hamill's presence and involvement for the season finale therefore shows its dedication to shape the Luke Skywalker cameo as authentically as possible, creating the best version of young Luke for the eager fans who have waited for his return after Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi. In this new era, it comes as a delight that showrunners Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau are so devoted in honoring the legacy of such a powerful character that shaped the course of Star Wars.
Source(s): The Direct