DISNEY & LUCASFILM being SUED for Peter Cushing Likeness!

welcome back your lovely faces ladies and gentlemen we are here for another video today this is actually quite a lot we're going through and this one I'm very what's the word I'm not shocked but a bit perplexed I think it's the best word for it so eight years on Rogue one's Peter cushion Resurrection is part of a weird legal fight now if you remember obviously Peter Cushing did die in the early '90s and they brought him back for rogue one with CGI and you could always tell it was CGI cuz asked the way it looked but with this by here as you can see film producer Kevin Francis has filed a lawsuit against Disney's digital Recreation of Peter Cushing's Grand moth tking in Rogue one a Star Wars story cuz I actually read somewhere as well that Disney paid Peter Cushing's estate to use a likeness so I'm like well if his family and his estate have agreed to it and money has been changed then what's happening so as reported by the times an old friend of the late we'll just blow this up for you late Peter Cushing is suing Lucas film and Luna cevy Industries for digitally recreating the actor's likeness in Rogue one according to the report producer Kevin Francis who made several films with kushion including the ghoul legend of the werewolf and The Masks of death claims the actor agreed not to Grant permission for any to reproduce his appearance through special effects without his authorization Cushing allegedly signed the agreement not to allow His Image to be used without dis Francis guy's permission in 1993 while preparing to make a TV film called a Heritage of horror which was never completed though Francis claims sound a bit shaky at first the outlet notes the Disney Group which made Rogue one failed on Monday to have the claim for unjust enrichment dismissed at the high court in London following Disney's appeal Judge Tom miton stated he was far from persuaded that Francis would be able to win his lawsuit but he did add I am also not persuaded that the case is unarguable to the standard required to give summary judgment or to strike it out francis's company tyburn film Productions which is said to be seeking less than £500,000 in Damages additionally brought claims against the executors of Cushing's estate who have both died and Associated International Management the agency that represented Cushing until his death in court Disney defended Itself by claiming it did not believe permission was required to recreate Cushing because of the terms of his contract in the original film and the nature of the special effects namely a digital reconstruction of the actor a top a standin body double performed by actor guy Henry a development in special effects are scarcely conceivable in '93 still Disney agreed to pay the actor's estate for about £28,000 for the use of his appearance in Rogue one because of this the company believes that there's no arguable case for unjust enrichment as Disney attests to be a Bonafide purchase of a value of the rights to the Cushing's image and the right to digitally resurrect Star Wars and New Hope brand moth Target so yeah so Disney did actually pay his estate so with that how I'm looking at this is now is that for all we know there could have been a document or a contract that Peter Cushing did sign but what ter of mindset was Peter Cushing in then to give some when oh yeah you can have all of this you know the only thing that you can have is my likeness need your permission but all my other stuff is going to my family and my estate that's where I'm a little bit like what this guy had this agreement it's it's a little bit nuts it's a little bit uh do L sort of thing but I think we will keep up to date with this and see how it goes because it is actually a very interesting story and an interesting Core case it says as well though it may seem odd that Fran is possessed yeah the f future s to consider the use of his postumus likeness in later movies the outlet notes the death of Brandon Lee on the set of the crow which did happen in '93 the same year the actor and producer is said to have reached their agreement and how the film was completed and released with the use of a body double and special effects yeah the body double was actually Chad steli the guy who directed all the John Wick films and he was also K stun double in the Matrix and yeah says while the Star Wars Star Wars while the Star Wars franchise popularity was a comparatively low in the early '90s perhaps Francis spotted an ad for the truth of bakura in the same issue of sin Escape he read about the film's controversy and got spooked yeah it's it's very interesting to see let's have a look what other people are actually saying about it listen I'm still filming in the camp of using CGI to resurrect dead actors is Icky even if they have the family estate permission but the basis for this lawsuit feels pretty sketchy it does it sounds like Francis and kosing were making a low budget TV movie in the early '90s that never materialized but Cushing who was dying of prostate cancer made Francis sign a contract saying he was not allowed to use his likeness after his death Cushing didn't want Francis to make a bunch of opportunist made for TV movies yes thr a body doubling as a Halloween mask you know what that could be it but now the GU CLA claiming that contract Applied to everyone and he's suing Disney because of money according to the article Francis claim is that Cushing signed an agreement saying that Cushing's likeness could only be reproduced through special effects with francis's permission although Cushing's estate signed off on the use of his likeness when they made Rogue one it seems wild that his estate would not be aware this contract yet it is it's absolutely insane also waiting 8 years post relase to follow a lawsuit doesn't make much sense to me you would think that he was legally able to withhold permission you know yeah Francis would have approached Cushing's Estates or Lucas film dur production yeah they could have stopped the production there and there because they're like yeah you're not using it I got the contract you got you could haven't got my permission I'm shutting you down that could have happened but it's not it's absolutely crazy to see how all of this is happening and again we're not sticking up for Disney here but it's almost like that this guy he's like the first one said he yeah OB obviously sadly I'm on my way out you can't make any more movies with my likeness because of this that could actually be it you know who knows but it's interesting to see isn't it seeing these sort of things happening and obviously you got AI is now which is just exploding doing AI voices and doing this with CGI effects it's almost like you're not going to need actors anymore in the future you're not going to see proper emot performances I can't see this going anywhere if he can produce the contract as States no one can use it and I mean no one unless they got my permission the guys won but we'll have to wait and see we will keep up with this cuz it is a very interesting court case if it does go to obviously a bigger bigger Court which I don't think it will let me know what you I think about this down below do you think it's right that people can use CGI to recreate someone who's ped and is it icky I think it is sometimes it may warranted in a movie if you need one scene or something but let's just hope it's not like the flash where they did Christopher Reeve and everyone else just dirty let me know what you think about this down below guys if you are new to the channel like And subscribe and I will see you soon [Music] oh