Rogue One: A Star Wars Story has a digital recreation of Peter Cushing’s Star Wars character Tarkin, but Disney finds itself in troubled waters for it. The makers of Rogue One used CGI to digitally resurrect the character, which first appeared in Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope. To be more specific, they added Cushing’s face with digital effects to Guy Henry's body.
Now, Cushing's film producer friend Kevin Francis has filed a lawsuit against Disney where he claims that it used the likeness without Cushing's posthumous consent. Francis claims that Cushing signed a deal in 1993, mentioning that his picture should not be utilised without Francis’ authorisation. While Disney paid €33,000 to Cushing’s estate for using the actor's likeness, Francis claims that this was not sufficient.
Disney tried for the dismissal of the case, but the London High Court denied it. Acknolwedging how complex the case is, judge Tom Mitcheson stated that the "unarguable" claim required a complete investigation, although he was unsure about Francis' chances.
