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The makers of ‘Alien: Romulus’ defend their AI-resurrected Ian Holm: ‘We did it all with a lot of respect’

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The makers of 'Alien: Romulus' defend their AI-resurrected Ian Holm: 'We did it all with a lot of respect'

As a movie buff with over four decades of film history under my belt, I must say that the inclusion of Ian Holm’s likeness in “Alien: Romulus” is nothing short of remarkable. While some may argue it’s digital necromancy, I see it as a tribute to an actor who left an indelible mark on science fiction cinema.

(Caution: This content might spoil your experience if you haven’t watched “Alien: Romulus” or the original 1979 “Alien.” If you prefer to watch without knowing the plot details, it would be best to come back later.)

In about a third of the way through “Alien: Romulus,” which is the latest grisly installment in the “Alien” movie series now playing, an unexpectedly familiar figure makes an appearance.

A “synthetic” or humanoid android resembling the late actor Ian Holm has been incorporated into a film, causing heated discussions on social media. People have debated the morality of this multiple-scene appearance, with some describing it as “digital resurrection.” Ian Holm, known for his roles in “Chariots of Fire,” “Brazil,” and “The Sweet Hereafter,” passed away in 2020 at the age of 88.

In the 1979 sci-fi horror masterpiece “Alien,” Ian Holm portrayed Ash, a crew member who concealed his synthetic identity and pursued hidden objectives. Now, Holm’s likeness and voice are recreated for the character Rook in a new film titled “Alien: Romulus.” Though director Fede Alvarez employed artificial intelligence to create this illusion, he encourages audiences to focus on the movie’s broader themes.

46-year-old Alvarez clarifies to The Times that they weren’t aiming to replicate the acting prowess of a specific individual, as their role was for a different character. What they share in common is just a physical resemblance.

In the development of the storyline, the image of a partially damaged android body engaging with characters was an element that had been incorporated from the start, long before determining its final appearance – a nod to both the original “Alien” film and James Cameron’s 1986 sequel “Aliens”.

According to Alvarez, we had planned to build an animatronic, which refers to a robot resembling a living being, and then add CGI effects to its mouth and eyes as needed in different shots. The question that followed was, “What will be its face? Who is this character?”

In his discussion, Alvarez mentions that throughout the “Alien” series, his team explored various synthetic characters. Notably, Lance Henriksen portrayed Bishop first in “Aliens,” reprising the role as a torso on a table similar to Rook in David Fincher’s 1992 film “Alien 3.” More recently, Michael Fassbender has played the roles of David 8 in Ridley Scott’s “Prometheus” and Walter One in “Alien: Covenant.”

“The only one who hadn’t reappeared and who we found fascinating was Ian Holm,” Alvarez says.

In my role as a movie reviewer, I found myself reaching out to Sophie de Stempel, the widow of the legendary director Albert Holm, to share an intriguing concept and seek her thoughts on it. Subsequently, I had a heart-to-heart discussion with the esteemed producer Scott, who had maintained a lifelong friendship with Mr. Holm. Both parties were brimming with excitement about the possibility of bringing “Romulus” to life.

In the decade following ‘The Hobbit,’ Alvarez shares that Ian Holm seemed to feel neglected by Hollywood, and his wife believed he would have eagerly participated. Notably, it was this specific character he cherished.

According to Scott, Rook’s presence serves as an opportunity for Alvarez to draw upon some elements from the original movie, he notes.

Scott, at 86 years old, found it brilliant when Ian Holm unexpectedly portrayed a robotic character on the company’s ship. Although the term ‘robot’ may seem somewhat outdated, the concept was ingenious. This idea evolved over time, leading to the iconic character of Roy Batty in ‘Blade Runner’, who was an advanced replicant, essentially a non-human entity that, using old terminology, could be considered a robot in essence.

In the original “Alien” film, it was significant that Ripley’s character, played by John Hurt (Holm), turned out to be non-human, as this plot twist played a crucial role in the storyline. Since the technology for digital special effects wasn’t as advanced back then, the filmmakers had to carefully control how much of the alien creature was actually shown on screen, as they were running low on opportunities for large, quick scares and brief glimpses of the alien. As Scott put it, “We didn’t have these digital effects at my disposal in those days.”

In creating “Romulus,” Rook was fashioned as a robotic character resembling Holm, with facial expressions controlled by hidden human operators off-screen.

According to Alvarez, the degree of completion ranged from 80% to 90%, depending on the scene, during the initial work by the puppeteers. He further explained that post-production CGI refinements were likened to adding “eye work” to make the animatronic appear more lively and improving the lip sync with additional adjustments in the mouth area.

Apart from the cast, they also had British actor Daniel Betts on set in Budapest for facial capture sessions. While filming, dialogue was delivered in real-time by an animatronic, and later, Betts’ voice was altered to resemble Holm’s voice more closely using advanced AI technology and computer modeling.

The director clarified, “We’re not resurrecting someone and having them dictate how things should be done, saying ‘Ian would have done it this way.’ Instead, we had an actor on set, working on the dialogue, collaborating with other actors. It’s not as if we neglected to hire an actor.”

In the immediate future, Alvarez believes it’s unlikely that AI can take over acting roles from humans. He explains that his decision to employ AI for creating the character Rook was unique to this particular movie and this specific franchise.

“Alvarez argues that the approach we took is significantly costlier; instead, it’s far more economical to engage an actor. He points out that this method necessitates a large team of people and numerous components, making it impractical and inconvenient in the long run.”

Alvarez argues that Rook has a unique character unlike Ash, and he chose to use Holm’s appearance and voice out of genuine respect for Holm’s role in the series’ past.

“Alvarez stated that we carried out everything with utmost respect, ensuring we had the approval of his family including his children and his widow. They expressed their desire to see his image once more,” he said.

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2024-08-19 13:31

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