Lucasfilm sued for recreating image of Peter Cushing, Grand Moff Tarkin actor in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Disney subsidiary Lucasfilm is being sued for allegedly re-creating the image of Peter Cushing, the actor who played Grand Moff Tarkin, in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

As the Times reported, a friend of Cushing’s claimed that Disney did not have permission to recreate the actor’s image with special effects for Rogue One. Disney unsuccessfully attempted to have the case dismissed a second time on September 9, 2024.

Plaintiff Kevin Francis is suing Lucasfilm through his film company Tyburn Film Productions and has also filed suit against Rogue One producer Lunak Heavy Industries, Cushing’s late executors and Cushing’s agency, Associated International Management.

Francis said he had to give permission for any recreation of Cushing’s image following an agreement he reached with the actor in 1993, a year before his death at the age of 81.

Lucasfilm has stated that it did not believe it needed permission to recreate Cushing’s image because of its original contract for Star Wars (the 1977 film that became Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope) and the nature of the special effects. It also paid approximately $37,000 to Cushing’s estate after being contacted by his agent about the recreation.

On September 9, Deputy High Court Justice Tom Mitcheson dismissed the appeal, saying the case should go to trial. “I am also not satisfied that the case is unarguable by the standards required for summary judgment or dismissal,” he added. “In a developing area of ​​law, it is very difficult to decide where the boundaries lie in the absence of a full factual inquiry.”

Star Wars spans multiple eras and, since its debut in 1977, has featured actors at different stages of their lives. The company has used special effects to make actors like Mark Hamill look younger as Luke Skywalker, for example, and the technology has also been used to cast deceased actors in its films.

This of course includes Tarkin, played by Cushing, but also Princess Leia, played by Carrie Fisher. The actress died in 2016, after only two of the three films in the Sequel Trilogy, and Disney used special effects and repurposed footage to include her in Star Wars: Episode 9 – The Rise of Skywalker.

Image credit: starwars.com.

Ryan Dinsdale is a freelance journalist for IGN. He talks about The Witcher all day long.