The director of 'Alien: Romulus' defends the use of AI to create a likeness of a deceased actor, following fan criticism.

"Alien: Romulus" and "Alien" contain spoilers for the story.

The "Alien" franchise's fans had some reservations about the actor's look, which was recreated by AI technology.

In the movie, a humanoid android known as Rook resembles the deceased Ian Holm, who portrayed a character in the 1979 film "Alien."

In addition to starring as Bilbo Baggins in "The Lord of the Rings" films and movies such as "Brazil," "Chariots of Fire," and "The Fifth Element," Holm also passed away in 2020 at the age of 88.

Many fans reacted to his surprise appearance and were none too thrilled.

"The use of Ian Holm's face and voice in 'Romulus' may be a cynical attempt at nostalgia, but at least it looks terrible and cannot be changed, and everyone who watches it will be subjected to it for the rest of time," one person stated on X.

Another said, 'Let the man rest,' after seeing the deceased CGI face completely took me out of it.

"The use of Ian Holm's reanimated corpse in 'Alien: Romulus' is truly appalling," said a third.

Fede Alvarez, the director, confirmed to the Los Angeles Times that AI technology was employed to replicate Holm's appearance.

"He stated that the purpose of the project was not to replicate the talent of a specific actor, as it is a different character, and the only similarity is the resemblance."

Alvarez contacted Sophie de Stempel, Holm's widow, to request her feedback and consent.

Alvarez stated that we completed everything with utmost respect and obtained the approval of his family, children, and widow, who said, "We would be delighted to see his likeness again."

The director stated that Ian Holm felt like Hollywood had ignored him after "The Hobbit," and his widow believed he would have enjoyed being a part of this project, especially since he loved the character in question.

The L.A. Times reported that an animatronic resembling the late actor was employed on set, and British actor Daniel Betts provided facial capture and read lines for the cast. Later, Betts' voice was manipulated using generative AI and computer modeling to sound more like Holm.

"Alvarez stated that they were not resurrecting someone and claiming that Ian would have done it differently, as they had an actor on set who worked on the dialogue and collaborated with the actors. They did not skip hiring an actor."

"We were not trying to do what can’t be done, which is to reproduce that person’s talent as an actor." — "Alien: Romulus" director Fede Alvarez

The director of "Evil Dead" stated that he believes AI will not be able to replace actors in the future and that using it to create the character of Rook in Holm's image was unique to the film.

"Alvarez stated that it is significantly more expensive to perform the task in the manner that they had previously done it, as opposed to simply hiring an actor. The process of doing it this way necessitates the involvement of a large team and numerous components, making it impractical and inconvenient."

The upcoming legislation in California concerning actors' likenesses, both living and deceased, has sparked a debate over the use of the late Holm's image.

In August, the state Senate passed two bills: AB 1836, which limits the use of AI to create digital replicas of deceased performers without the consent of their estates, and AB 2602, which raises the consent requirements for living performers for AI replicas.

The union, SAG-AFTRA, has made both of these bills a legislative priority for their membership and beyond, requiring explicit consent in California. They are eagerly anticipating Governor Gavin Newsom signing these bills.

The No Fakes Act, recently re-introduced into Congress, has also gained the support of the union.

The SAG-AFTRA representative explains why the devastating Hollywood strikes last year were necessary.

The bill was praised by the Motion Picture Association, which represents major studios including Netflix, Sony, Paramount, Universal, Disney, and Warner Bros.

The bill is crucial for us, and it's needed urgently, as stated by SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland in his conversation with Planet Chronicle Digital in July.