Star Wars fan 'fixes' The Mandalorian season 2 finale with a deepfake video
That special surprise during the last episode of The Mandalorian just got even better, thanks to a crafty fan.
The Mandalorian mixes live action with both practical and special effects. But would the series be even better by using sophisticated deepfake software?
The season 2 finale of The Mandalorian was an emotional roller coaster for a lot of fans (including me), but there was one big reveal that'll most likely have fans debating until the hit show returns for another season in 2021 on Disney Plus.
Though Lucasfilm, via Industrial Light & Magic, is known for its cutting-edge digital mastery, one Star Wars fan thought the shocking cameo of you-know-who could use a touch-up using deepfake software.
Deepfakes are fake videos that convincingly show people appearing to be doing or saying things they never did.
In the season 2 finale, Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) shows up to save the day with his lightsaber in hand, after getting Baby Yoda/Grogu's Force message. "Come, little one," Luke says as he reaches out to Grogu.
The digital re-creation of Hamill's 1983 film face is impressive. (Luke in this episode is voiced by Hamill and played by English actor Max Lloyd Jones). But with deepfake software, the digital look of Hamill as a younger Luke looks even better.
YouTuber Shamook posted The Mandalorian Luke Skywalker deepfake video on Monday to show how Hamill can appear more seamless and better composed in various scenes.
The impressive deepfake shows the side-by-side comparison of Hamill as Luke with Lucasfilm's original version on the left and the cleaner deepfake version on the right.
In the deepfake version, Luke's skin and eyes are much more detailed than in the original take. The mouth movement is also more convincing in the deepfake.
This raises the question of whether the future of human actors' CGI movements could be better replaced with a much easier to use (and probably cheaper) method of deepfake video software.
Shamook also previously posted a deepfake video that "fixes" Leia and Tarkin in the Star Wars movie Rogue One, if fans want to see another example of the deepfake software in action.
When the video posted on Monday, Star Wars fans offered up their thoughts on the uncanny deepfake of Luke.
I knew this deepfake would be coming. We're deepfaking the deepfakes now. (I don't think we know for sure how they made Luke in The Mandalorian. It could be CGI or de-ageing or sth else.) Anyway, I think it's an improvement; the detail on the face certainly seems a lot crisper. pic.twitter.com/8yp8TMvg34
— (o_O) (@foomandoonian) December 22, 2020
MAJOR SEASON 2 SPOILERS - People with AI tech once again doing this better than the people paid to do the CGI. Mouth would have been more natural if the deepfake wasn't relying on the CGI face to begin with.
— SpiderLuke 🍒 (@SpiderLuke) December 22, 2020
The Mandalorian Deepfake https://t.co/3t3hNBii6R via @YouTube
@jonfavs please implement deep fake technology in the future for the mandalorian and other shows, it looks waaay better than what you guys used for episode 8 of season 2
— LordHeadassSupreme (@Lord__Headass) December 22, 2020
Five days since it aired and there's already a vastly superior deepfake of in the Mandalorian finale https://t.co/29DU0bCvKR
— Huw / Littlepixel Total Landscaping™️ 僅 四角 光!® (@Littlepixel) December 22, 2020
So someone applied deepfake technology to Tarkin/Leia from Rogue One and Han Solo from, er, Solo, and even [redacted] from Mandalorian and I gotta say...it looks way way better than the original CG faces holy crap!https://t.co/YmGIG2nscJ
— James Charlton (@famicomplicated) December 22, 2020
Of course somebody on YouTube has put up a deepfake of [REDACTED] in Chapter 16 The Mandalorian and made it look better.
— Random Sleigh (@_RandomJ_) December 22, 2020
Deepfake tech is gonna be stupid in a few years.
— Santacyte (@sagacyte) December 22, 2020
(Just saw a video showing it compared to what was shown in the Mandalorian season finale)
If they use the same look he had in Mandalorian I'm out. Looked absolutely terrible. The deepfake floating around is miles better.
— NINJA KNIGHT 🇮🇪 (@The_NinjaKnight) December 22, 2020
