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Legal proceedings are underway against Disney for using images of British actor, Peter Cushing, in "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story". He was deceased at the time. But he had played the role of the Imperial Governor in 1977.

Star Wars fans cannot forget Grand Toff Tarkin's charismatic face, the Imperial Governor in Episode IV "A New Hope" played by Peter Cushing. Disney studios reused his face modeled by technology on an actor with an identical morphology to represent him in the film "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" in 2016. However, it seems that Disney didn't have the authorizations required by Californian laws. The producer and friend of Peter Cushing, Kevin Francis and his production studio Tyburn Film have decided to take the case to court.

Image rights

Kevin Francis claims that Peter Cushing didn't want his face to be reproduced after his death (in 1994). Disney claims the opposite, based on the contract signed at the time with his agent and the payment of $30,000. However, Californian law stipulates that actors must give their written consent for the use – or not – of their image after their death. In the absence of an agreement between the parties, a trial seems inevitable. Especially since Kevin Francis is claiming $650,000 in compensation.

(MH with Olivier Duquesne – Source: Le Parisien – Picture: © Picture-Alliance / Photoshot)