The advancement of visual effects have made virtually anything possible in movies, with even technology available to average consumers allowing for the creation of astonishing effects. One YouTube user applied facial replacement software to Solo: A Star Wars Story to deliver an impressive modification in which Harrison Ford’s face replaces star Alden Ehrenreich‘s, which you can see above.
Videos by ComicBook.com
YouTube user Derpfakes described the above experiment, “The original Han Solo, Harrison Ford, replaces Alden Ehrenreich in the latest movie in the franchise – Solo: A Star Wars Story. Using footage and stills of a pre 1977 Harrison Ford, I tried to make the most convincing young Solo I could, with the peak (in my opinion) being the final scene.”
Once Lucasfilm announced that a Han Solo film was in the works, audiences knew Ford wouldn’t be involved, forcing fans to accept the idea of a new actor embracing an iconic character. The man himself ultimately saw Solo, praising the choices that Ehrenreich made to bring the scoundrel to life.
“I just thought it was spectacular,” Ford revealed to Entertainment Tonight. “I thought [Ehrenreich] was so smart about what he did and how he did it. I just couldn’t be happier.”
Ehrenreich’s role in the film required him to find a balance between personifying the character that Ford had portrayed in four films while not doing an impression of Ford. In hopes of gaining insight in how to approach the role, Ehrenreich met with Ford ahead of filming.
“We were about to start shooting and I felt like, ya know, it didn’t feel right to do it without meeting him. Originally, it was gonna be me and the directors and the head of the studio and stuff and then, scheduling it, it was just me. I met him in his airplane hangar with five airplanes surrounding us. And then we went out to lunch. He was awesome,” Ehrenreich recalled on Jimmy Kimmel Live. “He said, if anyone asks, tell them I told you anything you need to know and that you’re not allowed to say anything, which was good.”
Despite Ehrenreich earning praise from Ford, the film wasn’t a full-blown success, falling far short of expectations financially and critically. The actor might be signed on to appear in two more films, though it’s unclear if we’ll ever get a follow-up to Solo.
Solo: A Star Wars Story is out now on Blu-ray and DVD.
Would you like to see a whole movie featuring this facial replacement technology? Let us know in the comments below or hit up @TheWolfman on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!
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Image Courtesy of Lucasfilm
