Captain Marvel is already known for several firsts: first solo female avenger movie, first MCU film directed by a woman. Now they can add another first to their list, as Captain Marvel will be the first film to digitally de-age its actors throughout the entire movie. Both Samuel L. Jackson and Clark Gregg will be digitally de-aged by 25 years to appear in the 90’s set superhero film.
Marvel has used digital de-aging in previous films, for Robert Downey Jr. in Captain America: Civil War, Kurt Russell in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, and Michael Douglas and Michelle Pfeiffer in Ant-Man and the Wasp, for one-off scenes. Captain Marvel will feature de-aged Nick Fury and Phil Coulson throughout the entire movie. In an interview with /Film, Marvel’s Kevin Feige discussed the use of the technology, along with Paul Rudd’s seeming inability to age:
Well, I think having the option is pretty amazing. And I think having the technology and even without spoiling anything, Sam Jackson is shooting a movie for us right now that takes, where he’s entirely 25 years younger the whole movie [Captain Marvel]. So that’ll certainly be the one–
And Coulson, right?
And Coulson. So that’ll be the first one where it’s a character for the whole movie, as opposed to a glimpse at a certain period of time. It’s the whole movie. So it’s possible, assuming that works. It’s possible. It’s very good when you are starting by the way with somebody like Michelle Pfeiffer or Michael Douglas or for that matter Sam Jackson or Clark Gregg. All four of them–
Because you have an abundance of reference material or…?
You have all the reference material and they have aged amazingly. They’ve not aged like normal humans. It’s like Paul Rudd. These are–
Paul Rudd looks like he stepped out of Clueless. I don’t understand it.
Yeah. He somehow can do that effect in real life.
Paul Rudd’s deal with the devil aside, this is a bold step forward in cinematic effects. We’ll have to wait and see whether or not Marvel’s gambit is a success, or if it becomes a distracting flashpoint of criticism. The final shot of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story immediately comes to mind. We’ll have to wait until next year to see how it all turns out.
(via /Film, image: Marvel)
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