Secret Invasion’s Samuel L. Jackson on Marvel, Star Wars, & AI

When Samuel L. Jackson appeared in Captain Marvel, the actor was digitally recreated to look like an age-appropriate version of himself for the 1990s-set film. But underneath that was the modern actor’s performance, not mere computer graphics. So Jackson is no hypocrite when he swears he won’t allow himself to be digitally recreated in any projects, whether in the Marvel Cinematic Universe or Star Wars, after his death.

The portrayer of Nick Fury, finally leading his own Marvel project with Disney+’s current Secret Invasion miniseries, told Rolling Stone that he’s been wary of studios using his likeness posthumously since he starred in The Phantom Menace:

The first time I got scanned for George Lucas [for The Phantom Menace] I was like, “What’s this for?” George and I are good friends so we kind of had a laugh about it because I thought he was doing it because he had all those old guys in Episode I, and if something happened to them, he still wanted to put ‘em in the movie. Ever since I’ve been in the Marvel Universe, every time you change costumes in a Marvel movie, they scan you. Ever since I did Captain Marvel, and they did the Lola project where they de-aged me and everything else, it’s like, “Well, I guess they can do this anytime they want to do it if they really want to!” It could be something to worry about. Future actors should do what I always do when I get a contract and it has the words “in perpetuity” and “known and unknown” on it: I cross that shit out. It’s my way of saying, “No, I do not approve of this.”

I’d say modern actors should also be equally worried about studios effectively stealing their likenesses to manipulate them for their own ends, given how much they’re already using AI to recreate them in various projects. The recent Flash movie brought Christopher Reeve, who died in 2004, back to life as Superman. The Rise of Skywalker did the same with the late Carrie Fisher for Leia Organa. Hopefully, actors new and old have taken notice and will follow Jackson’s lead.

Jackson’s statements come at an unfortunate time for Marvel Studios, which is currently under fire for using artificial intelligence to create the opening credits for Secret Invasion instead of, you know, actual artists. It’s far too easy to imagine the studio being more than willing to replace actors with AI-generated doppelgangers as well.

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

When Samuel L. Jackson appeared in Captain Marvel, the actor was digitally recreated to look like an age-appropriate version of himself for the 1990s-set film. But underneath that was the modern actor’s performance, not mere computer graphics. So Jackson is no hypocrite when he swears he won’t allow himself to be digitally recreated in any projects, whether in the Marvel Cinematic Universe or Star Wars, after his death.

The portrayer of Nick Fury, finally leading his own Marvel project with Disney+’s current Secret Invasion miniseries, told Rolling Stone that he’s been wary of studios using his likeness posthumously since he starred in The Phantom Menace:

The first time I got scanned for George Lucas [for The Phantom Menace] I was like, “What’s this for?” George and I are good friends so we kind of had a laugh about it because I thought he was doing it because he had all those old guys in Episode I, and if something happened to them, he still wanted to put ‘em in the movie. Ever since I’ve been in the Marvel Universe, every time you change costumes in a Marvel movie, they scan you. Ever since I did Captain Marvel, and they did the Lola project where they de-aged me and everything else, it’s like, “Well, I guess they can do this anytime they want to do it if they really want to!” It could be something to worry about. Future actors should do what I always do when I get a contract and it has the words “in perpetuity” and “known and unknown” on it: I cross that shit out. It’s my way of saying, “No, I do not approve of this.”

I’d say modern actors should also be equally worried about studios effectively stealing their likenesses to manipulate them for their own ends, given how much they’re already using AI to recreate them in various projects. The recent Flash movie brought Christopher Reeve, who died in 2004, back to life as Superman. The Rise of Skywalker did the same with the late Carrie Fisher for Leia Organa. Hopefully, actors new and old have taken notice and will follow Jackson’s lead.

Jackson’s statements come at an unfortunate time for Marvel Studios, which is currently under fire for using artificial intelligence to create the opening credits for Secret Invasion instead of, you know, actual artists. It’s far too easy to imagine the studio being more than willing to replace actors with AI-generated doppelgangers as well.

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.