Why Is a Deceased Actor Appearing?... Controversy Over Restoring Original Actor in New Alien Film

Android 'Aes' Role Ian Home, Passed Away in 2020
"Felt Discomfort," "Must Uphold Bioethics"
Director: "Worked Out of Respect for the Actor"

Movie still from 'Alien Romulus'. Photo by Walt Disney Korea

The film 'Alien: Romulus' sparked controversy as an actor who passed away four years ago appeared in it.

On the 21st (local time), the British BBC reported the appearance of an android character resembling the late Ian Holm in the recently released Hollywood film 'Alien: Romulus'.

Ian Holm was a famous British actor who appeared in 'All Quiet on the Western Front', 'The Lord of the Rings', and 'The Hobbit'. He battled Parkinson's disease and passed away in 2020 at the age of 88. He played the android villain character 'Ash' in the 1979 film 'Alien'. The makers of 'Alien: Romulus' used AI technology to restore Ian Holm's face and voice to create a new character named 'Luke'.

Ian Holm, who appeared in Alien in 1979

However, foreign media and audiences seem uncomfortable with the resurrection of Ian Holm in the film. Negative reactions such as "It feels repulsive," "Is this digital necromancy calling back the dead?" and "Does profit matter more than bioethics?" were predominant.

But director Fede Alvarez had a different stance. In a recent interview with the LA Times, he said, "Creating the character 'Luke' was meant to reflect on the significance of Ian Holm as an actor in the history of the 'Alien' series," adding, "The work was based on great respect for him." He also added, "We provided sufficient explanation and obtained prior consent from Ian Holm's wife, Sophie de Stempel."

Meanwhile, 'Alien: Romulus' is the seventh story in the 'Alien' series and was released in South Korea on the 14th.