5 Actors Who Could Play Grand Moff Tarkin in Rogue One
By Kyle Warnke
As savvy a marketing move as it was, Lucasfilm’s promise to rely on practical effects for the new era of Star Wars movies may have produced an unintended side effect within the fan community. Now, whenever even the slightest hint of CGI trickery is rumored to be creeping into the movies, it’s greeted with widespread backlash.
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Over the weekend, the Daily Mail leaked some potentially interesting, if distressing news. Gareth Edwards and his crew are looking at giving Grand Moff Tarkin an appearance in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. But they don’t just want to bring the Imperial general, who died in the first Death Star attack, back to life: They want to resurrect the actor who played him, Peter Cushing.
Cushing died in 1994, but the filmmakers are reportedly going to use advanced visual effects techniques to fully recreate the actor for the spinoff film. It’s unclear who would voice the character, or if he even has a role with speaking lines, but the rumor hasn’t been met with much praise.
Personally, I’m on the fans’ side. Let’s let Cushing’s performance continue to stand the test of time without trying to capture lightning in a bottle. Just as Ewan McGregor paid tribute to Alec Guinness with his portrayal of Obi-Wan Kenobi in the prequel trilogy, the filmmakers should let another actor take up the mantle of the grand moff.
Here are five actors who could step into Cushing’s shoes (or, if the on-set stories of A New Hope are to be believed, his slippers) and could bring Tarkin back to life in the way he was meant to be.
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