Last week it was reported that Bruce Willis had sold his likeness rights to be used in future deepfake videos, but it seems that this is not exactly the case. While it is true that Willis has previously had his image replicated by the company Deepcake, both Willis’ representatives and Deepcake have confirmed that no deal has been made around control of the actor’s image for upcoming work.
Bruce Willis was forced into retirement earlier this this year due to being diagnosed with aphasia. Although the actor has made over 20 movies in the last two years, all low-budget straight to DVD affairs, he has also appeared in a commercial for a Russian phone service without actually moving a muscle as the whole performance was a deepfake. At the time, Willis said it was like an “opportunity to step back in time,” so it was therefore not surprising when stories of the actor having sold his likeness rights started appearing.
Now according to Yahoo Entertainment, Willis’ representatives have dismissed the reports, stating that there has been no official contract or agreement made with Deepcake. This is something that was later corroborated by Deepcake’s representatives, who said that despite their previous work with the actor, his likeness is still his.
Bruce Willis’ Retirement Shocked The World
While Willis announced his retirement in March of this year, instigating a whole wave of love and support from the actor’s previous co-stars, directors, friends and fans, the shock of his diagnosis and being forced to step back from acting has been softened by the fact that his final films have yet to be released.
Among those projects still to be released is Paradise City, the movie that is expected to be Willis’ final appearance. The film also stars John Travolta and Praya Lundberg and sees Willis playing Ryan Swan, a man who “must carve his way through the Hawaiian crime world to wreak vengeance on the kingpin who murdered his father.” Set in Hawaii and going down the tried and tested revenge route, the movie sounds like exactly the type of movie for Willis to make his swansong, and being repaired with his Pulp Fiction co-star, it is nice for Willis to be able to go out with a familiar base on board.
While almost all of Willis’ releases over the last two years have been roundly panned by critics, the purpose of the movies was to allow the star to cram in as many roles to his final years as an actor. Willis has clearly been determined to make sure that he did not slip away quietly and has just been happy to be able to actor solidly for a few years knowing that he would not be able to do so for much longer. Even though the movies may not stand up against some of Bruce Willis’ biggest movies from the last four decades, they have been a bittersweet finale to the career of one of Hollywood’s greatest and possibly most unlikely action heroes.