Latest news with #WetaDigital
Miami Herald
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Vin Diesel says Paul Walker's Brian O'Conner could return in ‘Fast & Furious 11'
Vin Diesel says the planned finale of the long-running "Fast & Furious" franchise will come with an unexpected passenger. Speaking at Fuel Fest, an automotive event in Pomona over the weekend, Diesel told fans that the final "Fast & Furious" film will bring back one of the series' most beloved characters: Paul Walker's Brian O'Conner. The longtime on-screen partner to Diesel's Dominic Toretto, O'Conner last appeared in 2015's "Furious 7," which was completed after Walker's death in a car accident in 2013 at age 40. The franchise - known for its blend of street racing, elaborate heists and outsized action - has grown into one of the most successful of all time, with more than $7 billion at the global box office. "Just yesterday I was with Universal Studios," Diesel said in a video from the event. "The studio said to me, 'Vin, can we please have the finale of 'Fast & Furious' [in] April 2027?' I said, 'Under three conditions' - because I've been listening to my fanbase." Those conditions, he said, were to bring the franchise back to L.A., return to its street-racing roots and reunite Dom and Brian. "That is what you're going to get in the finale," Diesel promised. How the production might accomplish that reunion remains unclear. When Walker died during the making of "Furious 7," the filmmakers turned to a mix of archived footage, digital effects and performances by Walker's brothers, Caleb and Cody, who served as stand-ins for unfinished scenes. Artists at Weta Digital created more than 300 visual-effects shots to map Walker's likeness onto his brothers' bodies, often piecing together dialogue from existing recordings. The film's farewell - showing Brian and Dom driving side by side before splitting onto separate roads - became one of the franchise's most memorable and emotional moments, widely seen as a tribute to Walker's legacy. A return for Brian O'Conner would join a growing list of posthumous digital performances in major franchises - a practice that continues to stir debate over where the line should be drawn. In 2016's "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story," Peter Cushing's Grand Moff Tarkin was recreated through a mix of motion capture, CGI and archival material, decades after Cushing's death. In 2019, "The Rise of Skywalker" relied on previously unused footage and digital stitching to return Carrie Fisher's Leia to the screen three years after the actress' passing. And in last year's "Alien: Romulus," the late Ian Holm's likeness was recreated as an android using AI and digital effects, with the approval of his estate - a choice that sparked controversy and led to more practical effects being used in the film's home release. Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
Los Angeles Times
29-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Vin Diesel says Paul Walker's Brian O'Conner could return in ‘Fast & Furious 11'
Vin Diesel says the planned finale of the long-running 'Fast & Furious' franchise will come with an unexpected passenger. Speaking at Fuel Fest, an automotive event in Pomona over the weekend, Diesel told fans that the final 'Fast & Furious' film will bring back one of the series' most beloved characters: Paul Walker's Brian O'Conner. The longtime on-screen partner to Diesel's Dominic Toretto, O'Conner last appeared in 2015's 'Furious 7,' which was completed after Walker's death in a car accident in 2013 at age 40. The franchise — known for its blend of street racing, elaborate heists and outsized action — has grown into one of the most successful of all time, with more than $7 billion at the global box office. 'Just yesterday I was with Universal Studios,' Diesel said in a video from the event. 'The studio said to me, 'Vin, can we please have the finale of 'Fast & Furious' [in] April 2027?' I said, 'Under three conditions' — because I've been listening to my fanbase.' Those conditions, he said, were to bring the franchise back to L.A., return to its street-racing roots and reunite Dom and Brian. 'That is what you're going to get in the finale,' Diesel promised. How the production might accomplish that reunion remains unclear. When Walker died during the making of 'Furious 7,' the filmmakers turned to a mix of archived footage, digital effects and performances by Walker's brothers, Caleb and Cody, who served as stand-ins for unfinished scenes. Artists at Weta Digital created more than 300 visual-effects shots to map Walker's likeness onto his brothers' bodies, often piecing together dialogue from existing recordings. The film's farewell — showing Brian and Dom driving side by side before splitting onto separate roads — became one of the franchise's most memorable and emotional moments, widely seen as a tribute to Walker's legacy. A return for Brian O'Conner would join a growing list of posthumous digital performances in major franchises — a practice that continues to stir debate over where the line should be drawn. In 2016's 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,' Peter Cushing's Grand Moff Tarkin was recreated through a mix of motion capture, CGI and archival material, decades after Cushing's death. In 2019, 'The Rise of Skywalker' relied on previously unused footage and digital stitching to return Carrie Fisher's Leia to the screen three years after the actress' passing. And in last year's 'Alien: Romulus,' the late Ian Holm's likeness was recreated as an android using AI and digital effects, with the approval of his estate — a choice that sparked controversy and led to more practical effects being used in the film's home release.
RNZ News
29-06-2025
- Entertainment
- RNZ News
Training next generation filmmakers in Wellywood
arts movies 2:30 pm today This week I put on a suit. No ordinary suit. A motion capture suit, in the studios of the Victoria University of Wellington Miramar Creative Centre. It's next door to the likes of Weta Digital and Park Road Post, enabling a new generation of filmmakers to learn within the cutting edge environment that gave Wellywood its nickname. I have to say - moving on the performance capture stage, I'm not exactly Andy-Serkis-as-Gollum level - but its quite the out-of-body experience. I got to be a fearsome Genghis Khan on a grand opera house stage. Miramar Creative Centre was established by Jamie Selkirk, co Founder of Weta and the Roxy Cinema and Oscar-winning editor of Lord of the Rings. The centre is one of a number of initiatives around the country looking to grow film education industry. For example, the University of Canterbury is now partnering with Wallace and Gromit creators Aardman Animation to provide stop motion animation education through its academy.. Yet, the film industry is also facing uncertain, challenging times. Joining Culture 101: Miramar Creative Centre director Raqi Syed, a lecturer, and visual effects and lighting director. She worked with Disney Animation on classics like Tangled and, with Weta Digital, Avatar, Planet of the Apes and the Hobbit films. With her is Jun Huang, a recent masters graduate at Miramar who has established his own animation studio Dozeface. You can watch Dozeface's 'Weekly bedtime stories for overstimulated minds' on Youtube.
USA Today
28-02-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
James Cameron slams 'horrifying' Trump news, calls his New Zealand citizenship 'imminent'
James Cameron slams 'horrifying' Trump news, calls his New Zealand citizenship 'imminent' Show Caption Hide Caption Influencers celebrate Trump inauguration at TikTok-sponsored party "Now he understands the power of Gen Z." Influencers celebrated Trump's inauguration at a TikTok-sponsored party. Over a month after President Donald Trump was sworn in for a second term, legendary director James Cameron is not holding his tongue. In an interview with the New Zealand news outlet Stuff, the Canadian filmmaker voiced concern over the state of the American government and relief about living oceans away. Cameron is set to become a New Zealand citizen in the coming weeks, describing it as "imminent," according to the outlet. "I think it's horrific," the 70-year-old filmmaker said of Trump round two. "I think it's horrifying. … I see a turn away from everything decent. America doesn't stand for anything if it doesn't stand for what it has historically stood for. It becomes a hollow idea." USA TODAY has reached out to reps for further comment. While Hollywood has long been home to plenty of Trump's critics, the second election has brought forth a quieter resistance. Awards season, usually marked by fiery political speeches, has seen less specifically "anti-Trump" language, and more focus on individual groups like immigrants and transgender Americans that have been targeted by some of the administration's recent actions. "I think they're hollowing it out as fast as they can," Cameron said of the new president and his appointees. "For their own benefit." Despite not living stateside, the director of blockbusters like "Avatar" and "Titanic," said he can't quite sever his connection to the U.S. and tune out. "I think we're all in this together globally, I don't know if I feel any safer here," he told the outlet, "but I certainly feel like I don't have to read it on the front page every single day and it's just sickening." The New Zealand papers, he joked, will usually bury the Trump news on page three, which is a welcome departure from what Cameron says feels "like watching a car crash over and over." "I just don't want to see that guy's face anymore on the front page of the paper," he said. Cameron was born in Canada but made a name for himself in Hollywood after moving to America. His ties with New Zealand run deep though − both high-grossing "Avatar" films were made with Weta Digital, an Oscar-winning visual effects studio based in Wellington, the country's capital.
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
James Cameron slams 'horrifying' Trump news, calls his New Zealand citizenship 'imminent'
Over a month after President Donald Trump was sworn in for a second term, legendary director James Cameron is not holding his tongue. In an interview with the New Zealand news outlet Stuff, the Canadian filmmaker voiced concern over the state of the American government and relief about living oceans away. Cameron is set to become a New Zealand citizen in the coming weeks, describing it as "imminent," according to the outlet. "I think it's horrific," the 70-year-old filmmaker said of Trump round two. "I think it's horrifying. … I see a turn away from everything decent. America doesn't stand for anything if it doesn't stand for what it has historically stood for. It becomes a hollow idea." USA TODAY has reached out to reps for further comment. While Hollywood has long been home to plenty of Trump's critics, the second election has brought forth a quieter resistance. Awards season, usually marked by fiery political speeches, has seen less specifically "anti-Trump" language, and more focus on individual groups like immigrants and transgender Americans that have been targeted by some of the administration's recent actions. "I think they're hollowing it out as fast as they can," Cameron said of the new president and his appointees. "For their own benefit." Despite not living stateside, the director of blockbusters like "Avatar" and "Titanic," said he can't quite sever his connection to the U.S. and tune out. "I think we're all in this together globally, I don't know if I feel any safer here," he told the outlet, "but I certainly feel like I don't have to read it on the front page every single day and it's just sickening." The New Zealand papers, he joked, will usually bury the Trump news on page three, which is a welcome departure from what Cameron says feels "like watching a car crash over and over." "I just don't want to see that guy's face anymore on the front page of the paper," he said. Cameron was born in Canada but made a name for himself in Hollywood after moving to America. His ties with New Zealand run deep though − both high-grossing "Avatar" films were made with Weta Digital, an Oscar-winning visual effects studio based in Wellington, the country's capital. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: James Cameron blasts Trump amid move to New Zealand
