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Netflix has posted a fascinating behind-the-scenes video that shows how the team at Star Wars effects studio Industrial Light & Magic went about de-aging Robert DeNiro, Joe Pesci, and Al Pacino for the streamer’s new crime movie The Irishman.

Director Martin Scorsese explains had been trying to make The Irishman for nearly a decade, but he could never get financing. When Scorsese eventually signed a deal with Netflix for the movie, there was still a problem–DeNiro, Pesci, and Pacino were too old for makeup alone to make them look younger as would be required for their roles in the film.

When filming the Scorsese’s 2016 movie Silence, ILM boss Pablo Helman came to Scorsese with an idea to use digital de-aging to make The Irishman. Scorsese said he was worried that DeNiro, Pesci, and Pacino would feel uncomfortable and not be able to act their best with the traditional motion-capture rigs surrounding their faces. So Helman and his team at ILM created all-new technology that would not encumber the three Oscar-winning actors.

The entire video is incredibly fascinating and well worth a watch; check it out below.

This technology, as you’ll see in the video, includes a new camera rig system that uses three cameras–one traditional camera and two infrared cameras–as well as advanced software to create younger-looking versions of the actors. ILM spent around two years compiling footage from the actors’ previous movies across a spectrum of ages to serve as models for the faces and expressions that they would use in the film.

In 2015, years before cameras started rolling on The Irishman, DeNiro tested this technology by performing one of his memorable scenes from Scorsese’s 1990 mobster movie Goodfellas. Scorsese said he was blown away by the results, and Netflix also liked it and decided to move forward with filming the entire movie using this brand-new technology.

Pesci, DeNiro, and Pacino had their faces scanned into the computer so the software could emulate a multitude of different expressions. Some who have seen The Irishman have remarked that the de-aging doesn’t always look completely believable or what you might expect, and this may be on purpose. The ILM team explains in the video that they were not exclusively trying to create younger-looking versions of the actors. Instead, they sought to create younger-looking versions of the characters the actors were portraying.

The ILM staff in the video also speak about how they believe this kind of de-aging technology might become the new norm, and lead to a filmmaking world where actors never have to use face rings or have ping pong balls attached to their face and body. Scorsese told The Hollywood Reporter that ILM’s technology came at no small expense, so it remains to be seen how widely this technology may be adopted by other studios in the future. The Irishman reportedly carried a budget of more than $150 million, and that’s before marketing.

GameSpot’s review of The Irishman scored it a 9/10. “It feels like a career summation, a mature and dignified work that could only be made by an older filmmaker able to look back on his life and his work. And while Frank Sheeran is left as an old man filled only with shame and regret, Scorsese proves that his powers as a filmmaker remain at full strength,” reviewer Dan Auty said.

Despite its marathon length of 3.5 hours, many millions of people watched The Irishman in its first week and first month.

Razer has debuted a new mobile controller that can strap onto a phone, the Razer Kishi, during CES 2020. This universal controller is designed to work with any phone, and is made with streaming services like Google Stadia and xCloud in mind.

There will be Android and iOS versions of the controller, but they will both carry the same features. These include clickable analog thumbsticks and buttons similar to an Xbox One controller, as well as a D-Pad.

It’s a low-latency device, and connects to the phone through either USB-C or a Lightning connection. It can charge your device while it’s being used, and it can stretch to suit the style of phone it’s being clipped onto.

CNET went hands-on with the device during CES 2020, and found that playing Gears 5 through xCloud on their phone with the Kishi worked well. It’ll also be compatible with all mobile titles that support controllers.

We also saw the PlayStation 5 logo unveiled during CES 2020, ahead of its holiday 2020 release. In other mobile gaming news, the AlienWare Concept UFO was shown off, which looks a lot like a Switch for PC games.

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With just a few months to go before the new James Bond movie No Time To Die hits theatres in April, the producers have brought in a new composer in an unprecedented move.

Sources told Variety that Eon Productions have hired Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer (The Lion King, Gladiator, Blade Runner 2049) to take over following the departure of Dan Romer. According to the report, Romer and Eon had “creative differences.”

No Time To Die director Cary Fukunaga hired Romer in summer 2019; they previously worked together on Fukunaga’s Beasts of No Nation and Maniac.

Variety reports that Zimmer may not be working on the No Time To Die music alone, due to the very short turnaround. Unsubstantiated rumours suggests that Benjamin Wallfisch and Lorne Balfe might be collaborating with Zimmer on the No Time To Die score.

This change-up is unexpected and unprecedented. Variety reminds us that never before in the the 58-year history of the James Bond series has a composer been replaced during post-production.

No Time To Die is scheduled to hit theatres on April 10, and it is expected that it will be the final James Bond movie starring Daniel Craig in the lead role. Ralph Fiennes, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, and Léa Seydoux (who also appears in Death Stranding) all return to the roles of M, Q, Miss Moneypenny, and Madeleine Swann respectively. The new cast members include Rami Malek as the villain, as well as Billy Magnussen and Ana de Armas.

Fantasy Flight Interactive, the video game division of the tabletop game company Fantasy Flight, is closing up shop. Tim Gerritsen, the boss of the Madison, Wisconsin-based studio, announced the forthcoming closure of the studio in a post on LinkedIn.

“It’s with great sadness that I have to report that the decision has been made to close Fantasy Flight Interactive next month,” Gerritsen said. “I’m proud of the team and the game we’ve dedicated ourselves to for the past few years. It’s a been an amazing journey with even more amazing people.”

Fantasy Flight Interactive’s one and only game is Lord of the Rings: Adventure Card Game, which was produced under license by the Lord of the Rings licensing company Middle-earth Enterprises. It’s notable for, among other reasons, being the first adventure card game based on The Lord of the Rings.

Gerritsen went on to say that he is working to help affected staffers find new positions, while he will also be looking for new work following the closure of Fantasy Flight Interactive in February. Gerritsen previously worked on BioShock Infinite, Prey, Rune, and the MechWarrior franchise.

Lord of the Rings: Adventure Card Game was officially released in 2019 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC. The game is based on Fantasy Flight’s tabletop Lord of the Rings card game that was released in 2011, and it will continue to be supported on console and PC.

Fantasy Flight Interactive was launched in 2017, so it lived for a period of around two years.

In other Lord of the Rings video game news, Daedelic Entertainment recently shared more details about its Gollum-focused game and also confirmed it’s coming to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. Additionally, Amazon is developing a new Lord of the Rings MMO.