Lucasfilm has officially confirmed that they had hired YouTuber deepfake creator as their new “senior facial capture artist.” Shamook, who is a U.K.-based video content creator, recently created a viral deepfake video that garnered much attention from the Star Wars community.
Shamook took to YouTube to share an improved appearance of a young Mark Hamill during the season two finale of The Mandalorian. The video, which raked in over two million views, captured the attention of Lucasfilm’s computer graphics subsidiary, Industrial Light and Magic, for its deepfake work. In a statement to Indiewire, a spokesperson for the company said, “Over the past several years, ILM has been investing in both machine learning and A.I. as a means to produce compelling visual effects work.”
They added that the company is “always on the lookout for talented artists,” and that “it’s been terrific to see momentum building in this space as the technology advances.” Earlier this month, Shamook appeared to hint at leaving YouTube noting that he has not “had the time to work on any new YouTube content.” He promised his YouTube followers that once he was “settled” into his new role, “uploads should start increasing again.”
For those who have not yet seen the deepfake video, check it out below.
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In other entertainment news, Ant-Man 3 has begun shooting.
