As a movie buff with over four decades of sci-fi film history under my belt, I find myself both intrigued and slightly unsettled by the decision to resurrect Ian Holm’s likeness for Alien: Romulus. Having lost my own father not too long ago, I can only imagine the emotional rollercoaster Sophie de Stempel must have experienced when Fede Álvarez reached out with the idea of bringing her husband back to the big screen.
Spoiler Warning: This article contains spoilers for Alien: Romulus
In a recent interview, the director of “Alien: Romulus”, Fede Álvarez, has shed light on one of the movie’s more contentious choices. The film includes an artificial character named Rook, who bears a striking resemblance to Ash from the original “Alien” series, portrayed by Ian Holm. Unfortunately for fans, Holm passed away in 2020, leading many to be taken aback that his likeness was used for this significant new character in “Alien: Romulus”.
In a heartfelt conversation with Entertainment Weekly, I shared my thoughts on the story and the compelling choice to embody Holm’s Ash likeness for our movie. With Lance Henrickson’s Bishop and Michael Fassbender’s David/Walter gracing numerous films, I felt it was essential to revisit the synthetic character that ignited it all – Ash from Alien. However, it’s important to clarify that this isn’t the same character we knew before; instead, it’s a continuation, an evolution of the storyline that began with Ash.
Historically, there are only a limited number of synthetics, which is why some models recur. During our conversation, Ridley and I both agreed that the original model, played by Ian Holm, was the best among them all because it had never returned. While it shares a resemblance, its personality is distinct. Rook and Ash share the same knowledge because it’s all controlled by Mother, the operating system. However, this android is unique, but it carries the same consciousness of Mother that was transferred from one android to another.
Prior to initiating the project, Álvarez contacted Holm’s family, including Sophie de Stempel, his widow. As a significant gesture, she granted her blessing. To breathe life into the character, a unique approach was taken by merging an animatronic torso resembling Holm and actor Daniel Betts delivering Holm’s lines. This innovative method allowed Holm to return to our screens once more, as he had done for many years during his lifetime. Álvarez commented:
As a film enthusiast, the story begins when I reached out to the estate, having a heartfelt conversation with his widow. She shared her belief that Ian, in the twilight of his life, was snubbed by Hollywood, yearning for more roles post-“The Hobbit”. However, that didn’t happen. Hearing this, she was overjoyed at the prospect of his return to the silver screen.
The Debate About Resurrecting Actors Continues
The decision to use Holm’s likeness for Ash has been met with mixed responses. One of the biggest critiques is the effects used to create the character. Rook is vital to the plot of Alien: Romulus, and many have noted that the character’s lips have been quite distracting in some core scenes. Of course, the other major bone of contention revolves around the ethical question of whether it is right or wrong to bring back a deceased actor without their express permission. While it seems that Holm’s widow made it clear that she knows the actor would have approved of his likeness being used, there is still a chance, had he been alive, that he could have rejected the idea.
The depiction of an Ash-like character in ‘Alien: Romulus’ has sparked a lot of discussion about the film, with some arguing that using Holm’s likeness was superfluous since the character is synthetic. They suggest that it could have been a new, unseen model portrayed by another actor instead. Some even propose bringing back Michael Fassbender as David, considering Alien: Romulus has strong ties to ‘Prometheus’. However, in the timeline of Romulus, an android resembling Ash seems fitting, yet this doesn’t diminish the controversy for some. Despite the debate, Alien: Romulus is expected to generate a worldwide gross of up to $100 million, suggesting it will continue the successful run of the Alien series.
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2024-08-18 00:33