AsThe Dark Knightapproaches the $ 450 million chump , Oscar buzz is building for the recent Heath Ledger . Christopher Nolan has insist that he did not digitally interpolate or use stand - ins to complete Ledger ’s picture — this was the manager ’s attempt to keep up the wholeness of the late histrion ’s carrying out . regrettably , that honor was not bestow upon the legacy of other departed actor . Here are a few method directors have used to fill the interruption left by asleep flick stars — some respectable , others not so much .
1. Make it an A-List Tribute
Ledger ’s final character will formally come inThe Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus , a thaumaturgy - found film he was shooting when he choke . Rather than abandon the film , director Terry Gillam has insisted that the show will go on . He has decided on a rather unconventional method to meet in the gap — using not one , but three , A - List doer ( Johnny Depp , Colin Farrell and Jude Law ) to nail the moving-picture show . The scenes completed by Ledger are all prepare in the substantial creation , whereas the film traverses through different kingdom . Ledger ’s font will be as if by magic changed to that of other actors used to portray different incarnations of his character . Imaginarium , likeDark Knight , will be dedicated to Ledger when it is unfreeze next twelvemonth .
2. Poorly Conceal the Actor’s Absence
The hidden face proficiency was used decade later with the late Bruce Lee . During yield forGame of Death , Lee take a leave of absence of absence to film the big budget Hollywood kung fu movieEnter the Dragon . Lee tragically died after filmingEnter the Dragon , and thus never completedGame of last . In ordering to not ware unreleased footage of a Isle of Man who had posthumously become a major principal , yield resumed six old age later using a new hand and a radically different plot . Two stand - ins with dark glasses , fake face fungus and cryptic shadows were used to portray Lee in new scene call for his part . Lee ’s absence is most obvious in a scene in which a composition board reduce out of Lee ’s face is taped onto a mirror for a close - up shot . The film also controversially used genuine footage from Lee ’s funeral and a close up of his actual body in a casket for a view in which Lee ’s quality forge his own dying .
3. Send in the Stunt Doubles
Of course , using stunt stunt woman is n’t such a big deal when only one or two scenes are necessitate to dispatch a film . Natalie Wood tragically ( and some debate , suspiciously ) drowned during a fracture in production for the 1983 science fiction filmBrainstorm . Though principal photography was mostly complete at the clip of her death , a vital climactic scene had yet to be filmed . Production was stop for two years while the studio apartment and conductor contemplated what to do with the film . The studio wanted to abandon the projection and collect the insurance money . Eventually , the decision was made by conductor Douglas Trumbull to use obscured tv camera angles and a sales booth in to complete the remaining scenes . The picture show was a critically praised tribute to woodwind , but a box office bomb .
4. Use Computers
Brandon Lee conk in a tragic on - set stroke while filmingThe Crow . His death was almost twenty age after the mysterious dying of his Father of the Church , Bruce Lee , and just a calendar month before the sack ofDragon : The Bruce Lee Story , a openhanded screen life about his founding father . The Crowhad just seven scene left with Lee to shoot when he died on March 31 , 1991 . With the support of Lee ’s mother and fiancà © e , director Alex Proyas adjudicate to finish the plastic film using CGI engineering to lay over Lee ’s boldness on stand - ins . The film was a huge achiever when it was free in 1994 , despite the ill fame of the devastating on - coiffure accident .
The same CGI - masking technique was used to discharge the bare scenes of Oliver Reed inGladiator . Reed ache a heart plan of attack in Malta while wrapping up his role as the slave trader Proximo . He was appoint for several awards for the role , and the moving picture went on to gain the Academy Award for Best Picture , as well as Best Visual Effects .
5. Cut and Paste
Just because the star of a successful film series died before a film is written does n’t mean it ca n’t be made . The 1982 bombTrail of the Pink Pantherwas made a year after the death of franchise backbone Peter Sellers , who portray iconic Inspector Clouseau . All of Sellers ' scenes were manufacture using archival footage , deleted scenes and outtakes from other Pink Panther films . It became middling obvious which movies the scenes were pull from based on the vesture and quality of the footage . The rest of the non - vendor scene were made at the same time with new footage for the next installment of the series , which did not use the Clouseau character . Apparently , no one wanted to keep an eye on a picture recycled from the editing elbow room base ; it was a commercial-grade and critical nonstarter .
trafficker ' widow Lynne Frederick was not amuse by the cut and glue film ; she successfully sued the production troupe for tarnishing her late husband ’s name and reputation . The enfranchisement carry on without Sellers or financial success inCurse of the Pink PantherandSon of the Pink Panther . When the franchise was revamped in 2006 , Steve Martin was throw as Clouseau .
6. Cover it Up
When John Candy transcend away in 1994 latterly in yield forWagons East , the movie maker claimed that all of his scene had been film and would be used as is . rooter of Candy have noticed that at least one scene with Candy in a prevention was recycled with a slightly different background , and that a tie-up - in was used in other scene . Additionally , fans and critic mistrust the script was altered to obviate Candy ’s incomplete aspect . Despite being one of the last body of work of a beloved actor , the movie was critically panned and bombed financially .
7. Scrap the Whole Thing
Sometimes it ’s best to rank unfinished films on the shelf when a quality mathematical product can not be made without a departed star . The final undertaking of River Phoenix , a flaky drama calledDark stock , had only 11 days of cinematography persist when he died in 1993 . A few scene have been made public by director George Sluizer , who lawfully owns all footage from the film . He has claimed that he designate to use the footage as part of a biography about Phoenix .
Marilyn Monroe ’s bare final project , Something ’s Got to Give , is one of the most notorious bare movies of all time . The film was a remaking of the 1940 screwball comedyMy Favorite Wifeand suffered script and budget problem from day one . After failing to show up on set many time , Monroe was fired from the film , but as co - starring Dean Martin say , " No Marilyn , no picture . " She was re - lease , but there was still no picture — she choke on August 5 , 1962 , before long before production was to resume . The nine hr of footage featuring Monroe , including a much talked about tightfitting drop tantrum , was place in a Hollywood vault and leave untouched for ten . To save aspect , Something ’s Got to Givewas rewrite , recast with Doris Day and pay the titleMove Over , Darlingand used many of the same sets and costumes from the Monroe shoot .
In 2001 , the original scenes were touched up and developed into a 37 - minute segment for the biographyMarilyn : The Final Days .
