From Bruce Lee to Paul Walker: 5 Hollywood Stars Who Were Brought Back From The Dead To Finish Their Films!

Actor Paul Newman, who died in 2008, two years after playing the mentor to Owen Wilson’s character Lightning McQueen in the original Cars, will return to star in Cars 3.

The actor will ‘return’ to voice Doc Hudson in the upcoming third instalment of Pixar’s animated series with the help of hours of material culled from old interviews with Pixar head John Lasseter.

But the Hollywood legend isn’t the first actor to have his character be resurrected after their death. Here are 5 other actors who were brought back, in different ways, to finish their films.

1. Carrie Fisher and Peter Cushing in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

This is perhaps the latest, and somewhat controversial, example of characters being brought back. While Peter Cushing’s estate gave its blessing to the filmmakers to use his likeness in the Star Wars prequel, fans were unsure of how to respond to his presence in the film. And while Carrie Fisher was alive when the film came out, her passing soon after ignited the debate about whether or not she would be a part of the upcoming Episode IX.

2. Brandon Lee in The Crow

Lee was killed after being accidentally shot during filming a scene in The Crow. He had just three days filming remaining. After his death, production was halted and the script was rewritten to include additional scenes. After briefly considering abandoning the project, an extra $8 million was injected into shooting stunt double Chad Stahelski (who would later go on to direct John Wick), and superimpose Lee’s face onto his. The film is considered a cult classic now.

3. Bruce Lee in Game of Death

Brandon’s father, Bruce, suffered a similar fate. He collapsed during an ADR (dubbing) session for his film Enter the Dragon due to a cerebral edema. Five years after his death, Robert Clouse used bearded body doubles, old footage, a plastic surgery subplot and even a cardboard cutout in his 1978 film Game of Death.

4. Paul Walker in Fast & Furious 7

Walker, star of the Fast and Furious series, died in a car accident while filming the seventh instalment of the series. Production was immediately halted, and scenes were rewritten to include an emotional sendoff for his character. Walker’s twin brothers, Caleb and Cody, filled in for him for his remaining scenes, and his face was digitally superimposed on his brothers’. Fast & Furious 7 became the highest-grossing entry in the franchise, and included a much-appreciated farewell for Walker’s character.

5. Philip Seymour Hoffman in the Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2

Hoffman died due to a drug overdose during filming of the final instalment in the Hunger Games saga. The cast and crew, out of respect for his performance, did not want to digitally recreate his two remaining scenes, so they were rewritten from the perspective of Woody Harrelson’s character.