The special effects team behind the Tupac Shakur hologram that wowed Coachella Valley Music Festival goers last year now has plans to "revive" Elvis Presley.
Visual effects company Digital Domain Media Group — founded by filmmaker James Cameron in 1993 — said it had begun work on "a series of digital Elvis Presley likenesses for shows and multi-platform entertainment projects," in conjunction with Elvis Presley Enterprises, the Wall Street Journal reported.
According to Reuters, that means a Presley hologram for shows, film, TV and other projects worldwide, including appearances.
"We are looking to develop several versions of Elvis," Ed Ulbrich, chief creative officer at Digital Domain, told the Los Angeles Times.
"And we are looking at development across different distribution channels, including live shows."
Digital Domain, which won an Oscar for its work on "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," specializes in creating "synthetic human beings," Ulbrich said.
"The first hour of that movie, the character is completely computer generated from the neck up," Ulbrich said of the character Benjamin Button. "That was really, for us, a watershed, breakthrough moment."
Tupac hologram represented the company's efforts to branch out from films, and took the company only two months to create, a spokeswoman told the Times.
GlobalPost reports: Tupac Shakur resurrected at Coachella
Holograms were used for a "live" performance of the animated band the Gorrillaz at the 2006 Grammys along with a holographic Madonna.
Tupac, who died 15 years ago, "performed" at Coachella alongside Snoop Dogg and producer Dr. Dre. At the time, there was talk of a tour in stadiums involving such hip-hop stars as Eminem, 50 Cent and Wiz Khalifa.
Elvis died in 1977 at the age of 42.
Ulbrich reportedly stayed mum on whether whether the holographic King of Rock 'n' Roll would be young or old, fat or svelte.
"The idea is that we’re creating Elvis in the most favorable light and we’re presenting him at his best," he said.
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatches/globalpost-blogs/weird-wide-web/tupac-shakur-hologram-elvis-presley
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