Marlon Brando digitally reprises his role as Jor-El in the movie Superman Returns. The film uses the footage he shot for the Christopher Reeve version but with the new star.
Has this ever been done before (a performance from one movie woven into another movie)?
Also, I remember that Brando’s contract for the first SUPERMAN gave him a share of the gross. At the time it made him the highest paid actor in history because his 15 minutes (or whatever) of footage earned him more than one million dollars per on-screen minute. I wonder if his estate (which was essentially bankrupt with $20 million in assets and $20 million in debts) can lay claim to a percentage of what’s sure to be an insane gross for this movie. I’ve little doubt that they’re gonna try if there’s any possible way.
The meshing of a performance from one movie with a second happens a lot, especially as computer technology advances. In Marty Feldman’s The Last Remake Of Beau Geste there is a wonderful scene where it appears that Gary Cooper and Marty Feldman are seated at the same table having a conversation. This is done through clever editing but its absolutely convincing and very funny.
His contract undoubtedly allowed the makers of Superman to use his performance to promote the film. So the studio could claim that Superman Returns is actually a promo for the first film.
Actually, the producers of Superman Returns will have had to have negotiated a new contract with the Brando estate in order to use the performance.
One of the Pink Panther movies was made from various unused bits from earlier films, after Sellers died. Sellers’ estate tried to sue to stop it happening, but failed. I’ve heard it’s awful, but I’ve never seen it.
While I’ve never seen it quite confirmed, I suspect that the moving-and-talking bits of Olivier’s appearance in Sky Captain are entirely based on manipulating the film of him used for the “hologram” in Time, since that was also just a giant floating head. The Guardian article’s sentence that “Images of him come from assorted films and archive footage” can cover the earlier points in the film where Totenkopf is seen in photos. If true, then the non-trivial bits of Olivier’s appearance in the film actually do all derive from the same (somewhat similar at that) role.
Going back, Topper Takes a Trip has footage of Cary Grant in his earlier role in Topper. Grant didn’t want to be in the sequel, so they had to make do.
Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? used old clips to Bette Davis (**Ex-Lady ** and Parachute Jumper) and Joan Crawford (Sadie McKee) to illustrate the fictional acting careers of their characters.
I coulda done anything . . . I coulda been the greatest superhero ever . . . instead of a piece of recycled footage, which is what I am, let’s face it, Charlie!
Similarly, in Sunset Blvd., when Joe Gillis (William Holden) and Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson) watch one of Desomond’s silent films, they actually watch Swanson in Queen Kelly (directed by Erich von Stroheim, who in Susnet Blvd., plays Desmond’s director-turned-husband-turned-butler).
In Total Recall, when Quaid is getting the Recall sales pitch, there’s a monitor in the back showing scenes of Arnold lifting weights back in his Pumping Iron days.
This isn’t a performance from another movie, but The Sopranos weaved together outtakes of the deceased Nancy Marchand playing Livia Soprano with some digital funny business, so that they could wrap up her character after the actress’ death. It looked like a video game gone awry to me.
More to the OP, in The Limey (quoting the IMDB): “footage from the 1967 film Poor Cow (1967) (Ken Loach’s directorial debut) is featured as flashbacks of Wilson (Terence Stamp) with his baby daughter and wife.”
I realize that it’s somewhat different than the OP, but I think the recycling of News footage in Forrest Gump is worth mentioning. In any case it seems like the highest profile example of it.