At some point A.I. will allow acting in a film to be post-processed with the appearance of any other actor. But beyond that, the software will be able to mimic the movements, speaking style and mannerisms of other actors, living or dead.
Of course there are serious copyright issues here. Which means that creators will push the limits of what constitutes outright copying.
Rather than having an performance be post-processed just in the style of, say, Humphrey Bogart, we might get 30% Bogey, 32% Cary Grant, 33% Brad Pitt, and perhaps a little Peter Sellers to round out the mix. There will be legal limits on how much your post-processed actor blend can draw from any given person, but as long as you don’t go over that limit, you will still be within your rights.
I am curious where this all will go. It would be fascinating, for example, to see a performance that appears to include aspects of both Clint Eastwood and Bette Davis. I, for one, would not want to go up against someone like that in a fight.