Gemini Man behind-the-scenes featurette shows how Will Smith's younger version was digitally created

Will Smith will be seen in both younger and current versions of himself in Academy Award-winner Ang Lee’s upcoming action thriller,  Gemini Man . The film sees Smith play an ageing assassin Henry Brogan, who is suddenly targeted and pursued by a mysterious young operative who seemingly can predict his every move. Turns out the assassin is his clone named Junior, who is 25 years younger to him and possesses sharper skills.

Smith can be seen expressing awe for the cutting-edge technology that went into recreating his younger self. “When I first saw it. It was freaky. It was me,” he says. He also says that this is a game changer for the film industry.

“This is not de-aging. This is not face-replacement. What you see for Junior is a completely digital creation 100% driven by Will Smith’s performance,” said VFX supervisor Bill Westenhofer in the video. Smith is also seen performing an emotional scene, wearing motion capture gear.

According to IGN, Gemini Man has been shot digitally at a high frame rate of 120 frames-per-second.

Smith shared the footage on Instagram.

Gemini Man has been written by David Benioff and Billy Ray. It also stars Clive Owen (Children of Men), Mary Elizabeth Winstead (10 Cloverfield Lane) and Benedict Wong (Avengers: Infinity War).

The film has been in the pipeline since 1997. The original project, set up by Disney, was pitched by Darren Lake, with Don Murphy producing and Tony Scott directing. But it was put on hold for many years to allow the visual effects technology to catch up with the film’s concept.

Gemini Man opens in theaters on 11 October, 2019.