Deepfake videos are becoming increasingly popular, and not too long, there was a deepfake video that replaced Robert Downey Jr. with Tom Cruise in Marvel’s Iron Man movies. This is because it was previously rumored that Cruise was apparently in the running to take on the role of Tony Stark before Downey Jr. landed it himself, and now it’s pretty much hard to imagine anyone else in that role.
As with all movies, most of the time the actors cast aren’t necessarily the first choice, but based on the success of some of them, they have cemented themselves as that character. Such is the case with The Matrix where Keanu Reeves played the role of Neo. However, did you know that before Reeves was cast, Will Smith was actually offered the role as well?
The actor had turned it down for Wild Wild West but in case you’re wondering what The Matrix would have been like with Smith in the role, wonder no more. This is thanks to a new deepfake video that replaces Reeves with Smith in the movie. This particular version isn’t quite as convincing as the one with Tom Cruise, but it’s still pretty good and entertaining nonetheless.
That being said, as entertaining as these deepfake videos are, they are problematic because of their potential to be misused and abused to spread misinformation.