How Did Ian Holm Return in “Alien: Romulus” 4 Years After His Death? With CGI and Permission from His Widow

The late Ian Holm portrayed the character Ash in 1979's 'Alien.' 'Alien: Romulus' utilizes his likeness to portray a new android named Rook

The latest Alien movie brought the franchise's fans a major surprise when it recreated the likeness of the late Ian Holm.

Holm, who died at 88 in 2020, originally portrayed the android character Ash in Ridley Scott's original 1979 movie Alien. Though the actor himself is deceased, the series' new movie Romulus uses his likeness to portray a different android named Rook, who serves as a secondary antagonist to the lead characters played by Cailee Spaeny and David Jonsson.

"It was unfair that the likeness of Ash was never used again," Romulus director Fede Álvarez told The Hollywood Reporter of the decision to use Holm's likeness. Álvarez, 46, pointed out that other actors who portrayed synthetic characters in the series like Lance Henriksen and Michael Fassbender appeared in multiple movies and said that series creator Scott, 86, wanted to bring back Holm's character — or at least his likeness.

"So when we started thinking about the likeness of this character with Ridley, it was going to be a torso [and head] that we would build," he said. "So it didn’t need to be the likeness of a current working actor, and Ridley was the one who said, 'Ash was always the best. He needs to make a comeback.' "

Related: Alien: Romulus Trailer: Space Horror Franchise Returns in Terrifying First Look

"So we went for it with the permission of the family: his widow and all of his kids," the filmmaker added. "We wanted to make sure everybody was on board with the idea of bringing his likeness back."

Sure enough, the movie's final credits credit Holm as a "facial and vocal reference" for the character Rook, while Daniel Betts performed as the character on set. Holm's estate also receives a special thanks in the film's closing credits.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 

"Rook is a different character, but I play with your prejudice because fans of the original know that face," Álvarez told THR about inserting Holm's face into the film. "There’s also a whole generation [of new viewers] that are going to watch this movie and the character is not going to mean much to them. They’re not going to feel that effect, but for the ones who’ve seen the original, they know that he shouldn’t be trusted."

Related: Alien: Romulus Parents Guide: Is the R-Rated Sci-fi Horror Film OK for Tweens to See?

Android characters in the Alien franchise often function as antagonists to human protagonists. The original Alien movie makes a major plot twist out of the reveal that Holm's character is a robot.

Alien: Romulus is in theaters now.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.