Bruce Lee Comes Back to Life in Johnnie Walker Ad

Chalk it up to CGI magic.

Martial arts legend and action star Bruce Lee died 40 years ago, but whiskey purveyor Johnnie Walker has brought him — or at least his likeness — back to life. Its 90-second "Hail to the Game Changers" ad features Bruce Lee wandering through a Hong Kong hotel, expounding on his philosophy about how to be a game changer.

The video was initially shot with lookalike Danny Chan in Hong Kong. Later, that footage was blended with a 3D model of Lee based on interviews, films and photographs with the late star. But every shot of Lee's face was created using CGI, a process that took over nine months, due to the level of detail required.

Director Joseph Kahn says that his team tried their best to honor Lee's spirit by consulting his family. "We got Shannon Lee, Bruce Lee's daughter, to come aboard and we really picked her brain to make sure that everything was accurate from look to soul," he says. "We wanted to be as respectful to the man and legend as we could."

Do you agree? Is it a proper (and realistic) homage to Bruce Lee?

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Image courtesy of YouTube, Johnnie Walker