It used to be if an actor died, they stopped acting but today’s digital editing technology allows even the dead to continue their career:
From Carrie Fisher in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story to Paul Walker in the Fast & Furious movies, dead and magically “de-aged” actors are appearing more frequently on movie screens. Sometimes they even appear on stage: next year, an Amy Winehouse hologram will be going on tour to raise money for a charity established in the late singer’s memory. Some actors and movie studios are buckling down and preparing for an inevitable future when using scanning technology to preserve 3-D digital replicas of performers is routine. Just because your star is inconveniently dead doesn’t mean your generation-spanning blockbuster franchise can’t continue to rake in the dough. Get the tech right and you can cash in on superstars and iconic characters forever.
Unlike living actors, dead actors won’t refuse roles or fighting the director, which is great for propagandists. Imagine a future where a hologram of Hunter S. Thompson does a D.A.R.E. touring circuit or a hologram of Emma Goldman gives a lecture about the importance of government.