Jeff Bridges spans age gap with technology

London: Actor Jeff Bridges is all set toplay a younger version of himself with the help of a newcomputer technology that will enable the 60-year-oldOscar-winner to reverse his age by three decades onscreen.

The new technology has made it possible for makers ofthe film to record the actor's facial movements in minutedetail and then superimpose them onto a digital model of hisyounger self in TRON: Legacy, a 3D Walt Disney productionreleased next month.

Bridges starred in the original film 28 years ago andhas now revived the role of video games developer Kevin Flynn,who gets trapped in a cyber universe for 20 years, the SundayTimes reported.

Visual effects supervisor Eric Barba said that the newtechnology makes it look like that the younger version ofBridges is on screen.

"He is the first actor in cinematic history to playopposite a younger version of himself. This opens up the wayfor storytellers to tell more interesting tales tales thatcouldn't have been told before," he said.

Bridges, who picked up an Academy Award for lastyear's Crazy Heart, said the development marked "a new eraof film-making."

"I love going to movies myself and whenever I see abig, epic film where the character has aged from being a boyto an old man, traditionally there are different actorsplaying him," he said.

"That's always a little bump for me when they changefrom one actor to the next. But now... it's gratifying toknow that I can play the character myself at any age. It'sreally the beginning of a new era of film-making."

To simulate a younger man's gait, Bridges' digitalhead was planted onto a younger body double that shot the samescenes as the veteran star, repeating his movements.

As well as allowing actors to play younger versions ofthemselves, the programme will also let them grow oldgracefully. The technology was first used in The Curious Caseof Benjamin Button starring Brad Pitt.