It feels like deepfake technology is out of a sci-fi movie. But it’s very real and has already led to some incredible videos, along with some really weird ones. It made it possible for Harrison Ford to star in Solo, and to see what Christopher Reeve would have looked like in Justice League. It showed off Keanu Reeves as Tony Montana in Scarface, and gave us Jim Carrey as Jack Torrance in The Shining. Of course, it’s also why we have to be haunted by the idea of what it would be like if Nic Cage were literally in every movie ever made. But the latest example of what it can do – both good and bad – is either the nadir or pinnacle of deepfake possibilities, because it replaced every single character from Full House with Nick Offerman‘s mustachioed visage.
This equally fantastic and frightening concoction is entitled “Full House of Mustaches”. It comes from the YouTube channel Dr Fakenstein, and there’s a whooole lot to unpack here. First, yes, obviously and without question we would watch this show. But we would definitely have to get over how truly bizarre and unsettling some of this really is first.
Seeing little DJ and Stephanie Tanner with Ron Swanson’s face feels like it violates some kind of international peace treaty. If it doesn’t it should. (We all agree he looks adorable as Michelle, though, right? Right.) However, for some reason him as the girls doesn’t even upset us as much as Nick Offerman playing Aunt Becky. That one really messes with our brain.
Even then, the strangest deepfake of them all might be how much he just looks like Joey with a mustache. Do Dave Coulier and Nick Offerman look alike? Have we just never noticed before? Why did it take this bizarre new ability for any of us to realize it?
One thing is clear though – it might still be early in this technology’s history, but this is either the greatest use of deepfake technology or the worst. At least we know how one person is voting.
Dear Dr. Fakenstein, thank you for my career peak. @drfakenstein https://t.co/3BEGafcF8M
— Nick Offerman (@Nick_Offerman) August 7, 2019
Featured Image: ABC/Dr Fakenstein
