The shower scene from Central Intelligence

Here is the latest behind-the-scenes done as part of our Design FX Series with our Media Partner WIRED magazine. See how Weta Digital swapped the Rock with Vine Star Sione in Central Intelligence.

Weta Digital completed the sequence in the new film Central Intelligence that shows us a younger and less ripped Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson. In the film, Johnson and and co-star Kevin Hart, star as as two old high school friends who team up to save the world after one of them joins the CIA.

The story starts in High school with a very different look for Dwayne Johnson. In the film he plays Robbie Stone who is bullied and this required the Rock to not only be de-aged but look vastly different for a guy who normally has 4% body fat.

The young Rock’s body you see in the film is actually the body of Vine star Sione Kelepi. Both he and Johnson were each scanned in ICT’s Lightstage using broad spectrum lighting to get the 40 some FACS reference poses to build the high resolution model but also to get reference for both the actors singing…On Vogue..

Weta’s effects supervisor Martin Hill explained to us not only did they deage The Rock but also Kevin Hart, but Kevin was de-aged directly from Hart’s performance on set. But it is the the embarrassing yet hilarious Robbie Stone who steals the scene and provides the Rock with on of the most memorable entrances of his cinematic career. And let’s not forget the whole thing works so well because Sione really can dance ! Sione deserves major cred. for both performance and attitude.

The rest of the film’s impressive VFX were by Rodeo FX.