James
Dean set to appear in a movie six decades after his
death, horrifying fans
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[November 07, 2019]
By Jill Serjeant
(Reuters) - James Dean is
coming back from the dead to appear in a new movie, a
Hollywood production company said on Wednesday, causing
an uproar about the idea of reincarnating one of
America's most beloved film icons.
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Magic City Films said it had obtained the rights from Dean's
estate to digitally recreate the "Rebel Without A Cause" star,
who died in a 1955 car accident aged 24, for a Vietnam War-era
action drama called "Finding Jack."
Dean will be recreated through a mixture of old photos and
footage, along with computer generated creations projected over
stand-ins. A different actor will lend his voice to what will be
a secondary role for Dean's character.
"We feel very honored that his family supports us and will take
every precaution to ensure that his legacy as one of the most
epic film stars to date is kept firmly intact," producer Anton
Ernst said in a statement.
"The family views this as his fourth movie, a movie he never got
to make. We do not intend to let his fans down."
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However, many fans were horrified at the idea. Style publication
Esquire.com ran a story listing "35 working actors they could
have cast instead," while youth culture website Vice.com pleaded
"Please don't do this."
"This is among the most ghastly things to ever happen," Nerdist
contributing editor Lindsey Romain wrote on Twitter.
CMG Worldwide, which licenses intellectual property for dead
celebrities including Dean, musician Chuck Berry, and astronaut
Neil Armstrong, said the casting would open up new
opportunities.
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"With the rapidly evolving technology, we see this as a whole
new frontier for many of our iconic clients," CMG said in a
statement.
"Finding Jack" will not be the first time that actors have
appeared on screen long after death. Peter Cushing, who died in
1994, was brought back to life as Death Star commander Grand
Moff Tarkin for 2016 film "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" using
computer generated imagery.
The late Carrie Fisher will be featured in the upcoming movie
"Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker," but the makers will use
unseen footage the actress recorded before her death in 2016
rather than computer generated imagery.
Ernst told Entertainment Weekly on Wednesday that producers had
conducted an extensive search for an actor to play the role of
platoon leader Rogan, before turning to Dean.
"We have seen (screen) tests. When he's on screen, it looks 100%
like James Dean. It's exactly the way that we envisioned it,"
Ernst said.
"Finding Jack" is scheduled for release in November 2020.
(Reporting by Jill Serjeant, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien)
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