A movie is using CGI to bring James Dean back from the dead

[BettyNewbie]

This won't end well.

James Dean, who died in a 1955 car crash at the age of 24, is making an unexpected return to the big screen.

The cultural icon, known for Rebel Without a Cause and East of Eden, has been posthumously cast in the Vietnam era action-drama Finding Jack.

Directed by Anton Ernst and Tati Golykh, the project comes from the filmmakers' own recently launched production house Magic City Films, which obtained the rights to use Dean’s image from his family. Canadian VFX banner Imagine Engine will be working alongside South African VFX company MOI Worldwide to re-create what the filmmakers describe as “a realistic version of James Dean.”

Adapted by Maria Sova from Gareth Crocker’s novel, Finding Jack is based on the existence and abandonment of more than 10,000 military dogs at the end of the Vietnam War. Dean will play a character called Rogan, considered a secondary lead role.

"We searched high and low for the perfect character to portray the role of Rogan, which has some extreme complex character arcs, and after months of research, we decided on James Dean," said Ernst, who also produces with Golykh for Magic City Films alongside Donald A. Barton of Artistry Media Group.

"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. The family views this as his fourth movie, a movie he never got to make. We do not intend to let his fans down."

While Finding Jack will be live action, The Hollywood Reporter understands that Dean’s performance will be constructed via "full body" CGI using actual footage and photos. Another actor will voice him.

Multiple Oscar nominated songwriter Diane Warren wrote the key song for the film and acclaimed composer Laurent Eyquem is on board to score the film.

Preproduction on Finding Jack starts Nov. 17, with a goal for a worldwide release on Veterans Day 2020. Magic City Films is handling the foreign sales.

The filmmakers are now hoping that the CGI technology used to bring Dean back to life onscreen could soon be deployed on other well-known figures.

"This opens up a whole new opportunity for many of our clients who are no longer with us," said Mark Roesler, CEO of CMG Worldwide, which represents Dean’s family alongside more than 1,700 entertainment, sports, music and historical personalities, including the likes of Burt Reynolds, Christopher Reeve, Ingrid Bergman, Neil Armstrong, Bette Davis and Jack Lemmon.

Added Ernst: "Our partners in South Africa are very excited about this, as this technology would also be employed down the line to re-create historical icons such as Nelson Mandela to tell stories of cultural heritage significance."

Barton added: "Now that we have closed with this iconic figure, we look forward to rapidly closing our remaining actors."

I liked this response the best:

Can we, like, not do this? Good way to rob young and upcoming actors of roles, there.

[Tim]

So they would rather "cast" an actor that's been dead for 64 years, than hire someone live?  And Dean's family is onboard with this?  WTF??

No, this isn't right.  Let's hope the families of all those other actors say a solid NO and end this. 

Let those dead actors rest in peace.

[BettyNewbie]

And, this movie is set during the Vietnam War, a time period that James Dean didn't even live to see, let alone has any relevance to. Why do they even want him in this movie?

I just knew we were going to start seeing stuff like this after Rogue One successfully CGI-ed Peter Cushing (dead since 1994) and a young Carrie Fisher. When even death no longer stops an actor from making new movies, you've opened the door to some very bad things. Why even bother taking a chance on new talent anymore when you can just "hire" a dead legend with CGI? And, why should we ever have to see aging/older actors onscreen again when we can just use CGI and "hire" their younger selves?

We're no longer just remaking old movies and TV shows. We're now remaking the actors themselves.

[Tim]

And, this movie is set during the Vietnam War, a time period that James Dean didn't even live to see, let alone has any relevance to. Why do they even want him in this movie?

I know.  It would be like making a movie about 9/11 and "casting" Rock Hudson (dead since 1985) in it.

I just knew we were going to start seeing stuff like this after Rogue One successfully CGI-ed Peter Cushing (dead since 1994) and a young Carrie Fisher. When even death no longer stops an actor from making new movies, you've opened the door to some very bad things. Why even bother taking a chance on new talent anymore when you can just "hire" a dead legend with CGI? And, why should we ever have to see aging/older actors onscreen again when we can just use CGI and "hire" their younger selves?

New rules need to be made about this.  The family/estate of the dead actor gets a say.  If they say no, that's it.   No dice.

Trouble it, some will say yes, like James Dean's family apparently has.

[Squad 51]

When I read about it, I thought this was crazy. Bringing back a dead actor and also for a time period, he never lived in. *shakes head*

[BettyNewbie]

Why bother trying to find the next James Dean when you can just CGI the original one? What a great way to shut out young talent, especially young POC talent.

I have a feeling that James Dean himself wouldn't have approved of this. Shame on his family for shilling out his image like this.

[Tim]

Nov 8, 2019 11:05:35 GMT -5 BettyNewbie said:

Why bother trying to find the next James Dean when you can just CGI the original one? What a great way to shut out young talent, especially young POC talent.

I have a feeling that James Dean himself wouldn't have approved of this. Shame on his family for shilling out his image like this.

I agree.  The family should never have signed off on this. 

How many young talents will be shut out for the CGI of someone who died decades before they were even born.

[adzpower]

Wait, I am so confused, so instead of casting an actual actor they are just going to spend the entire movie using CGI to make it like James Dean is in the role? This is surely one of the most disrespectful things I've ever seen, the man has been dead over 60 years....this is just bizarre. He died in the 50's, he probably couldn't even conceive of this kind of technology during his time let alone now.

It doesn't matter that the family signed off on it, who are these people exactly? Distant cousins he never met who were lucky enough to inherit his fortune? Pathetic. This needs to be put to bed immediately.

Not only that, but it robs a young, up and coming actor of getting the chance at a role like this, no matter their gender, skin color etc, its just...I don't know how to feel, it just feels wrong.

Its disrespectful to James and his legacy, and its disrespectful to new talent auditioning for movie roles.

And in an era of putting a huge emphasis on things like consent, these filmmakers have dnied James Dean his own consent, an actor of his class I imagine would never have agreed to this, a shady family cashing in on someone they probably never met.

This project will tank, because if they go back on their word and cast an actual actor (you know, one who's actually alive), that actor will spend the whole time filming knowing they were the second choice.

[BettyNewbie]

As always, Cracked was spot-on:

The directors of the upcoming movie adaptation of the novel Finding Jack by Gareth Crocker were evidently so unimpressed with today's stock of living actors that they awarded a role to James Dean, who died in 1955 at the age of 24. As an 89-year-old corpse, he's booking more gigs than most of the struggling actors in LA.

We already live in a world in which Whitney Houston's holographic ghost will tour/haunt venues across America. It was only a matter of time before legendary actors got the chance to star in movies they have no idea they're in -- and not because they're too high, but because they're too dead.

The messed-up part of it, other than the general ghoulishness, is that unless Dean's performance is entirely generated by a super-advanced AI that can accurately replicate how he expressed the nuances of emotion, it won't really be him. It'll be some real actor festooned with ping-pong balls wearing a digital James Dean skin suit who'll be doing the heavy lifting, all while that mask gets the headlines. Let's say, hypothetically, that the resulting performance is Oscar-worthy. Who gets the Oscar? The mo-cap actor? The special effects house? Do they simply toss the statue on Dean's grave? Or do they give it to the guy doing his voice, which will be someone completely different?

All of this raises an important question: What the hell is the point of all this? The filmmakers are so infatuated with the past that they're going to bring in like 60 people to breathe life into one dead guy so he can play a supporting role in a movie, when they could save a lot of time and money by hiring one living actor whose talent doesn't need to be generated with cyber-necromancy. The future is stupid!

[Squad 51]

My head hurts just by reading it. This is way too bizarre.

[adzpower]

Cyber-necromancy, that's a great name for this.

[Melinda Halliwell]

😁😁😁 very funny.

[Tim]

How many live actors are going to be put out of work in favour of actors that died before they were even born!?

This has got to be stopped.