James Dean is set to star in upcoming Vietnam-era drama “Finding Jack,” despite the fact that the iconic actor died over six decades ago.
The production company behind the movie, Magic City Films, has obtained rights to Dean’s image via his estate. Having died in a car crash in 1955, the company will recreate the star using CGI technology, including actual footage and photos of the “Rebel Without a Cause” actor, The Hollywood Reporter confirms.
Several big names have come out against the move, including Captain America himself, Chris Evans, who tweeted, “I’m sure he’d be thrilled” with an eye-rolling emoji. He went on, “This is awful. Maybe we can get a computer to paint us a new Picasso. Or write a couple new John Lennon tunes. The complete lack of understanding here is shameful.”
“Lord of the Rings” star Elijah Wood agreed, reposting the report on Twitter with the added caption, “NOPE. this shouldn’t be a thing.”
“Finding Jack” co-director Anton Ernst told THR that the casting department “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.
“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.”