James Dean will return via CGI for a new Vietnam War action-drama

James Dean, who died in 1955, is set to return to the big screen in a new action-drama called Finding Jack. The performance will obviously be done by another actor, but CG, motion capture and archive footage and photos will be used to create the character.

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. According to THR, Dean will play a character called Rogan, considered a secondary lead role.

Directed by Anton Ernst and Tati Golykh, the project comes from their new production house Magic City Films, which obtained the rights to use Dean’s image from his family.

“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.

“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.”

Canadian VFX banner Imagine Engine will be working alongside South African VFX company MOI Worldwide to re-create James Dean.

Preproduction on Finding Jack starts on 17th November and it is due out on Veterans Day 2020.

I am not sure what to think of this. I find the technology amazing, but is it ethically right to use it to have a dead actor return to the screen? Is it just a high tech way to get people interested in a movie they may otherwise have not been bothered to watch?

What are your thoughts on bringing back James Dean this way?