Culture

James Dean Will Be Resurrected For A New Film: Here’s Why It’s Gross.

Bringing back James Dean sets a dangerous precedent for the movie industry.

by Ben Strum  15 November 2019
CGI James Dean

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Movie legend James Dean is getting resurrected for war film Finding Jack. Dean’s return to cinema is thanks to CGI and it’s upset a lot of Hollywood actors.

Bringing back James Dean sets a dangerous precedent for the movie industry. Why? Because it challenges the whole idea of consent and potentially leaves thousands of actors without work.

When it comes to starring in movies after death, James Dean’s CV looks good. The actor is acclaimed for his role in Rebel Without A Cause, which was released three weeks after his untimely death in a car crash.

But while Dean filmed his part for that film, the studio behind Finding Jack got permission from his family to re-animate him. Basically, the lack of involvement from a living, breathing James Dean is what’s sparked controversy.

Since When Is Regenerating Dead Actors A Thing?

Well, studios have done it a bunch of times since the 90s but usually for good reason. In 1994, Canadian actor John Candy died during the production of Wagon’s East and he was cut into later scenes using existing footage. Then, CGI was used to resolve Brandon Lee’s role in The Crow; Oliver Reed in Gladiator; Roy Schneider in Iron Cross and Paul Walker in Furious 7.

VFX departments have gotten so good that in Blade Runner 2049, it’s virtually impossible to tell the real Rachael apart from the animated one. Basically, a combination of motion capture, some serious facial studies and hand animation can actually replicate someone’s face.

So, If We’ve Done It Before, Why Can’t We Do It Again With James Dean?

The big difference between all those films and Finding Jack is that James Dean’s likeness isn’t getting used to complete a half-finished movie or bring back an iconic character.

Instead, his CGI double will play a freshly written role.

Zelda Williams, daughter of the late Robin Williams, said “It sets such an awful precedent for the future of performance.”

The fact that studios are happy to invest in reincarnating vintage stars could make actual actors redundant –– and that’s a huge loss for creativity and employment.

While James Dean’s family consented to all of this, the actor himself never agreed to do the role.

CMG Worldwide, which represents Dean’s family, said the technology: “Opens up a whole new opportunity for many of our clients who are no longer with us.”

But since those clients are dead, the people raking in cash from these decisions are agents, producers and extended relatives. For example: the cousins of James Dean who run his estate.

In 2013, Bruce Lee’s daughter let Johnnie Walker re-animate her dad with CGI to promote their scotch in a Chinese ad. Fans of the late martial-arts movie star were pissed because, well, Bruce Lee didn’t drink.

Basically, just because the rights to someone’s image goes to their next of kin doesn’t mean it’ll get used how that person would’ve wanted.

Beyond how profitable dead actors might be, it’s hard to explain why they should play lead roles.

Wouldn’t it be better to have new and diverse talent appear onscreen?

Ben is a journalist, documentary filmmaker and host of The Junkee Takeaway. You can follow him at @benstrum on Instagram.

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