Last week, news broke that James Dean will star in a new movie-64 years after his death. A production company called Magic City got the rights to Dean’s image from the late actor’s estate and plans to bring him to the silver screen again thanks to the wonder (or terror) of CGI. Now, Dean, or the digitally resurrected version of Dean or whatever, will play the second lead in a Vietnam War movie called Finding Jack, with a living actor standing in as his voice.
Unsurprisingly, the announcement inspired a wave of immediate backlash around Hollywood.
Chris Evans called it “awful” and “shameful,” and Elijah Wood said, simply, “NOPE.” But it turns out the intense reaction was surprising to at least one person: Magic City’s Anton Ernst, the Finding Jack director.
Ernst told the Hollywood Reporter in a new interview that he’s gotten “positive feedback” about the movie and that the Dean estate has been “supportive,” saying it will inspire “a whole new generation of filmgoers to be aware of James Dean.” He didn’t see the overwhelming negativity coming. Per the Reporter:
Ernst spoke with The Hollywood Reporter about the criticisms on social media, saying he was “saddened” and “confused” over the overwhelmingly negative comments. “We don’t really understand it. We never intended for this to be a marketing gimmick,” he said.
He also brought up Carrie Fisher’s appearance in the new Star Wars as an example of a way this posthumous CGI work can be done well, apparently missing the difference between honoring Fisher’s legacy in a role she was already scheduled to play and plopping James Dean in some random war movie half a century after his death.
When discussing whether resurrecting Dean digitally crosses a line with regards to posthumous casting, Ernst explained, “Anyone that is brought back to life – you have to respect them.” He noted Fisher’s posthumous appearances in the Star Wars franchise, saying that if the actress had expressed never wanting to be in a film after her death, or if her legacy or that of the franchise could be “tarnished” because of her casting, “then that should be a line.”
“I think the line should be … you must always honor the deceased’s wishes and try to act in a way that is honorable and full of dignity,” Ernst said.
Again, this is extremely different, since Dean could never have stated he didn’t want to appear in a film after his death because, uh, how would he have imagined that was even a possibility-but whatever. Finding Jack is still headed into production with an expected release on November 11, 2020, whether we like it or not.
Just what I was searching for, regards for posting.
I’m still learning from you, but I’m trying to reach my goals. I definitely love reading everything that is posted on your site.Keep the information coming. I loved it!
Good day! Would you mind if I share your blog with my zynga group? There’s a lot of people that I think would really appreciate your content. Please let me know. Cheers
Almost all of what you point out is supprisingly appropriate and it makes me ponder why I hadn’t looked at this in this light before. This particular piece truly did turn the light on for me personally as far as this issue goes. Nevertheless at this time there is actually one point I am not really too comfy with so whilst I try to reconcile that with the core idea of your position, let me see what all the rest of your visitors have to say.Well done.
It¦s really a great and helpful piece of information. I¦m glad that you shared this helpful info with us. Please stay us up to date like this. Thank you for sharing.
This really answered my problem, thank you!
Hello, you used to write great, but the last several posts have been kinda boring… I miss your super writings. Past several posts are just a little out of track! come on!
I am not sure where you’re getting your info, but great topic. I needs to spend some time learning much more or understanding more. Thanks for magnificent information I was looking for this info for my mission.
An interesting discussion is worth comment. I think that you should write more on this topic, it might not be a taboo subject but generally people are not enough to speak on such topics. To the next. Cheers
Hello There. I found your blog the use of msn. This is a really neatly written article. I’ll make sure to bookmark it and come back to read more of your useful information. Thank you for the post. I’ll certainly comeback.
Precisely what I was looking for, thanks for posting.
I have been absent for some time, but now I remember why I used to love this website. Thanks , I’ll try and check back more often. How frequently you update your web site?
I got what you mean , regards for posting.Woh I am delighted to find this website through google.
I was just looking for this info for a while. After 6 hours of continuous Googleing, at last I got it in your website. I wonder what’s the lack of Google strategy that do not rank this kind of informative websites in top of the list. Normally the top web sites are full of garbage.
I got what you mean , appreciate it for posting.Woh I am thankful to find this website through google. “Money is the most egalitarian force in society. It confers power on whoever holds it.” by Roger Starr.
You are my intake, I have few blogs and occasionally run out from to post : (.