CGI versions of Elvis Presley and Paul Newman were originally set to join James Dean in upcoming film Finding Jack.
The upcoming movie, based on the Vietnam War, sees a CGI version of Dean in the starring role.
The film was announced earlier this month, set to feature a “full-body” CGI version of Dean, and it now transpires that he almost had some very famous co-stars.
The Hollywood Reporter states that the original plan was to feature a CGI version of Elvis as an Army unit leader, but his estate rejected the plan.
The lead role, a soldier called Fletcher, was almost also a CGI character, used to cast a “young Paul Newman.”
“We don’t want this to become a spectacle — more than it already is,” filmmaker Anton Ernst says, before calling the huge reactions to the announcement of the CGI James Dean as “nuts, just nuts.”
Speaking of the casting of Dean, Ernst said: “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.”
“We feel very honoured 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.”
Mark Roesler, who represents James Dean’s family, also spoke of the possibility of more late stars returning to the movies in CGI form. “This opens up a whole new opportunity for many of our clients who are no longer with us.”