Coming into this week, we never really expected that we would publish a story about how late-actor James Dean, who passed away in 1955, would be cast in a brand-new role using CGI to digitally bring him back to life. But that’s exactly what happened. And as you might expect, the blowback from that news came quick and harsh. Now, one of the co-directors of “Finding Jack,” the new James Dean film, is speaking up and making sure everyone knows that casting the iconic actor in a new film isn’t just some gimmick.
Director Anton Ernst recently spoke to THR about the announcement of “Finding Jack,” as well as the outrage on social media about the news. To catch everyone up to speed, Ernst and co-director Tati Golykh have cast James Dean to star in a Vietnam War film, titled “Finding Jack.” The report claims that Dean will be fully CGI with archival footage used as a basis. He’ll, of course, be voiced by someone else.
“We don’t really understand it. We never intended for this to be a marketing gimmick,” the director said.
As for whether or not the filmmaker believes this is somehow crossing a line, Erst said, “Anyone that is brought back to life — you have to respect them.”
He added, “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.”
READ MORE: Chris Evans Leads The Charge Against The “Awful” and “Shameful” CGI James Dean Casting
Ernst said that the members of Dean’s estate have been “supportive” with the idea of casting the late-actor in a new film.
“I think they would have wanted their family member’s legacy to live on,” he said. “That’s what we’ve done here as well. We’ve brought a whole new generation of filmgoers to be aware of James Dean.”
Ultimately, Ernst wants to make sure that everyone doesn’t lose track of the real story, which is the film “Finding Jack” and its message.
“At the end of the day, what we really want people to know is the movie is about love and friendship, the veterans that served in the Vietnam War and especially the dogs that were with them,” Ernst said. “We never want to lose that emphasis and this [social media reaction] becomes a distraction of what the story is about.”
“Finding Jack” is expected to begin pre-production soon and will be released on Veteran’s Day, November 11, 2020.