When it was recently announced that James Dean would be digitally resurrected so that he could “star” in a new film, people largely started as confused but soon became really upset. Some folks even warned that this is just the beginning. Well, it appears that those people were right, as Variety reports that there’s a brand-new company, called Worldwide XR, that plans on selling the digital likenesses of legendary actors for use in future films.
According to the report, the people who are bringing Dean back from the dead are planning on expanding that idea to potentially include icons such as Bettie Page, Burt Reynolds, Andre The Giant, Lou Gehrig, and Maya Angelou. The new venture, called Worldwide XR, combines licensing company CMG Worldwide with Observe Media, an “immersive content creation studio.” And for now, the company holds the digital rights to over 400 stars.
READ MORE: Chris Evans Leads The Charge Against The “Awful” and “Shameful” CGI James Dean Casting
“Influencers will come and go, but legends will never die,” said Travis Cloyd, Worldwide XR CEO.
The CEO also admits that the idea of digitally bringing back the dead hasn’t been universally accepted, as of now.
“It’s disruptive,” said Cloyd. “Some people dislike it.”
He went on to say that the company would do its “due diligence” when vetting potential filmmaking partners who want to use the likeness of an actor.
And as for the actor that started this whole debate recently, James Dean, Cloyd hints that there is more to come on that front. It appears that Dean’s revival (digitally only for now, as we’re unsure of any necromancers working at Worldwide XR) might not be limited to the upcoming Vietnam War film “Finding Jack.”
“There is a lot more to come for James Dean,” he said. “Think of it as James Dean 2.0.”
Oh boy. This isn’t going to end well.