Starring James Dean? | Technology may bring classic stars back to onscreen life

So, are any readers going to the new John Wayne film?

How about the one with Joan Crawford and Bette Davis? Or Abbott and Costello?

We know what you're thinking - they're all dead.

That's true, but you can't keep a good man, woman or comedy team down. Especially with all the new technology and advances made every minute.

This week, a company called Magic City Films announced they had obtained the rights to use iconic 1950s star James Dean's image in a new film about military dogs at the end of the Vietnam War.

According to an article published Wednesday on the Hollywood Reporter website, the filmmakers will work with a South African special effects company and use full-body CGI to create "a realistic version of James Dean" onscreen.

Preproduction for the film, "Finding Jack," starts later this month with a projected release date of Veterans Day next year.

If this works, no telling how many dead celebrities will be appearing in future films.

We can see some of the appeal. Fred Astaire would dance again, maybe with partners like Beyonce or Amy Adams. Christopher Reeves would take to the skies as the Man of Steel. Cary Grant could charm a whole new generation of ladies.

But how will all of this affect the career prospects of actors and other film professionals starting out in the business? Will this cost jobs not only onscreen but among traditional film crews?

We hear the same question a lot these days. And the answer is film technology, like all tech, will go where it goes and nothing will change that. We can only hope the industry will gain more than it will lose.

Next year around this time may tell the tale.

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