The backlash to CGI James Dean is intense. The family of James Dean has responded to the social media outcry concerning a new movie starring a digital version of the iconic actor. Many people were taken by surprise to hear that a digital version of Dean is going to star in an upcoming Vietnam War movie. And a lot of that surprise turned to anger, and in some cases, disgust. Co-director Anton Ernst was taken by surprise when his announcement was met with criticism instead of excitement.

Anton Ernst has talked about respect quite a bit when it comes to casting James Dean in Finding Jack. However, many are under the assumption that it's purely a marketing gimmick and a dangerous path to go down for the future of the entertainment industry. Regardless, Dean's family is perfectly fine with the situation and they back it. The family's lawyer, Mark Roesler, had this to say on their behalf.

"James Dean was perhaps the greatest actor of all time and is admired by fans around the world. Despite his untimely death at the age of 24, technology allows us to continue to honor Jimmy's legacy and inspiration to so many people. We have represented his family for 38 years and they are confident that Jimmy's rebellious and trailblazing personality is consistent with being the first to fearlessly embrace this new technology for Hollywood. They are excited to be part of keeping his memory alive."

James Dean passed away at the age of 24 in 1955 after a car accident. He has been labeled as a generation-defining actor who starred in Rebel Without a Cause and East of Eden, so his family is ready to have him come back into the limelight, even though it will only be his image. Anton Ernst states they looked for actors and auditioned many for Finding Jack, but none of them had what they were looking for, which led them to the idea of casting Dean.

A realistic version of James Dean will be digitally inserted Finding Jack, with another actor taking on his voice. The movie is based on Gareth Crocker's 2011 novel about the abandonment of more than 10,000 military dogs after the end of the Vietnam War. As for how it will all go down, that is unclear, but pre-production is expected to begin next week, so we should get at least a hint of how they are bringing Dean back to life.

Deceased musicians have been performing in hologram form for a few years now, so it was only a matter of time before the craze got to Hollywood in a larger capacity. We saw Peter Cushing back as Grand Moff Tarkin in 2016's Rogue One and he passed away in 1994. Martin Scorsese extensively used de-aging technology in his upcoming movie The Irishman. So, the technology is getting better, but what will a new movie look like with a CGI James Dean as the star? Fox News was the first to report on the Dean family statement.