Earlier this week, I reported on some really odd news. Director Anton Ernst had made an interesting casting decision when he decided to cast James Dean in his new movie Finding Jack. The only problem? James Dean has been dead for decades. In fact, he died back in 1955 when he was 24, which put a premature end to his promising career.

They had a solution: They’d create him from the ground-up using CG, not entirely unlike what was done with Leia and Tarkin in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. This was a bit of an odd move for me, and I couldn’t help but feel it was some big gimmick.

RELATED – James Dean Joins The Cast In Vietnam War Drama…Wait, What?

Apparently, I wasn’t alone, as actor Chris Evans called the move “shameful,” and Zelda Williams went a step further, saying the following:

I have talked to friends about this for YEARS and no one ever believed me that the industry would stoop this low once tech got better. Publicity stunt or not, this is puppeteering the dead for their ‘clout’ alone and it sets such an awful precedent for the future of performance. https://t.co/elS1BrbDGv

— Zelda Williams (@zeldawilliams) November 6, 2019

So what does Ernst have to say about this backlash? Apparently, he’s “confused” and “saddened” by the comments.

“We don’t really understand it. We never intended for this to be a marketing gimmick,” he told THR. “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. We never want to lose that emphasis and this [social media reaction] becomes a distraction of what the story is about.”

What do you think of his comments? Do you see this move as anything but a gimmick? Let us know your thoughts down below!

Don’t forget to share this post on your Facebook wall and with your Twitter followers! Just hit the buttons on the top of this page.

—–

Have you checked out LRM Online’s official podcast feed yet The LRM Online Podcast Network, which includes our flagship podcast Los Fanboys, our premiere podcast Breaking Geek Radio: The Podcast, and our morning show LRMornings? Check it out by listening below. It’s also available on all your favorite podcast apps!

Subscribe on: Apple Podcasts |  Spotify  |  SoundCloud | Stitcher | Google Play

SOURCES: THR