With the help of the latest programs, dead actors can once again delight the viewer with new roles. But is such manipulation of the personality of the deceased not contrary to ethics?
In late 2019, independent production company Magic City Films announced that it would “resurrect” American actor James Dean, who died in 1955. Not for real, of course, but digitally, using CGI (static and moving images generated using 3D computer graphics) and existing pictures of the artist. Dean will “play” a minor role in Finding Jack.
Contemporary actors greeted the news with indignation. Chris Evans is sure that the filmmakers should be ashamed. Elijah Wood agrees. However, James Dean is not the first to be “resurrected” in digital form, and he certainly will not be the last.
Likewise, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Paul Walker, who died while filming their films (The Hunger Games: Mockingjay and Furious 7, respectively), have been digitally recreated. And Carrie Fisher was “resurrected” for filming in the ninth episode of Star Wars. Do film companies have the right to exploit the identity of a deceased actor?
After the news of Dean’s imminent return to the screens, the company Worldwide XR, which the film’s directors approached, issued a statement that it represents the rights of more than 400 deceased celebrities, including Betty Page, Ingrid Bergman, Marilyn Monroe and Princess Diana. Naturally, all this is done with the consent of the family of the deceased, who owns the right to his name.
As the cost of technology declines, digital “resurrection” will become more common in cinema. This is very beneficial for the industry. Imagine a small studio wants to make a movie, but doesn’t have the budget for actors. This “re-creation” of artists will allow films to appear that, in the absence of technology, simply could not exist.
However, the American organization SAG-AFTRA (Association of the Screen Actors Guild of the USA and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) insists on legislative regulation of the disposal of the rights of famous people after their death in order to avoid abuse. In the meantime, the laws do not take into account the latest technologies, and, who knows, very soon we will be watching films with the participation of the “resurrected” Charlie Chaplin in cinemas.