Finding Jack


Finding Jack is an upcoming war film directed by Anton Ernst and Tati Golykh and written by Mari Sova, to be distributed by Magic City Films. The film is an adaptation of Gareth Crocker's novel of the same name, based on accounts of the abandonment of thousands of canine units at the end of the Vietnam War.
James Dean has been cast in the lead role; despite his death in 1955 at age 24, his performance will be created by newly-constructed digital footage based on film and photographs of Dean. This was supported by two cousins, who represent the Dean estate. Ernst and Golykh originally planned to cast a computer-generated imagery Elvis Presley, but were turned down by Elvis Presley Enterprises, and planned to cast a CGI Paul Newman opposite him.
Pre-production began on November 17, 2019, with a release initially tied in to Veterans Day 2020.

Cast

Laurent Eyquem joined to compose the film's score in November 2019 while Diane Warren wrote the main song.

Criticism

Prior to release, actors including Chris Evans and Elijah Wood expressed anger at using a dead actor's likeness for a contemporary film. Zelda Williams described it as "puppeteering the dead". In response, Ernst said he was "saddened and confused" by the negative reactions, and that it had never been intended as a "marketing gimmick".