James Dean is set to be the latest actor to star in a film long after his death, but the rise of true Hollywood immortality raises big ethical questions

CGI will resurrect James Dean this year to star in a new film. Everett Collection Inc/Alamy Stock Photo

DIGITAL humans are coming to a screen near you. As computer-generated imagery (CGI) has become cheaper and more sophisticated, the film industry can now convincingly recreate people on screen – even actors who have been dead for decades. The technology’s ability to effectively keep celebrities alive beyond the grave is raising questions about public legacies and image rights.

Late in 2019, it was announced that US actor James Dean, who died in 1955, will star in a Vietnam war film slated for …