James Dean will star in a new movie through the power of CGI, some 64 years after his death.

Dean, who died in a car crash in 1955 at age 24, starred in three films during his short life: East of Eden, Rebel Without a Cause, and Giant. His family has licensed use of his image to filmmakers Anton Ernst and Tati Golykh, with Ernst saying they regard the upcoming action-drama Finding Jack as "his fourth movie, a movie he never got to make." It is based on a novel of the same name by Gareth Crocker.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Dean will appear as a character named Rogan, considered a secondary lead in the film, which is based on the abandonment of more than 10,000 military dogs at the end of the Vietnam War. It will be released by the directors' own recently launched production company, Magic City Films.

"We searched high and low for the perfect character to portray the role of Rogan, which has some extreme complex character arcs, and after months of research, we decided on James Dean," said Ernst.

CGI Dean will be voiced by another actor, and his image will be reconstructed using both still images and video footage.

"We feel very honored that his family supports us and will take every precaution to ensure that his legacy as one of the most epic film stars to date is kept firmly intact," Ernst said, adding they "do not intend to let his fans down."

Not everyone is pleased.

Actor Chris Evans called the idea "awful" on Twitter, adding: "Maybe we can get a computer to paint us a new Picasso. Or write a couple new John Lennon tunes. The complete lack of understanding here is shameful."

"Dream as if you’ll live forever, die as if you’ll be resurrected and treated like intellectual property by uninspired filmmakers 60 years later," tweeted New York Times op-ed culture editor Aisha Harris.

"There is still a lot of James Dean fans worldwide who would love to see their favorite icon back on screen," Ernst said, anticipating a backlash. "There would always be critics, and all we can do is tell a great story with humanity and grace."

And it looks like Dean isn't the only deceased star who could soon be popping up on movie screens in the future.

"This opens up a whole new opportunity for many of our clients who are no longer with us," said Mark Roesler, CEO of CMG Worldwide, which represents Dean’s family and over 1,700 other dead celebrities, including Burt Reynolds, Christopher Reeve, Ingrid Bergman, Neil Armstrong, Bette Davis, and Jack Lemmon.

"Now that we have closed with this iconic figure, we look forward to rapidly closing our remaining actors."

Pre-production on Finding Jack starts November 17, and filmmakers are hoping for a worldwide release on Veterans Day 2020 (November 11).