Magic City Films is the studio attached to the infamous CGI James Dean war movie that is causing quite the outrage in Hollywood. Yet, despite the almost unanimous backlash from the most beloved celebrities, such as Chris Evans and Elijah Wood, the CEO of CMG Worldwide, the intellectual licensing company that sold them Deans' likeness rights, Mark Roesler has no intention of changing plans.

In fact, according to Vulture, the company is essentially doubling down under their new banner, Worldwide XR. They even proudly have a photo of James Dean on their new website. The new banner of Worldwide XR also has a new CEO, Travis Cloyd.

The technique of reanimated dead celebrities for roles in future movies is, according to him, something they’re prepared to do a lot in the future.

James Dean
This is one rebel without an award. James Dean had some great performances during his short-lived movie career. He was the first actor ever to be nominated for an award after his death for his role in “East of Eden.” He was nominated for a second award for his work in “Giant” after his death as well. Reuters

Worldwide XR is the culmination of several different companies with entirely that goal in mind. They are “a new company that aims to bring digital humans to traditional film as well as augmented and virtual reality.”

The new XR CEO Cloyd has commented on the backlash, reframing it in a positive light. He admitted that “it’s disruptive” and noted how some people aren't taking too kindly to it. However, Cloyd insists “There is a lot more to come for James Dean,” and that people should instead “think of it as James Dean 2.0.”

In an interview with Variety, Cloyd said, "Influencers will come and go, but legends will never die," as a sort of slogan for their new brand.

This company doesn’t just own the likeness of famous actors like James Dean, but also notable figures such as Malcolm X and Rosa Parks. In total, they own around 400 other celebrity likeness licenses.

As to what they plan on using all these human appearance licenses for, only time will tell. The company doesn’t just work in film, though. Worldwide XR also operates in the fields of VR, brand partnership, and "deep fake management."

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