George Lucas 'wants to bring James Dean back to life'

A friend of Lucas', British comedian Mel Smith, said he plans to put all the actors on a movie at the same time, using computer know-how to resurrect stars including Orson Welles, James Dean and Marilyn Monroe.

Smith, who fronted TV skit show Smith & Jones with fellow comic Griff Rhys-Jones, told The Sun Lucas is 'obsessed' with computer-generated imagery (CGI).

'George has been buying up the film rights to dead actors in the hope of using computer trickery to put them all together, so you'd have Orson Welles and Barbara Stanwyck alongside today's stars,' he said.

Lucas is an expert in CGI animation, having used the technology extensively during production on Star Wars: The Clone Wars. The film came out in 2008 and was followed by a TV series of the same name, which has been airing since then. Speaking about the series when it was first launched, Stuart Snyder, president/chief operating officer at Turner Animation, Young Adults & Kids Media, said: 'Nothing like this has ever been produced for television.' He added: 'For 30 years, Star Wars has shown that it appeals to a huge breadth of fans. The Clone Wars ... will be appointment television for everyone in the family.'