However, there was no realistic way of using the celebrity to create truly new work.
Things are different today.
This creates an entirely different problem for celebrities to worry about: how they might be portrayed in future movies and what that might mean for their legacy.
For example, an award-winning actor might not want to appear in a bunch of B movies after passing away. There is no way to make sure that does not happen, without planning.
Under current law, the actor’s estate could sue for any improper use of the actor’s image or likeness, but that does not stop the estate from agreeing to uses the actor would not have wanted.
