If you have never seen Andy Kaufman or Redd Foxx's standup acts, now's your chance to see them at the same time — even though it has been years since their respective deaths.
The New York Times is reporting that the late comedians will be united for a joint tour as holograms performing onstage again. The company Hologram USA will sync the comics' likenesses to their standup acts to produce a hologram show, which will hit major cities across the United States next year.
"They're comedy icons," Alki David, the founder and chief executive of Hologram USA, told the Times. "Both of them influenced so many comedians after them."
David added that he is speaking with estates of other late comedians, but the estates of Foxx and Kaufman were the most receptive to his vision.
Kaufman, who did everything from standup to being a co-star on the hit television show Taxi and even tried pro-wrestling, died in 1984, while fellow legendary comedian Foxx, who starred on his own hit TV show, Sanford & Son, died in 1991. Kaufman was known for his peculiar, frenzied style of comedy, while Foxx hit audiences with obscenities and brutally honest routines in his distinct raspy tone.
Late stars being recreated as holograms in performances has been done before. In 2012, a different tech company projected a performing hologram likeness of late rapper Tupac Shakur to the delight of fans at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
David additionally told the Times that his Hologram USA company is working on delivering a holographic Billie Holiday for a performance at the famed Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York and a version of Whitney Houston for a worldwide concert in 2016 as well.
