When Ladd returned to Hollywood in 1954 he formed a new production company, Jaguar Productions, who would release through Warner Bros.
Ladd's instincts for choosing material was proving increasingly poor: George Stevens offered him the role of Jett Rink in the 1956 film, Giant, which he turned down because it was not the lead; James Dean took the part and the film became one of the biggest hits of the decade.