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[ElBoxyBrown]

Gods of Egypt is worse, the vast majority of the characters don't look anything like (costume-wise or others) the depictions of what the Gods they're supposed to be portraying. I pretty sure a school play, could come with something that looks more authentic.

Egyptian gods being portrayed as over the top mechanical cyborgs is fine. I'm sure they wanted the movie to be really crazy looking despite the obvious low budget there working with. But the least hey could have done, the LEAST, is have poc as your main characters instead of barely background decorations for the white actors that look like they should be in a different movie.

 

[dave is ok]

yea, john boyega and daisy ridley.

John Boyega was in Attack the Block

 

[Principate]

That's the other ugly side of The Last Airbender coin: the Japanese-analogous but lighter skinned Fire Nation villains are all brown for some reason. The Inuit-analogous Katara and Sokka are now the whiter ones. AND THE DIRECTOR IS INDIAN-AMERICAN. I simply don't get it.

Ten or maybe twenty years from now, I would hope that someone else would give a live-action The Last Airbender a try.

Korra has spoilt that well (or rather Nickolodeon has), the franchise is no longer bankable enough.

Granted the whole project seemed to be M's brain child, so I'm not sure if it would have even been made into a movie otherwise.

 

[-Pyromaniac-]

The walking dead porn parody killed me.

 

[Herne]

Good ice cold shit right there.

I really should be watching this show, I dropped cable so I should do the HBO app sometime soon.
I thought that was the prince dude he gave the sword to at the end.

The Emperor? Why would he be the last samurai? That makes no sense. Not that sense comes into Hollywood films that much.

 

[KenzinFive]

Korra has spoilt that well (or rather Nickolodeon has), the franchise is no longer bankable enough.

Granted the whole project seemed to be M's brain child, so I'm not sure if it would have even been made into a movie otherwise.

I know the franchise is dead for now, which is why I threw the 20-year mark out there. Even if it's dead now, there's countless amounts of people who love the franchise. There's always the possibility that a live-action film reboot could be greenlit if the right people get the right amount of influence. A good movie would appeal to non-fans and reinvigorate interest.

It's always possible. It took well over 50 years before Iron Man and Captain America became A-tier household names on the level of Batman and Superman.

 

[Saint Gregory]

I'm not suggesting that at all. I know that isn't the case. I'm just looking at all possible reasons for why this happens. It's either minorities aren't even given a serious look when they audition, or the minority actor that auditions for a role isn't a good actor. Those have to be the two reasons this happens right? All I was getting at was my question, is do we have proof of one way or the other?

IE, do know have a way to see who all auditioned for the new egypt movie? Did the publisher go straight for GoT guy and 300 guy without having a real audition? That's what I'm getting at.

The way the modern Hollywood system works is that for most of the major roles in a big budget film specific actors are contacted to gauge their interest in being involved in the project. Most producers/directors have specific people in mind for each role and go down the list in order of their preference to have actors read and do screen tests (although A-listers can sometimes skip this altogether).

A lot of times directors don't have anyone specific in mind and prefer to have a fresh face in their films who's existing stardom won't distract from their films but are still pressured into casting someone well known to guarantee box office numbers. The problem is, like someone else pointed out, cronyism and nepotism reign supreme in Hollywood. Jobs are rarely going to the most talented actors, they're mostly going to whomever the insular Hollywood community feels are the most beautiful, most popular and most well connected. Breaking into this walled garden as an outsider generally requires connections that most minority actors don't have at their disposal unless they're extrodinarily talented or attractive and even then you're relegated to a small pool of work until the next popular brown actor takes their spot.

 

[Dabanton]

Valid point. But do we hit a wall where they are the rare type of really good actors? Are the movie studios actually doing wide casting calls, and the minority actors that auditioned for minority roles really just not good actors?

I don't believe that there aren't quality minority actors, but what if they aren't auditioning for these roles?

And why do you think they're not auditioning for these roles?

No doubt they're trying, but they probably never even get considered. And that's a huge reason for a lot of this 'whitewashing'. Casting directors wield a lot of power on who even gets to see the director and show their skills off.

John Boyega no doubt got his Star Wars audition because of the support of Nina Gold who lets remember first spotted and cast him in Attack The Block. If you have support like that you're bless, but loads of POC actors and actresses unfortunately don't, especially for these big movies.

 

[jiggle]

Ah the usual "talent" and "fame" straw man

I guess blaming PoC for not auditioning is new?

 

[shadow_shogun]

Yeah, I think maybe you're right. At least I hope so...

Just...

I thought that was some alien in Flash Gordon alien, never would've imagined that was meant to be Othello.

 

[Sober]

Exodus is white-washed.

Scott is correct that it would never have gotten financed if they didn't have a major star. He said it in a shitty way, but Fox wouldn't have put up the money if it wasn't a lead like Bale.

Studios only care about money, especially on something that big.

Most of the major actors in Hollywood are white because of the institutionalized racism that goes unsaid by every single one of them and every exec (same for women in a lot of ways, but I digress).

There's, maybe, a half-dozen men of color that could have played the role because Hollywood doesn't ever give opportunities like that to people of color to begin with, especially someone who would have reflected an Egyptian culture in some way, so when it comes time to cast something like this, there's not enough of a pool to choose from because, again, institutionalized racism has built it that way for decades.

Shitty system all around. Hollywood treats minority actors like character actors - fun to have when you want one, plug them in where you like, but they're not necessary.

Yeah that's the problem and because if you are aware of this the segment seems a little weak. Because all you can fall back on is household names from the last half decade or so. Studios and execs and all those unsaid and unwritten rules are what has been hard for both non-white actors or non-white perspectives to really take hold in the industry, but trying to explain that is probably a lot harder or not as entertaining as showing off pretty fuckin egregious examples of literal blackface or caricuturism.

 

[The Technomancer]

If what Ridley says is true, and I dont know if its true, but if you cant get high box office films made if you dont present white actors in the forefront of roles that are not white, what can actually be done about that?

Say "Star Wars dumbass", drop the mic, and walk out of the room

 

[aeolist]

Say "Star Wars dumbass", drop the mic, and walk out of the room

or fast and furious

those movies make ungodly money with mostly nonwhite acting leads

 

[ElBoxyBrown]

Say "Star Wars dumbass", drop the mic, and walk out of the room

Star Wars had Rey and Han so I don't if you were being sarcastic.

 

[j-wood]

Say "Star Wars dumbass", drop the mic, and walk out of the room

But what if the proposal for the new star wars went "We have a black guy in a lead role BUT, we also have a stereotypical white guy as the villian with a lot of screen time, in addition to a white female role."

Sadly, it would not surprise me if something like that was said or thought.

 

[Dabanton]

But what if the proposal for the new star wars went "We have a black guy in a lead role BUT, we also have a stereotypical white guy as the villian with a lot of screen time, in addition to a white female role."

Sadly, it would not surprise me if something like that was said or thought.

I think it was in the end 'colour blind' casting' iirc Jessie Plemons was apparently going to be Finn, in fact it looked like he was a lock. He had people congratulating him and all sorts.

Not sure when Boyega auditioned but he must have proved he was better, I do wonder if they had cast Daisy at this point and did a screen test with different Finns.

Tbh John Boyega and Daisy Ridley have such on screen chemistry that it may have pushed JJ that way.

 

[HK-47]

Say "Star Wars dumbass", drop the mic, and walk out of the room

Nope. Fast and Furious is the real mic drop.

 

[Saint Gregory]

But what if the proposal for the new star wars went "We have a black guy in a lead role BUT, we also have a stereotypical white guy as the villian with a lot of screen time, in addition to a white female role."

Sadly, it would not surprise me if something like that was said or thought.

I think the important thing to note is that in Star Wars Boyega's race has nothing to do with the character he plays. Way too often PoC are only cast into roles that "require" then to be brown and I would agree that most white audiences aren't interested in seeing a film in which a majority of the cast is black or another required minority because usually those kinds of films are about the struggles of those people against some form of oppression or a cultural comedy aimed specifically at PoC.

If more minority actors could be cast into roles in films without typecasting I think a lot of these lame arguments would go away.

 

[aeolist]

I think it was in the end 'colour blind' casting' iirc Jessie Plemons was apparently going to be Finn, in fact it looked like he was a lock. He had people congratulating him and all sorts.

wow

i think we lucked out there

 

[SamuelSupreme]

Will wacltch when home.

 

[spekkeh]

I can agree with the sentiment, but they could've tried to come up with some better examples.

Prince of Persia is fictitious, and in any case Iran means land of the Aryans.
Emma Stone's character is not half Asian.
There are no traditional ancient Egyptians anymore, using Arabs would be just as much 'Arab washing'.
Tom Cruise is not the Last Samurai.

And then a bunch of old examples asking how it is still a thing.

That's really really lazy.

They're right about Last Airbender though.

 

[MHWilliams]

a director should hire the best actor for the role
Bale is one of the best actor in the industry

is better that the guy looks like "the target" rather than his acting is good?

PD: I have not seen the movie, I just want to know what you think

Incorrect question. Makes the assumption that the film cast the "best actor" out of a wide pool of casting auditions. Bale was their choice to star before the film really got into pre-production.

http://deadline.com/2013/03/christian-bale-eyeing-moses-454597/

Don’t consider this etched in stone yet, but it looks like Fox is putting a rush on the Moses movie it has been developing with Ridley Scott. I’m hearing that the director and studio are courting Christian Bale to star.

There was no casting or reading for Moses. They picked a name, they made an offer, and Bale agreed.

----

I'm not suggesting that at all. I know that isn't the case. I'm just looking at all possible reasons for why this happens. It's either minorities aren't even given a serious look when they audition, or the minority actor that auditions for a role isn't a good actor. Those have to be the two reasons this happens right? All I was getting at was my question, is do we have proof of one way or the other?

Again, the assumption people tend to have is "oh, there was casting and this actor was the best option". For many of these Hollywood films, the major named actors did not go to a casting audition or read for a role. You have only to look as far as the Sony email leaks.

For example, the second Ghostbusters film that was planned, Sony had Channing Tatum and Chris Pratt on board from the get-go.

“So… in a curious turn of events - the Russos and Channing want to develop Ghostbusters as a vehicle for Channing and Chris Pratt to do together,” wrote Minghella. “The Russos, Channing and Reid have been brainstorming ideas and want to create a whole new mythology that would support multiple movies (the way that Nolan reinvented Batman). To be clear - the Russos want to produce (not direct) and while Channing and Chris are looking for a movie to do together they haven't mentioned this to him yet because they weren't sure how we'd react.”

Likewise, Feig probably cast Melissa McCarthy and Kristen Wiig and wrote the characters with them in mind. Will those folks work in those roles? Sure. I'm down for the new Ghostbusters and I'd love Tatum and Pratt to be in a film together. Did "best actor" ever enter contention? Nope.

----

just to know,
who would you be your ideal cast for moses and ramses?

I've answered a similar question before:

Waleed Zuaiter

Ashraf Barhom

Faran Tahir

(I'll add in Alexander Siddig. Who wasn't in the original post.)

You know who would've killed it as a young Moses? Rami Malek. Kid is amazing in Mr. Robot. (Directed by Sam Esmail, who is also of Egyptian descent.)

Opposite him, I probably would've cast Sammy Sheik.

----

Here's one great example of how little opportunity great minority actors get. F. Murray Abraham, who is Syrian-American. His big break was playing Salieri in Amadeus. Before that?

Abraham made his screen debut as an usher in the George C. Scott comedy They Might Be Giants (1971). By the mid-'70s, Murray had steady employment as an actor, doing commercials and voice-overs. Abraham can be seen as one of the undercover police officers along with Al Pacino in Sidney Lumet's Serpico (1973), and in television roles including the bad guy in one third-season episode of Kojak. He played a cab driver in the theatrical version of The Prisoner of Second Avenue (1975), a mechanic in the theatrical version of The Sunshine Boys (1975), and a police officer in the film All the President's Men (1976).

Despite these small roles, Abraham continued to do commercials and voice-over work for income. But in 1978, he decided to give them up. Frustrated with the lack of substantial roles, Abraham said, "No one was taking my acting seriously. I figured if I didn't do it, then I'd have no right to the dreams I've always had." His wife, Kate Hannan, went to work as an assistant and Abraham became a "house husband." He described, "I cooked and cleaned and took care of the kids. It was very rough on my macho idea of life. But it was the best thing that ever happened to me."Abraham appeared as drug dealer Omar Suárez alongside Pacino again in the gangster film Scarface (1983).

One role propelled him towards an Oscar. One role. He just needed a chance to prove how amazing he was and he never got that chance before Amadeus. And the reason he got that chance is because the director actively did not want major stars in his starring roles.

In explaining his casting choices, Mr. Forman said first of all that he felt major stars in the roles would work against credibility.

''The role of Salieri is possibly the most flashy stage role of the last decade,'' Mr. Forman said. ''It offers great opportunities for broad, stylized, flowery acting. But that wouldn't do on screen. I felt in the movie all the intensity of Salieri's obsession had to be reflected in the actor's face. Murray had that quality from the very first reading.''

That's the problem. It's not that you don't have amazing actors of color, it's that they rarely get the chance to step up and be the headliner. That's why whitewashing is an issue, not because the character's race is inviolate; for many characters, the race is immaterial. It's because people of color - especially those outside of the basic Hollywood white and black color scheme - rarely get a chance to get great roles. So when a character is tailor-made for them, that opportunity is one too great to pass up. And whitewashing gets rid of that opportunity completely.

----

But what if the proposal for the new star wars went "We have a black guy in a lead role BUT, we also have a stereotypical white guy as the villian with a lot of screen time, in addition to a white female role."

Sadly, it would not surprise me if something like that was said or thought.

The role of Finn was cast, Boyega just happened to be the one they chose.

After meeting with several young actors this past year, sources tell Variety that “Downton Abbey” thesp Ed Speleers, “Attack the Block” star John Boyega, Jesse Plemons and theater actors Matthew James Thomas, and Ray Fisher are among the men J.J. Abrams is eyeing for the lead role.

Even that was in contention, with Abrams doing the legwork:

Sources also indicate the reason for the delay has to do whether execs and creatives want someone of a different ethnicity from the previous Caucasian leads. Abrams has said on numerous occasions that he wants to have a diversified cast, which is why actors like David Oyelowo and Michael B. Jordan tested early on.

 

[Dabanton]

I think the important thing to note is that in Star Wars Boyega's race has nothing to do with the character he plays. Way too often PoC are only cast into roles that "require" then to be brown and I would agree that most white audiences aren't interested in seeing a film in which a majority of the cast is black or another required minority because usually those kinds of films are about the struggles of those people against some form of oppression or a cultural comedy aimed specifically at PoC.

If more minority actors could be cast into roles in films without typecasting I think a lot of these lame arguments would go away.

This is a huge problem as well. And I can see why some studios hesitate.

If they were casting for movies where people are just there and race isn't a huge factor and is not used to fulfill stereotypes things would improve. But too often when a PoC is casted in a big movie it's usually as a punchline or comedic relief role. Not many actors climb out of that typecasting and that thinking is embedded in a lot of hollywood.

I know people have shit on Ridley Scott for Exodus, but he shows how it's done in 'The Martian' lots of PoC actors who are just their doing their jobs. No typecasting.

 

[thehypocrite]

I'm sure the academy is going to award an Oscar to themselves for their fight against racism in America.

 

[spekkeh]

I've answered a similar question before:



You know who would've killed it as a young Moses? Rami Malek. Kid is amazing in Mr. Robot. (Directed by Sam Esmail, who is also of Egyptian descent.)


Opposite him, I probably would've cast Sammy Sheik.

I can follow a Jewish character, because it's a pivotal character in their faith, and Jews as a people are genetically still similar to 3000 years ago, but why would Arabs be better than Caucasians or say Turkic people? I think people from Italian, Greek, Macedonian descent would probably have a much better claim to being ethnically similar to Egyptian rulers than Arabs.

 

[ElBoxyBrown]

wow

i think we lucked out there

I won't lie I kinda feel bad for him. Lol

He must have been the happiest dude when he thought he was gonna be in the next Star Wars.

 

[SystemBug]

I can follow a Jewish character, because it's a pivotal character in their faith, and Jews as a people are genetically still similar to 3000 years ago, but why would Arabs be better than Caucasians or say Turkic people? I think people from Italian, Greek, Macedonian descent would probably have a much better claim to being ethnically similar to Egyptian rulers than Arabs.

Because Arabs are closer to Egypt?

Arabs are also semitic, just like the Jewish

 

[inky]

I think it was in the end 'colour blind' casting' iirc Jessie Plemons was apparently going to be Finn, in fact it looked like he was a lock. He had people congratulating him and all sorts.

Not sure when Boyega auditioned but he must have proved he was better, I do wonder if they had cast Daisy at this point and did a screen test with different Finns.

Tbh John Boyega and Daisy Ridley have such on screen chemistry that it may have pushed JJ that way.

Oh right, I remember this.

Plemons was in Bridge of Spies and Black Mass so he isn't doing too badly I guess. He was looking rough tho. Glad we got John.

 

[Matt]

I know people have shit on Ridley Scott for Exodus, but he shows how it's done in 'The Martian' lots of PoC actors who are just their doing their jobs. No typecasting.

Not a great example, I think all the non-white characters in the movie were not white in the book, and there were some non-white characters in the book that were played by white actors in the movie.

 

[MHWilliams]

I can follow a Jewish character, because it's a pivotal character in their faith, and Jews as a people are genetically still similar to 3000 years ago, but why would Arabs be better than Caucasians or say Turkic people? I think people from Italian, Greek, Macedonian descent would probably have a much better claim to being ethnically similar to Egyptian rulers than Arabs.

I literally picked great actors of Egyptian descent (Malek is a bit Greek as well), nothing more, nothing less. There's a decent amount of variance in North African people that you could get away with a whole host of folks in that casting. Still, your contention that those gentlemen have no right to play roles originating in where they or their family have actually come from seems odd at best. The best guess we have for ancient Egyptians is probably the Copts.

You know who is not of Egyptian, Italian, Greek, or Macedonian descent, or any of the other the folks you'd find in or near Egypt? Christian Bale and Joel Edgerton.

 

[Saint Gregory]

I can follow a Jewish character, because it's a pivotal character in their faith, and Jews as a people are genetically still similar to 3000 years ago, but why would Arabs be better than Caucasians or say Turkic people? I think people from Italian, Greek, Macedonian descent would probably have a much better claim to being ethnically similar to Egyptian rulers than Arabs.

If we're going totally for historical accuracy (not that it's really necessary) the time period depicted in Exodus is prior to Egypt being conquered by the Macedonians. The Egyptian rulers at that time are well documented in Egyptian hieroglyphs and are very brown people.

Kind of hilarious that the DreamWorks version of the story is still the most true to reality.

 

[spekkeh]

Because Arabs are closer to Egypt?

That's a strange criterion. But Ancient Egypt bordered or contained parts of Greece, there was also a healthy trade among the other Mediterranean countries. Ancient Arabia was arguably further away.

Arabs are also semitic, just like the Jewish

In language yes, as ethnicity these all fall under a broad Eurasian 'caucasian' denominator. But sure, Arabs can play Jews. They can also play Ancient Egyptians. There's imo just no argument why they would be more appropriate than other white actors.

edit:

Still, your contention that those gentlemen have no right to play roles originating in where they or their family have actually come from seems odd at best.

Not at all, I think they have every right to play those roles. I don't think their right is necessarily bigger than other actors if you want to make it somehow ethnically accurate, because they also don't reflect the ethnicity of that time period.

 

[MagnaderAlpha]

I'm not suggesting that at all. I know that isn't the case. I'm just looking at all possible reasons for why this happens. It's either minorities aren't even given a serious look when they audition, or the minority actor that auditions for a role isn't a good actor. Those have to be the two reasons this happens right? All I was getting at was my question, is do we have proof of one way or the other?

While we don't know what happens within the minds of men(we ain't fuckin' Professor X, or shit), my opinion is that the reason so many of the "good actors" are white are because, when those actors(and actresses) first start out and develop their chops, they no doubt do it among other actors/actresses of similar caliber. But, when it comes to Hollywood casting agents, directors and producers to pick(for a role that could be filled by an actor of any race), between a great black(or Latino, or Asian) actor or a great white actor, they'll always pick the white one. So you see the careers of WHITE actors and actresses flourish, mingle with the elite and get cast in serious and "award-contending" roles, while minorities aren't given that pleasure. Sure, there are great minority actors/actresses(really great ones), but compared to white actors and actresses, they pale in the numbers.

You really start to wonder if it's about money, or it's just people telling themselves that to mask the fact that they just don't want whites to share the spotlight with other people. When we ALL stand side by side as equals, there cannot be a privileged where some are deemed elite over those deemed "lower class people". There are people who think it's whites' place to stand on top and dominate over all facets of life(entertainment included). Even if they claim to be liberal and forward-thinking, you can bullshit all you want, in the sanctity of one's own mind, they know their true intentions.

For me, the whole face of whites being the majority(even over deserving minority actors) of great performers is yet another piece in the wall of bullshit. The great game of smoke and mirrors, the grand illusion where people try to trick you into believing this way is the inevitable truth. Condition YOU into seeing the world THEIR way, and that THEY are RIGHT about the world. They've been doing it for years, and sadly, a LOT of people go on believing this without even questioning it one bit. This facade needs to fall.

 

[foxtrot3d]

That 'Tom Cruise in The Last Samurai' joke. First: Dave Chappelle/Paul Mooney already said that ten years ago on Chappelle's Show. Second: 'Samurai' is plural, and the title isn't (necessarily) referring to Tom Cruise. It's certainly not exclusively referring to him.

I have to agree here, while white washing is seriously fucked up "The Last Samurai" is not a good example. The title could refer to him but also refers more appropriately to Ken Wattanabe's character, additionally Cruise's character wasn't a white washed portrayal of some real life individual. He is supposed to be a White American military official present during Japan's new forced openess with the West.

Now, you could ask the question if they wanted to tell a movie about the death of the Samurai class in Japan why not simply tell it from a Japanese perspective using a Japanese character as a framing device, but that is a separate discussion. TLS is actually a pretty decent movie and Cruises' character fits the narrative.

 

[Kreed]

I think the important thing to note is that in Star Wars Boyega's race has nothing to do with the character he plays. Way too often PoC are only cast into roles that "require" then to be brown and I would agree that most white audiences aren't interested in seeing a film in which a majority of the cast is black or another required minority because usually those kinds of films are about the struggles of those people against some form of oppression or a cultural comedy aimed specifically at PoC.

If more minority actors could be cast into roles in films without typecasting I think a lot of these lame arguments would go away.

As a reminder, this is a topic about Hollywood white washing. The reason Star Wars is being mentioned is to counter the excuse that non white lead roles "need" white characters playing them otherwise white audiences won't watch them, even if it means a white actor or actress playing the role of a non white character and portraying them and their ethnicity's struggles. So in this case, we want non white actors playing these "required" roles and Hollywood to respect the "requirements".

 

[Garlador]

I remember when the Prince of Persia casting was happening and I remember my pick.

Oded Fehr. Man, that would have been great.

... We got Donnie Darko instead.

 

[Dabanton]

Not a great example, I think all the non-white characters in the movie were not white in the book, and there were some non-white characters in the book that were played by white actors in the movie.

Ah I never read the book. iirc Chiwetel Ejiofor character was indian in the book?

 

[Kalentan]

I have to agree here, while white washing is seriously fucked up "The Last Samurai" is not a good example. The title could refer to him but also refers more appropriately to Ken Wattanabe's character, additionally Cruise's character wasn't a white washed portrayal of some real life individual. He is supposed to be a White American military official present during Japan's new forced openess with the West.

Now, you could ask the question if they wanted to tell a movie about the death of the Samurai class in Japan why not simply tell it from a Japanese perspective using a Japanese character as a framing device, but that is a separate discussion. TLS is actually a pretty decent movie and Cruises' character fits the narrative.

Agreed. White washing is a problem, however The Last Samurai is not a good example of it.

 

[Dabanton]

I'm sure the academy is going to award an Oscar to themselves for their fight against racism in America.

I'm expecting the most sick making standing ovation, racism is over oscars this year. My hope is that Chris Rock undercuts the pomposity with a lot of cutting jokes.

 

[TheSeks]

http://i.imgur.com/3In8dh5.jpg

Tom Hanks edit is better.

 

[Alex_Mexico]

Has anyone brought up Ghost In The Shell starring Scarlett Johansen as Japanese Section 9 special agent Motoko Kusanagi?

I mean I am giving them the benefit of the doubt but you've got to admit it doesn't look good from here so far.

 

[#1 defender]

But Tom Cruise isn't meant to be the Last Samurai, that's Ken Watanabe :/

I always interpreted it as Watanabe's whole crew being the Last Samurai (plural), but that works too.

The video in the OP was alternatively hilarious and cringeworthy. It's bad enough as it is today, but what were they thinking with Brando, Wayne and Rooney, smh.

Has anyone brought up Ghost In The Shell starring Scarlett Johansen as Japanese Section 9 special agent Motoko Kusanagi?

I mean I am giving them the benefit of the doubt but you've got to admit it doesn't look good from here so far.

Well, with GITS there's always the excuse that she can swap into whatever body she wants, since it's just, errr, a shell. Btw, is it known if she'll actually play Kusanagi? I wouldn't be surprised if they westernized the whole thing and set it in the USA.

Also, what do people think of stuff like Chinese playing Japanese, or vice versa. Is stuff like that acceptable? Should they always cast people from the exact nationality the character is from?

 

[Saint Gregory]

As a reminder, this is a topic about Hollywood white washing. The reason Star Wars is being mentioned is to counter the excuse that non white lead roles "need" white characters playing them otherwise white audiences won't watch them, even if it means a white actor or actress playing the role of a non white character and portraying them and their ethnicity's struggles. So in this case, we want non white actors playing these "required" roles and Hollywood to respect the "requirements".

Then I think the real question needs to be why is it a requirement for some roles to be PoC and not others. Whitewashing ancient Egyptian culture in Hollywood is hardly new or rare.

In my opinion it seems like it's more difficult to fill the "requirement" if the role isn't a negative one.

 

[Matt]

I remember when the Prince of Persia casting was happening and I remember my pick.



Oded Fehr. Man, that would have been great.

... We got Donnie Darko instead.

I...what? Why? Oded Fehr is Israeli, not Persian. Why would that have been any better than casting Gyllenhaal?

 

[Alex_Mexico]

Korra has spoilt that well (or rather Nickolodeon has), the franchise is no longer bankable enough.

Granted the whole project seemed to be M's brain child, so I'm not sure if it would have even been made into a movie otherwise.

Korra? You take that back!

Spoiler

You already kinda did.

I wish the Internet would stop hyperboling everything. Stuff can be good or less good than something else without being "garbage" as I've read many call Korra. That series is objectively NOT garbage and now some see it as that which killed the franchise? Nickelodeon drilled it into the ground with its treatment of TLA adaptation and the Korra series. Not the actual animated show.

But yes it's ridiculous how the animated kids show is more diverse and had the "balls" to have a non-white girl starring while the Hollywood film was whitewashed.

 

[Garlador]

I...what? Why? Oded Fehr is Israeli, not Persian. Why would that have been any better than casting Gyllenhaal?

... The Persian Empire included Israel.

 

[KenzinFive]

Korra? You take that back! You already kinda did. I wish the Internet would stop hyperboling everything. Stuff can be good or less good than something else without being "garbage" as I've read many call Korra. That series is objectively NOT garbage and now some see it as that which killed the franchise? Nickelodeon drilled it into the ground with its treatment of TLA adaptation and the Korra series. Not the actual animated show.

But yes it's ridiculous how the animated kids show is more diverse and had the "balls" to have a non-white girl starring while the Hollywood film was whitewashed.

I could literally see this happening in a world where Korra was as popular as TLA.

"We're making a Korra movie!"

"Wow, that's gre-"

"With Jennifer Lawrence as Korra!"

"GOD FUCKING DAMMIT."

We're already at Scarlet Johansson playing Motoko Kusanagi in the upcoming Ghost in the Shell movie. Yes, I know, cyborg bodies and everything. And they could always just rename the main character of the franchise. But still.

 

[Principate]

Korra? You take that back! You already kinda did. I wish the Internet would stop hyperboling everything. Stuff can be good or less good than something else without being "garbage" as I've read many call Korra. That series is objectively NOT garbage and now some see it as that which killed the franchise? Nickelodeon drilled it into the ground with its treatment of TLA adaptation and the Korra series. Not the actual animated show.

But yes it's ridiculous how the animated kids show is more diverse and had the "balls" to have a non-white girl starring while the Hollywood film was whitewashed.

I don't mean quality (which honestly has nothing to do with it) I mean Nickoloon, stopped airing the show on tv mid season 3 I believe or something, de to a range of bad decisions resulting in poor viewership (that and well the reception of season 2 perhaps), resulting in it being aired solely online.

Not exactly the indication of healthy franchise when the IP owners display such trust.

There wasn't actually a need for the casting in the movie, I highly doubt it would have done better or worse without it

 

[Matt]

... The Persian Empire included Israel.

OK...and? Ethnic Israelis are Semitic, Persians are Indo-European. They are in no way the same ethnicity.

In fact, since Gyllenhaal is half Swedish, and therefore also part of the (very large) Indo-European group, it could perhaps be argued that he is more closely related to ancient ethnic Persians then Fehr, though that would require a fair amount of research into both of their genealogies.

 

[tearsintherain]

I thought Exodus might be the last big blockbuster movie that whitewashes to the extent that Hollywood has forever, but Gods of Egypt wants to try to get that plate I guess.

It won't really fix the problem of minorities not getting leading roles in blockbuster movies but I suspect going forward we will see fewer and fewer whitewashed characters and more minorities as supporting actors.