The recent superhero boom has been a godsend for every young white guy in Hollywood, but what about the non-white actors who can't even get an audition for the title roles in Thor or Captain America? The buzz surrounding Donald Glover's attempt to try out for Spider-Man is indicative of a wider problem: big action tentpoles are what traditionally launched black movie stars like Will Smith, but when those tentpoles are replaced by comic book adaptations, there are far fewer starring roles out there for anyone who isn't a handsome white guy in his twenties.
Can Hollywood think bigger? We've taken 6 iconic roles (both superhero and action hero) that have traditionally cast from a pool of white actors, and expanded that pool quite a bit. Here are our suggestions for casting directors who want to think outside the box:
The British-born Elba (The Wire, Obsessed) has already been a beneficiary of color-blind casting. In the recent action film The Losers, he played Roque, and in Thor, he'll play Heimdall; both characters were white in their original comic book incarnations. Why not take it a step further and give the ultra-suave Elba a license to kill?
The gangly young actor impressed as rapper Alpa Chino in Tropic Thunder, then got cast as the sidekick in Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief. Still, we think he could play nerdy Peter Parker just as well as Marc Webb's shortlist of mostly British beauties.
The Venezuelan-born Ramírez is a true 21st century actor, a cultured man fluent in English, Spanish, French, German and Italian. Macho and square-jawed enough to kick the crap out of thugs, yet handsome and polished enough to pull off Bruce Wayne, the actor (who recently impressed in the Cannes entry Carlos) would make a perfect Caped Crusader.
He's got the perfect face, the perfect body, and he radiates all-American decency. J.J. Abrams has already anointed Boris Kodjoe as the next action hero (by casting him as the romantic lead in his new TV series Undercovers), so when will movies catch up?
An Amazonian princess who can commune with animals and look good in a tight, barely-there outfit? Zoe Saldana already nailed it in Avatar. Bulk her up a little bit and hand her a lasso instead of a bow and arrow and you've got yourself Diana Prince.
Make no mistake: a comic talent like Jamie Foxx or Eddie Murphy would gun for this role if they opened it up to non-white actors. However, anyone who's ever been in a room with Anthony Mackie knows that he's hilarious and quick in a way he rarely gets to show onscreen. Cast him as Tony Stark and then go white for his best friend Rhodey, just to really drive the fanboys crazy.