All Caucasian Akira Casting Short List Angers Fans
That didn't take very long at all. Fans of Japanese manga Akira are already up in arms about the report that Warner Bros. is looking to cast the film from a list of Caucasian actors that includes Robert Pattinson, Justin Timberlake, Andrew Garfield, Joaquin Phoenix and Michael Fassbender. Who could have seen this one coming?
Racebending -- a website which, as Moviefone points out, was launched in 2009 for the sole purpose of attacking The Last Airbender for its white-washed casting -- has created an online petition for Akira fans to sign as a way for them to express outrage at Warner Bros. for the race-inappropriate casting. The key passage:
We would like to present the numbers from this petition to the studio to show them that all media consumers -- not just Akira fans and not just Asian Americans -- support keeping casting Asian Americans in the lead roles in Akira.
Good message, but there is one slight problem: As Movieline's Brian Clark pointed out, the Akira adaptation takes place in "New Manhattan" and not the "Neo-Tokyo" of the original source, meaning perhaps Japan isn't as important to this film as one might assume. Still, if this petition gains steam, don't be surprised if Warner Bros. quickly changes those character names at the very least. Put me down for "Tuts and Dan."
· Fans Already Protesting the White-Washing of 'Akira' Cast [Moviefone]
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If films with Asian leads were more common, I would think this was humorous. But this is ridiculous. What's next, a remake of Slumdog Millionaire starring Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber?
Warner Brothers is not making another niches film, ie. Scott Pilgrim and Watchmen. Their motivation is money. Asian stars won't get a this movie past the starting line. We know Hollywood is racist and so are the people that control the money. It doesn't change anything.
Why doesn't "reality" ever into these racebenders arguments?
You know like...in order for this movie to make a profit it has to sell to NON-Akira fans...not please fanboys. And in order to do that, it has to convince those people (who have probably never even HEARD of Akira) to see a movie about a futuristic metropolis and a dude with psychic powers and a big head.
So guess what? Stuff will change to please a mainstream audience. If you want to watch a slavish recreation of Akira...GO WATCH AKIRA.
Or the other reality. That there are no Asian "name" actors big enough to get funding for a 100-200 million flick. Sorry. I know it's a Catch 22. "No Asian Actors big enough...but without opportunity they will never GET big enough.." Wish it were otherwise, but THAT is reality.
This movie is gonna cost at least 150 million (if it ever gets made...) There's tons of successful Caucasian actors who can't pull that kind of budget.
And it doesn't matter how much those little fanboy/girl racists at racebending pound their fists in anger. Reality trumps "righteous" indignation.
And yes...they are racists. They make EVERYTHING about race.
Case in point: (re: Pretty Little Liars) "There have been no references to her Asian origins so far, but it is still quite obvious that she’s part Asian. Her family speaks standard American English, and her father is a colonel in the United States Army. However, with no acknowledgement of Emily’s Asian background, her heritage could potentially be marginalized, and the significance of Mitchell’s casting could be lost on the audience. It is up to the audience to realize that she is of Filipina descent without any prompts or hints from the episodes."
The character in book is Asian. The actress is Asian. But that's still not enough for them...What do they want? A flashing neon sign every time she comes on screen that says "HAY GUYS I'M FILIPINO! DID YOU KNOW I AM ASIAN?! IF I DON'T STRESS MY ASIAN HERITAGE IN EVERY EPISODE I MIGHT MARGINALIZE MY HERITAGE!"
They were speaking a language. I think it was Asian.
Moving it from Neo-Tokyo to Neo-Manhattan doesn't take away the point, Akira is social commentary based on Japanese culture and Japanese nuclear bombing history (done by us in WWII). They want to use a Japanese story without having to use Japanese actors, in other words they want their cake and to eat it too. Especially with the current Nuclear scare in Japan, this is a little insulting to the Japanese people.
The movie is still going to be called Akira with similar storyline. Now we are going to have a story about teenage gangsters in NYC but played by 25-33 year old White guys? Why not at least change the title from Akira to "JOHN SMITH" along with changing the characters names too.
How come you guys don't have a thing up on racebending about Thor?
Since you're so concerned about slavish adherence to the subject matter in terms of race, I would think that would've made your heads explode.
A BLACK NORSE GOD?! WUTWUTWUT?!
@ Andrew
Let me guess. Privileged white boy who never had to deal with never seeing a positive image on any entertainment medium growing up. Boo-rring. Call us whiny minorities when caucasians don't make up 90 percent of leads in tv and movies.
Swing and a miss!
Care to press your luck a second time?
Did I use the phrase "whiny minorities"? No. I called you racists. Please don't put words in my mouth unless they are on candy hearts. I like those.
Curious about a couple of things:
1. I wonder if Indian actors would suffice. That WOULD fulfill the Asian 'requirement' wouldn't it .. .and everyone knows that there are way-more Oriental-asians in films, in the States than there are Indians. That sounds unfair, doesn't it (he said with him tougue firmly planted in his right-facial-cheek)?
2. Why does the public at large, or some group of people in particular, feel a righteous-fulfillment in telling a movie studio how to interpret or staff their production. Will these do-gooders (for the sake of so-called Asians), make-up the monetary difference if the film flops in the box-office? I don't think so. Tell them to go make their own movie with their own interpretation and staff it FULL of Oriental Asians. Who-knows... If it has Jackie Chan in it, people may go (even me).
So tired of the Anti White Racist pro Asian crap in this world today. First off people this is an AMERICAN ENGLISH company making a movie for AMERICAN ENGLISH speaking PEOPLE.. Has Hollywood EVER stayed true to ANY STORY? HELL NO they are a business period. There are NO quality asian actors in america that can draw box office numbers PERIOD..
You want an all asian cast GOTO JAPAN and watch it there.. quit trying to change america and make it YOUR HOMELAND IT NOT and never will be.
Your original post is cute in the sense that it pretty much shows your indignation at "those other people" daring to show a bit of pride at their ethnic culture (OMGZ Racist! Be American!) It could also confirm that your a privileged white kid or an americanized minority who thinks that when you parrot HW's reality arguments against casting non caucasian leads, you get a choco-bar and join the club.
I'd stick to watching wrestling and never leaving your predominantly comfortable white neighborhood. Outside of it IS scary. With people with darker skins and different facial features. It's the barbaric Wilds I tells ya!
Whats really funny is that asians cant step back for one minute to REALIZE that WHITE americans REALLY do like asian culture.. The highest honor is imitation and we are taking a japanese culture concept and we are interpreting it. That is AWESOME and so respectful. but know they have to force their racist crap on to us just because its white people (hint just like the asian in the library video) Asians are getting so racist its not funny.
So I say this I spent 7 years in Japan how about we take all the guitars out of that country unless they are played by white guys.
Why dont we take all the RAPPER wannabees and tell them they have to be black
such a double standard
Boo hoo, waaaaa..... Just another control freak attempt to force other people to do what you want. Grow up! If you don't like the damn movie, don't see it, if you don't like their business practises then build your own movie company and beat them at their own game... You can be the first to cast a movie with an all, Aranian midgit lesbian line up....
Or better yet, you could make the first movie in history where you don't have the same person play the same part from seen to seen... the lead could be played by different individuals, both males and females representing your favorite "under served" out reach groups......
Ya... Oh, but then you'd need to force people to come and see it... ya... that's right... unless it was a spoof on liberal insanity/ stupidy. : )
So I'm either a "rich white boy" or an "Uncle Tom"?
How are you not racist again?
Your adverse reaction to any discussion about race with "REALITY! Deal!" seems to confirm you're either one of those.
And damn those civil rights activists and their righteous indignation! They should have just known their place and accepted reality instead of spouting off about equality BS.
Carolyn Martinez-Corbin
As much as i really like Robert Pattinson, after reading these posts, i'm understanding why you are unhappy with the "short list" for these actors do not represent a movie like this. I hope for those who do appreciate Manga etc. that you get the actors suited for it. On the other hand, I do see here what hollywood would like to do to this type of material, as they have done with Japanese horror. On the good side, it has been introduced to those who did not have the realization of how amazing Japanese horror was. I ended up watching the actual Japanese movies to most of of; Tale Of Two Sisters/Univited, The Ring, The Grudge, Dark Water, Rec., The Eye, and i know there are more i am unformilar with or have not seen...And what the American versions did was start an interest to those not in the know like yourselves, of the supierior Japanese versions they would end up watching having seen the "American" versions. This to could happen with Akira and the likes, if indeed it is made like WB want to make it, and again peak the interest of those who have not had the exposure to what you have, or the intellegence too. After this, if it happens, and because it alows for much getter exposure. The actual Japanese material may become even bigger to the individuals who did not realize it's existance or brilliance. Thank you for your insight.
Peace, and love, hope to those in Japan who have gone through so much recently...Dealing with the passing of loved ones, at the same time as their need to deal with such devistation, in a time where they should be cared for, and hopefully are. My hearts goes out to such beautiful people. I so hope life can come back together for them, and i pray for it too...carolyn
You need to remember too, these are offers that may be made by WB to particular actors, not the other way around. Robert Pattinson, believes in a story being true to it's origins, and probably, like many parts he has already not taken, will turn this down to, for that reason.
Yes denying a person basic civil liberties is clearly the same thing as casting a white person in a movie instead of an asian person. False equivalency much?
As for equality...
How come racebending doesn't have a page about Thor? That's taking liberties with the source material. You guys are against that. I read it over and over again on the site.
Or how come you don't make a page for all the times straight people have played gay parts? There are plenty of gay people in this country who didn't (and still don't) have positive media role models to look to. Plus I'm sure there's just as many out of work gay actors as straight...
In case you haven't figure out by now...I'm trolling you fools because you're hypocrites and it amuses me to use your own tactics against you and watch you unable to muster comebacks that don't involve blind rage and insults (usually racially-based).
See...
You START your arguments by calling people racists. How is anyone supposed to engage you in civil discussion if you open the floor by using hate speech?
And you selectively pick your battles. You aren't interested in opportunity for all. You're interested in opportunity for the ones you think deserve it.
In other words, don't pretend like you're Frederick Douglass when we all know you're really Louis Farakhan.
HA HA! I was coming on here to say the same thing. The thing is, though, if you say that Norse Gods aren't black you're going to be accused of being a racist and told that we see them as Gods, but in reality they're aliens with such advanced technologies that we see them as having super powers so they can shape shift into whatever they want, color included. The reality is that having an all asian cast won't make as much money in the USA and that is what US based companies are generally looking to do.
I loved Lost, but by far my favorite characters were Sun and Jin. I like Grey's Anatomy, but the most interesting character by far is Cristina. I'm a white, middle-aged man, yet some of my favorite characters in recent times have been Asian. Except that their ethnicity wasn't the reason I loved them. Sun and Jin broke my heart over and over again. They were amazing people who loved each other so much, yet got lost somewhere along the way. And Cristina? I knew her intimately because she was like me, so focused on her future that she never fully appreciated her present.
People like movies about characters they care about. The fact that they are making a live-action movie of Akira decades after the original series began shows definitively that no one gives a shit that the characters are all Asian. What matters is the story and the characters.
But when you make your main characters the white bread flavor-of-the-season pretty boy, you stop caring about making a good movie and reduce it to a blockbuster of the month, like GI Joe or the countless other movies that give you a momentary rush before being completely forgotten, then fuck you. A movie like Inception is a huge hit, but God forbid anyone else ever try anything that doesn't fit a specific formula. Make a 3-d movie about aliens the color of smurfs and you know it will fail miserably. Who would want to see something called Avatar? The love interest is blue, for gods' sake!
Will Akira lose it's power if it's transported to New York, where every single citizen is pearly white? Maybe not. White people have actually starred in some pretty good movies over the years. But will a movie suffer when the main goal of production is not to tell a story that has been hugely popular for years and years but to film a movie that stars a hot white guy that will bring in the tweens?
I have nothing against any of the young actors on the short list. But I have to wonder how much more successful the Lord of the Rings trilogy would have been if they had hired Harrison Ford to play Frodo. Or Usher.
Ya, I fixed the typos.
@ Carolyn,
You libs are soo stupid. What the hell are you talking about?... First you have to be willing to face facts... If Japanese film was sooooo gooooood, we'd all be watching it... and we'd all be buying it, IT WOULD SELL...... but it doesn’t…..
That’s because, just like sushi, it sucks.
Yep, you lib morons pump trendy foreign bull sh%&@ up 'till every foolish impressionable snot nosed collage kid and sun baked wrinkled pot smoking hippy freak just has to have one or two or three or as many as some liberal entitlement program can bleed from our economy ‘caus they’re not willing to pay for it themselves but they still feel entitled to it!.... until everyone including you admits it sucks... not by actually admitting it sucks, but by simply losing interest in it and watching as all those sushi places from the 90's close their doors and all the herbal enema shops trade their open signs for ones that say, “FOR LEASE”. Heheheheheheh……
Notice the good ol’ boy, “greasy spoon” places you libs hate are still open and doing fine. Yep... in any population there will only be a hand full of liberal morons who are willing to take one for the home team and munch tree bark, humus and have someone fill their butts with coffee….. Isn’t that what all the moron Hollyweirdos were spending all their spare cash on… hycolonics?
Pull your head out.
This post regards the live action version of a comic book series that's been around for decades. It's a Japanese comic book series. Evidently, it was "sooooo gooooood" that not only has it continued to sell well long after it first premiered, but a major studio wants to make a blockbuster movie out of it.
I love greasy spoon places. I don't like sushi, I don't like any Japanese food at all, but I don't know what that has to do with anything. Give me a hamburger dripping with grease and processed cheese with a side of hash browns drenched in butter - not margarine, but butter - and I'm in heaven.
What does that have to do with anything whatsoever regarding Akira?
Carolyn is one of those liberal morons that would over rate anything as long as it DIDN'T come from the U.S.A.
I, and a whole sh&#$ load of other Americans are sick of all the politically correct bull sh&%$; we're sick of all the stupidity, all the lying, all the spinning and all the pricks that bash the greatest culture in history, created by the greatest people ever to walk the face of the earth.
That's where I'm coming from.
Now, if they’re soooo gooood, why are we not watching it in its pure Japanese brilliance?... because it sucks and in order to get Americans who have a the highest expectations for film making to watch it, they need to have some hate filled red neck ignorant American film company to do it right. Just like Chinese martial arts movies… they suck…. They’re corny, and until they took a page out of the American film book they just stunk the screen up.
Now we have to endure constant, “flying” Chinese actors and film after film that seems like just another Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon or whatever the hell it was called almost a freaking decade ago.
So exactly when should I expect to see you on the news after you've killed seven children at a nursery school that isn't sponsored by the KKK?
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