Fans of anime (and anime inspired) film projects are getting sick of Hollywood white washing movies with Caucasian castings of characters that would traditionally be of Asian Heritage. No example of this was greater than The Last Airbender, but it was also a source of major grief for studios when Leonardo DiCaprio was attached to the American film remake of Akira. Now, fans have gone as far as to launch a petition to convince Dreamworks to find a more appropriate casting for their upcoming live action adaptation for Ghost in the Shell than Scarlet Johansson. In fact, as I write this, 28,900 people have signed it.
Here’s what is says on the petition:
“The original film is set in Japan, and the major cast members are Japanese. So why would the American remake star a white actress? The industry is already unfriendly to Asian actors without roles in major films being changed to exclude them. One recent survey found that in 2013, Asian characters made up only 4.4% of speaking roles in top-grossing Hollywood films. Dreamworks could be using this film to help provide opportunities for Asian-American actors in a market with few opportunities for them to shine — please sign the petition asking them to reconsider casting Scarlett Johansson in Ghost in the Shell and select actors who are truer to the cast of the original film!”
Click HERE to sign the petition.