Whitewashing by any
another other name is still racism, and Hollywood's particular brand of racism hinges
on the theory that having film stars appearing in a project is the only way to
assure its financial success.
There are many examples to both substantiate and
discredit this theory, and one that will put it to the test is the upcoming big
screen adaptation of Masamune
Shirow's Ghost in the Shell, which has been under some fire over the casting of Scarlett
Johansson in a very much Japanese role. Producer Stevens Paul however does
not seem to see it that way and in a recent interview to BuzzFeed News, he
tries attributes the casting (all of it) to the multicultural world of Ghost in
the Shell.
"There [are] all sorts of people
and nationalities in the world in Ghost
in the Shell," he said. "We’re utilizing people from all over the
world. … There’s Japanese in it. There’s Chinese in it. There’s English in it.
There’s Americans in it."
And the producer is not lying when he says the
cast is diverse. The film boasts a truly international cast, which also includes
Michael Pitt, Pilou Asbaek, Takeshi Kitano, Juliette Binoche, Chin Han, Kaori
Momoi, Michael Wincott, Chris Obi, and Joseph Naufahu in addition to Johansson
in the lead role.
Speaking of the lead role, the producer adds more fuel to the fiery
discussion and says that Johansson's character in
the movie will be simply referred to as the Major, and not Major Motoko
Kusanagi as she is in the manga.
"I don’t think it was just a Japanese story. Ghost in the Shell was
a very international story, and it wasn’t just focused on Japanese; it was
supposed to be an entire world," Paul adds. "That’s why I say the
international approach is, I think, the right approach to it."
Finally and despite all the problems, the producer believes they went the
right, and that fans will be happy with the result.
"I think we’ve done the manga comic great honor.
As I said, the fans will be very happy, because there’s a great respect that’s
been paid to the manga," Paul said, adding that Ghost in the Shell creator
Shirow and Kodansha (the company that first published the manga) have been
supportive and involved in the production. "We’ve been very, very careful.
Obviously, there’s some new imagination, as well. I mean, like anything, when
you’re making a movie, you’ve gotta bring your own."
Ghost in the Shell opens in theaters on March 31,
2017.
Source - BuzzFeed News
Will check it out but if people are so worried about casting an Anglo for a Japanese role, why hasn't Japan made their definitive version? Not for lack of financing I'm sure.
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