Movies without racially diverse casts

[Papenbrook]

Modern media has to be diverse. There are so many different backgrounds that should be explored, and making characters with a homogeneous background is not helping.

[MsMarvelDuckie]

Originally Posted by THGhost

While I agree that is rather odd that he didn't go for it, can you imagine the backlash from fans if their favourite character became black or anything other than their original white race? "He's white in the books so why is he black in the movies? Wah wah wah!"

I asked if 3 was enough and they said that there are "more than three brown or black people in Australia" - where the film is set.

I believe they meant that Johnny Storm has been cast with a black actor for the upcoming reboot, when his character has always been white (not sure about "always", I don't read the F4 comics).

Yes, yes he has. Johnny Storm is Sue's full brother, with two white parents. Why he would need to be black in the reboot is beyond me.

[Prowler]

Originally Posted by Purple Kraken

Modern media has to be diverse. There are so many different backgrounds that should be explored, and making characters with a homogenous background is not helping.

Generally speaking, I guess. But not every country is multicultural like the ones in the Americas, Australia, etc, so you cannot expect a, let's say, Finnish movie to have a lot of diversity.

And even an American made production that's set during, I dunno, the Middle Ages... doesn't make much sense to have non-white people in it.

[MsMarvelDuckie]

Originally Posted by Purple Kraken

Modern media has to be diverse. There are so many different backgrounds that should be explored, and making characters with a homogenous background is not helping.

But that only makes sense if it fits with the source material. (See above post for a textbook example.) Films like the Hobbit movies, or Fantastic Four, or other characters whose race is PART of the characters DON'T need changing or given a new and different background just for diversity. Leave that for characters where it doesn't matter.

[Prowler]

Originally Posted by MsMarvelDuckie

But that only makes sense if it fits with the source material. (See above post for a textbook example.) Films like the Hobbit movies, or Fantastic Four, or other characters whose race is PART of the characters DON'T need changing or given a new and different background just for diversity. Leave that for characters where it doesn't matter.

Not to mention a lot of the modern media seems to like to propagate certain tropes and stereotypes about certain groups of people. And that definitely does not help at all. As I've said before, it's best to not have characters of a certain group than having very negatively stereotypes of them.

[THGhost]

An example of a character who's race was changed and not too many people, (if any) cared - Nick Fury in the MCU. He was originally white, but cast as Samuel L. Jackson. Now nobody can imagine anyone else playing him.

These are all very interesting posts, everyone. Nice one keeping things civil.

[Cure]

A multi racial group of people always stuck out to me more than a cast of like, all white people. In all my life I've never seen a real life group of friends consist of a white guy, a black guy, an Asian chick, an Indian dude and someone in a wheelchair.

[Jester]

Originally Posted by Cure

A multi racial group of people always stuck out to me more than a cast of like, all white people. In all my life I've never seen a real life group of friends consist of a white guy, a black guy, an Asian chick, an Indian dude and someone in a wheelchair.

[Prowler]

Originally Posted by Cure

A multi racial group of people always stuck out to me more than a cast of like, all white people. In all my life I've never seen a real life group of friends consist of a white guy, a black guy, an Asian chick, an Indian dude and someone in a wheelchair.

Honestly... until someone in this thread pointed it out, I had honestly never realized that everyone in The Lord of The Rings was white. So you might be on to something there.

[THGhost]

Originally Posted by Jester

He said real life.

Wow, the black kid looks really similar to another cartoon. I forget the name.

Originally Posted by Prowler

Honestly... until someone in this thread pointed it out, I had honestly never realized that everyone in The Lord of The Rings was white. So you might be on to something there.

Nor had I.

[Prowler]

Originally Posted by Jester

http://blog.cheezburger.com/files/20...urgerking5.jpg

Is that from Magic School Bus?

Well I guess I can see why they'd do something like that in a cartoon for little kids.

[Jester]

Originally Posted by THGhost

He said real life.

Wow, the black kid looks really similar to another cartoon. I further the name.



Nor had I.

I know, I was just saying they'd look like the Burger King Kids' Club Gang.

[THGhost]

Originally Posted by Jester

I know, I was just saying they'd look like the Burger King Kids' Club Gang.

As a UK citizen, I can tell you I've never heard of that.

I'd probably laugh if I ever saw a group like that in real life. I wouldn't believe what I'd be seeing.

I meant to say that I forget the name of the cartoon that the black kid reminds me of. Darn you auto-correct.

[Prowler]

Originally Posted by THGhost

As a UK citizen, I can tell you I've never heard of that.

I haven't either. But then again, I don't recall ever eating at Burger King. Only at McDonald's. And I haven't eaten at the latter in ages.

[Jester]

Too be fair the Burger King Kids' Club Gang was a product of the early 90's.

Jaws might look like Kwame from Captain Planet:

[THGhost]

Originally Posted by Jester

Too be fair the Burger King Kids' Club Gang was a product of the early 90's.

That explains it then.

The person I spoke with can't enjoy that many movies if they analyse them for racial diversity. A lot of them have predominantly white casts. Sure, it sucks that other races aren't represented enough on-screen, but that's just the way it is right now.

I'm still annoyed that Scarlett Johansson is playing the lead role in the upcoming live-action Ghost in the Shell movie. Why not a Japanese actress?

[Prowler]

Originally Posted by Jester

Too be fair the Burger King Kids' Club Gang was a product of the early 90's.

Ah ok. I was born in 1990.

Originally Posted by THGhost

The person I spoke with can't enjoy that many movies if they analyse them for racial diversity. A lot of them have predominantly white casts. Sure, it sucks that other races aren't represented enough on-screen, but that's just the way it is right now.

I'm still annoyed that Scarlett Johansson is playing the lead role on the upcoming live-action Ghost in the Shell movie. Why not a Japanese actress?

It would make more sense,yes, but i couldn't care less anyway. You know why? Because I wasn't going to watch it in the first place. I've seen the anime already. Not gonna watch a live action adaptation that's probably gonna be quite inferior to the original. Screw the supposed Monster live-action trilogy, too.

[THGhost]

Originally Posted by Prowler

Ah ok. I was born in 1990.


It would make more sense,yes, but i couldn't care less anyway. You know why? Because I wasn't going to watch it in the first place. I've seen the anime already. Not gonna watch a live action adaptation that's probably gonna be quite inferior to the original. Screw the supposed Monster live-action trilogy, too.

1992 for me.

Oh it's definitely gonna be inferior.

I really need to go to sleep now. It's 4am here in the UK. I look forward to reading more responses. Catch y'all later.

[MsMarvelDuckie]

Originally Posted by THGhost

An example of a character who's race was changed and not too many people, (if any) cared - Nick Fury in the MCU. He was originally white, but cast as Samuel L. Jackson. Now nobody can imagine anyone else playing him.

These are all very interesting posts, everyone. Nice one keeping things civil.

To be fair, though, Sam's depiction of Nick Fury is based on the Marvel Ultimate universe- where the character's look was based ON HIM. Marvel was just doing what the Tomb Raider movies did by using the person that version of the character was modeled after to PLAY the character. Big difference. The only time 616(mainline universe) Nick Fury has been portrayed in film was by David Hasselhoff- and the resemblence was scary accurate. (Even though the movie sucked.)

Originally Posted by THGhost

That explains it then.

The person I spoke with can't enjoy that many movies if they analyse them for racial diversity. A lot of them have predominantly white casts. Sure, it sucks that other races aren't represented enough on-screen, but that's just the way it is right now.

I'm still annoyed that Scarlett Johansson is playing the lead role in the upcoming live-action Ghost in the Shell movie. Why not a Japanese actress?

Not me. She's one of the few action movie actresses that I could see pull it off, regardless of race. Though I suppose if she could fight, the actress who played Karai in last year's TMNT might work. I'd have to see how she is in the role, first.

[plastroncafe]

1) There were people of color in Europe. So saying, "It makes sense that they're white, because everyone there is white," is factually incorrect.
http://medievalpoc.tumblr.com/ for some references.

2) The Lord of the Rings books have some massive racial issues. It's sad that Jackson didn't address and correct some of these issues in his own fillms. I mean come on, the Dwarves are rocking some pretty heinous Jewish stereotypes, and the Men From the East who side with Sauron are the only dark people in the entire thing, and they arrive on elephants.

3) Johnny and Sue Storm's father in the new movie is black.
He's in the trailer. You can't miss him.
And even if Sue ends up being adopted, and not a bi-racial woman who can pass for white, are we really going to stay that adopted children aren't the "real" children of someone? Here? On a ninja turtle board? Where the main characters are an adoptive family?

4) It's sad that there weren't more faces of color in Mad Max, as Australia has a rather sizable Aboriginal population...that they've been disenfranchising and committing genocide against since Botany Bay.
The Wives were ethnically diverse...and also wearing chastity belts.

5) White as Default is a concept that can't fade away fast enough.
Especially in Hollywood.
Where casting calls for people to play Katara of the Southern Water Tribe, and Katniss Everdeen of District Twelve request white actresses only.
Neither one of those characters is mentioned as white. Katara's entire culture is based off Inuit, and Katnis is described has having dark hair and olive skin.

Of course...there were people freaking out when Rue was shown to be a small black girl. People upset to the nth degree, because how stupid it was for her to be black. She's supposed to represent purity!
Except, the text specifically says she's black.

Where as Hermione has no race or mention of her skin color in Harry Potter, but you'll mostly find her depicted as white.