Star Trek fable George Takei is leading the charge against Hollywood ’s whitewashed interlingual rendition of Zanzibar copal definitive Akira . He wants Warner Bros. to do the right thing and cast Asian doer in the saga . But will the studio take heed ?
In March , a leaked casting list for Warner Bros ’ Akira transformation unleash a fury of WTF across the cyberspace . The rumored list for contenders were as follows : Robert Pattinson , Andrew Garfield , and James McAvoy for Tetsuo , with Garrett Hedlund , Michael Fassbender , Chris Pine , Justin Timberlake , and Joaquin Phoenix for Kaneda . Not a single Asian histrion . Naturally , the great unwashed were ferocious . Was Akira pop off to return victim of the whitewashing that happened to Dragonball and Airbender ? All signs are pointing to yes , unless something could be done . come in Takei and the facebook virtual petition“Don’t Whitewash Akira . ”
In an audience withThe AdvocateTakei calls the Caucasic translation purposeless and downright offensive not only to fans but to the Asians everywhere .
The manga and Zanzibar copal phenomenon is mostly white in this state . It spring up in Japan , and , of class , it has a huge Asian rooter follow . But it ’s the multi - pagan Americans who are fans of Akira and manga . The approximation of grease one’s palms the rights to do that and in fact change it seems rather pointless . If they ’re conk out to do that , why do n’t they do something original , because what they do is offend Asians , number 1 ; number 2 , they offend the fans . The same thing go on with M. Night Shyamalan . He honk his project [ The Last Airbender ] with non - Asians and it ’s an Asiatic fib , and the cinema flop . I should think that they would memorise from that , but I reckon big studios go by rote , and the custom in Hollywood has always been to grease one’s palms a project , interchange it totally and founder with it . I think it ’s pointless , so I think I would save Warner Bros. a bit of nonstarter by warning them of what will most likely encounter if they go on in that vein .
His message is a warning to the studios — they ’re setting themselves up for a flop if they keep following this path . Although he knows that it is an rising battle for studios to greenlight monolithic task like this without a bankable star .
One ca n’t name a single Asian - American whose name you could take to the depository financial institution and get a project financed . We are wee headway . I ’m not a pessimist . We have made wonderful headways from the time I started in this business in 1957 . Asiatic faces are part of the ensemble in many TV appearance fiddle not roles that are specifically Asian , but playing doctors and tec . progression have been made , but we have still not catch up with the African - American achievements .
In a perfect world Takei wants Asian - American actor cast in the atomic number 82 roles for AKIRA ’s Kaneda and Tetsuo ( among other roles ) . We ’d wish that too , but it would be a big risk for Hollywood to take with a director like Albert Hughes attached . If WB was willing to spend the big clam on a massive behind - the - camera name , like Ridley Scott , James Cameron or J.J. Abrams , we ’d be a turn more affirmative for the casting process . But right now , WB must be feeling the pressure to tie a name to the project for marketing and financing purposes .
But that does n’t change the fact that Takei ’s rightfield , and this film deserves a cast that speculate its Japanese roots — and it ’ll probably fail otherwise . Warner Bros. should hire the effective casting director money can buy , and find a Kaneda that both fans and mainstream public can identify with . That ’s worth way more than another movie with Robert Pattinson in it .
AnimeGeorge TakeiMangaMovies
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