Fans are bashing the upcoming Ghost in the Shell and a new petition is going viral.
The backlash against Ghost in the Shell is reaching an all-time high. Following reports that producers tested digital visual effects to make actors look more Asian, fans of the popular manga series have started a petition calling Dreamworks to “Stop Whitewashing Asian Characters”.
Related: ‘Ghost in the Shell’ Producers Used CGI To Make Scarlett Johansson Asian?
In a petition created by Julie Rodriguez, which has reached 93,309 supporters in less than 24 hours, fans are calling for Dreamworks to recast the upcoming Ghost in the Shell movie.
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.
Rodriguez adds: “Dreamworks could be using this film to help provide opportunities for Asian-American actors in a market with few opportunities for them to shine.”
Related: Hundreds Audition for Scarlett Johansson’s ‘Ghost in the Shell’
As the petition reaches it’s goal of 95,000 signatures, Japanese fans took to Twitter to support the casting decision, according to a new report by The Hollywood Reporter.
“It’s a Hollywood movie, it can’t be helped that there’s going to be a white lead actress. Well, best to think of it as an artificial body situation,” tweeted @Imperia_r.
“There’s been a lot of criticism from foreign fans about the casting of Scarlett Johansson as Motoko Kusanagi in the movie adaptation of Ghost in the Shell,” wrote @janyojanyo. “It’s about artificial bodies, so you may as well think of it as her using a white cyborg. The manga and anime have differences anyway. It’s still better than them casting Rinko Kikuchi just because she can speak English.”
Ghost in the Shell centers around a cyborg policewoman attempts to bring down a nefarious computer hacker. The movie features Scarlett Johansson, Michael Pitt, and Pilou Asbæk. It was written by Jonathan herman and Jamie Moss and directed by Rupert Sanders. Filming is taking place in New Zealand. If you’re interested in taking part of the controversial movie, you can check out the latest casting call here.
Via Petition Site
