"Ghost in the Shell's" movie remake appears to already be rife with problems and filming hasn't even started yet.
Dreamworks bigwigs recently confirmed that "Avengers" star Scarlett Johansson was tapped to take on the role of Japanese cyborg cop Major Motoko Kusanagi in the film remake based on the iconic 1995 animated sci-fi animated flick, which itself is based on a manga.
The announcement sparked outrage amongst anime fans and critics who believe that instead of a white actress, a Japanese actress should have been cast for the role of a Japanese character, Huffington Post reported.
The backlash of the casting news was massive enough that an online petition demanding a recasting of the lead role was not only spawned, but managed to gain over 15,000 signatures already.
Care2, the advocacy group who launched the online petition, is currently nearing its target of 16,000 signatures.
"The original film is set in Japan, and the major cast members are Japanese," wrote organizer Julie Rodriguez in the petition. "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."
“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!”
"Snow White and the Huntsman" director Rupert Sanders is set to helm "Ghost in the Shell," which hits theaters April 14, 2017.
Another blockbuster film which was recently plagued with similar issues was director Ridley Scott's "Exodus: Gods and Kings." While the film performed well at the box office, the movie received a lot of flak from critics and fans alike because none of the actors cast for the lead roles were actually of Middle Eastern descent.
This has been a long-standing problem in Hollywood as a 2014 UCLA study found that only 10.5% of lead movie roles go to minority actors.
Meanwhile, though critics and anime fans may not want Johansson playing a Japanese cyborg cop, Marvel fans are more than okay with the actress taking on the role of Black Widow in future Marvel films.
Unfortunately, there's no news about a stand-alone Black Widow movie yet, but as a minor compensation, "Captain America: Civil War" directors Joe and Anthony Russo have already confirmed that the red-headed spy-assassin will be making an appearance in the third installment of the "Captain America" franchise.
The directors confirmed the news to China's Sina.com, adding that Black Widow, like in "Captain America: The Winter Soldier," will play a major role in the highly anticipated 2016 film.
