Poll: What Do You Think About "Color Blind" Casting in Comic Book Adaptations?

[SickAlice]

In contrast I tend to see colorblind as a small vector and defer myself to the big picture. The big picture would be to include analysis of the history and current state of film in the view as well to move above that into society and the workforce. So how do I contrast colorblindness against a long history of whitewashing which itself is still a current trend (example: Ghost In The Shell) and the state of and the position in diversity in regards to the nations Fair Hiring Practice laws? I think being fair and just as well taking a stance against bigotry over rules all else, especially something as minor as technical merit or at least which becomes minor when looked at through the worldview lens. Asides, when has an adaption to film every looked accurate to the comic counter-part? That Batman costume does not look like the comic one, no? So I voted #2 without hesitation.

[skyvolt2000]

I would prefer you use the minority characters who you already have.

If you want Supergirl to have a black lover-you have enough black guys in limbo that you can toss in this series to use.

Lets start getting exposure to those guys instead of being lazy and ticking off a fanbase (Wally West).

Or create a new one and see if he or she takes off like Harley Quinn did.

[Detox]

I would like adaptations to stick close to the original.
If they make a Superman movie, I want to see someone that resembles Superman.

I'd have to agree with this.

[ExcelsiorPrime]

I think its more important that the actor/actress embody the character than having them look the same. because more than not the actor/actress doesn't physically resemble the character.

Wolverine is 5'3 250 pound Canadian. So they go out and cast a 6 foot 3 Australian.
Black Widow is a 5 foot 9 160 pound Russian. So they use a 5'3 150 pound American.
Thor is Swedish/Norse.....go for an Australian.
Groot is a Tree/ They cast a CGI version.



But Seriously, the casting isn't nowhere near the source material. The casting works when the actor/actress through their performance rings true to the character.

That being said..whomever best embodies the character should be chosen. Dean Cain was the perfect choice for Superman in the TV series. Imagine if he were robbed from that opportunity because he has some Asian in his blood.

Movies, TV, Video games and comics aren't the same. Media outside of comics aren't pigeonholed to continuity. Hence Gotg. Captain America:Civil War. Big Hero 6



Now lets look at WATCHMEN. The DAREDEVIL FILMS, GREEN LANTERN, SUPERMAN RETURNS. HULK 1 2..they had all the necessary credentials of looking like the characters...but did they embody them in the audiences minds?

[Jumpoff AKA JohnnyBlazed]

I don't care, but as an actor I wouldn't want to play a black character (Because honestly, I think they mostly suck and have horrible powersets) but I would literally murder someone to play ghost rider. That's the whole reason I started acting lol.

[johnnyrocket]

This is an odd either/or way to phrase this. The forced assumption/conclusion to this question is if you hire someone who looks the part you haven't necessarily gotten the best actor? Altering the race of Johnny Storm is one thing, he was more iconic than a supporting player, and I think it seemed particularly forced if you aren't going to also make his sibling the same race. But supporting less iconic characters I think there's more leeway. For example, no one's batted an eye about Iris West. But the multicultural tweaking in the comics themselves are clearly an editorial mandate, perhaps even a marketing direction, to appeal to other diverse groups. In that light, you could just as easily ask the polling question, "Do you think producers are looking for the best actors when they cast against type or are they deliberately casting against type and finding the best actor in that demographic? All that said, casting against type is fine as long as it makes sense for the particular creative direction of the show or movie. Forcing it one way or another for focus groups, or whatever, is where it all falls apart.

[CtrlAltDesign]

I think It should be both.
The Actor chosen should be able to best capture the abstracts that embody the character.
Skin tone doesn't matter.

That being said, I think they should stick closer to other details of the characters in the book.

For example, FF/Human Torch.
The Family dynamic to the FF is very important, If Johnny's not related to Sue.
Why would Reed, Sue, Ben hang out with this dick.

If Johnny Storm is African American, Sue Storm needs to be also.

[Jumpoff AKA JohnnyBlazed]

I think It should be both.
The Actor chosen should be able to best capture the abstracts that embody the character.
Skin tone doesn't matter.

That being said, I think they should stick closer to other details of the characters in the book.

For example, FF/Human Torch.
The Family dynamic to the FF is very important, If Johnny's not related to Sue.
Why would Reed, Sue, Ben hang out with this dick.

If Johnny Storm is African American, Sue Storm needs to be also.

Or johnny could be adopted, ya know that happens....

[ExcelsiorPrime]

I think It should be both.
The Actor chosen should be able to best capture the abstracts that embody the character.
Skin tone doesn't matter.

That being said, I think they should stick closer to other details of the characters in the book.

For example, FF/Human Torch.
The Family dynamic to the FF is very important, If Johnny's not related to Sue.
Why would Reed, Sue, Ben hang out with this dick.

If Johnny Storm is African American, Sue Storm needs to be also.

Let me agree with you. I'm not in favor of Stunt casting. But if the actor/actress pulls off the character off flawlessly its kind of hard to berate the choice.

How do we know the other actors will be able to pull off Sue, Reed or the Thing?

If the actor Playing Johnny was Black but looked like this..would the choice be more accepted?



What about the Rock ( who is black) Playing the Thing?




Because if they are..it isnt really about being racially different from the source material.

[Blind Otto]

I'm in the "look like the comics" camp.
First, because comics and films and television are all visual mediums. Drastic deviations from the established appearance are jarring, no matter how good the actor is.

Secondly, because of history. No matter how you feel about the social history of 1930s USA, and how wrong many things were by our current standards, Superman (for example) started out as a white male. He now has decades of history. Yes, he is fictional, but his pop culture history is not. How well would a film casting Abraham Lincoln as a Korean go down? Probably not well at all.

Third, there are better ways to approach the problem than "Captain Marvel is now a Xhosa Chieftain". Take Aqualad in Young Justice. New. Well-rounded. Non-white. Sorely missed. And they did that without declaring Garth had never existed.

They could learn a lot from DC' s pre-52 run on Justice Society. Legacy. Build on the old, and bring in the new. Too bad the New 52 sabotaged any hope of doing that. I'd rather see Jimmy Olsen adopt or mentor his successor, than suddenly wake up one morning with a serious tan. But I'd have no problem with the kid he adopted being Jimmy Jr.

[CtrlAltDesign]

Let me agree with you. I'm not in favor of Stunt casting. But if the actor/actress pulls off the character off flawlessly its kind of hard to berate the choice.

How do we know the other actors will be able to pull off Sue, Reed or the Thing?

If the actor Playing Johnny was Black but looked like this..would the choice be more accepted?



What about the Rock ( who is black) Playing the Thing?




Because if they are..it isnt really about being racially different from the source material.

I'm not sure my point came across.
I didn't reference acting ability at all,

I think they should stick close to the dynamics of the comic characters, like Sue and Johnny being related.
Maybe they go the route of casting Sue Storm as African American,
Maybe one of them is adopted. I don't know.

[HUTHAIFA]

I dont believe in the concept of "color blind", when people say they dont see what directly in their face, that tells me that they feel like its something to be ignored. Hollywood has never been racially accurate, its only now that POC are getting "white" parts to people see a problem.

Meshack is too cool to be Jimmy Olsen though. The kid from Everybody hates Chris would have fit my idea of Jimmy Olsen more.

[CtrlAltDesign]

Or johnny could be adopted, ya know that happens....

Yeah agree! thats one possibility.

[SickAlice]

For example, no one's batted an eye about Iris West.

Sorry to single out that bit and in no way to dismiss the point you made, but actually the comic community blew up when this was first announced. I actually argued for the casting decision myself in more than one forums to the point I bowed out simply from tiring of my own regurgitated arguments. Likewise look up the backlash over Michael Clarke Duncan (R.I.P.)/Kingpin, Idris Elba as Heimdall for that matter. Fans do explode every time and perhaps that's indication of a different sort of problem and one too many people may be in denial about?

[HUTHAIFA]

Or johnny could be adopted, ya know that happens....

I think the movie has them being step siblings because Prof Storm is Black, so I am assuming that Sue's mom married Johnny's dad.