Since Hollywood officially ran out of ideas ten or fifteen years ago we've been treated to an avalanche of sequels, remakes, and adaptations of source material ranging from video games to classic works of fiction to comics. When you're remaking everything all the time you have to deal with the fact that the audience's expectations are affected by the earlier versions. I mean, after you've made 10 different Batman movies the next actor to take the role is limited by how the previous actors played it.
Sometimes casting decisions complicate things when a role is handed off from one actor to another. Some casting decisions are baffling, like choosing an overgrown fratboy like Vince Vaughn to reprise Anthony Perkins' role in Psycho. In other cases the problem is that an actor's appearance does not match the viewers' image of the character. Like, for example, when the upcoming remake of beloved children's movie-musical Annie casts a black girl in the title role. Being a previous Oscar nominee, I'm fairly certain that said actress can handle the not-terribly-complex film.
Admittedly, the fictional character of Annie is pretty closely associated with the "red hair and freckles" image. It might be odd to see someone else do it. But honestly, is it that big of a deal?
After all, they call the profession "acting" for a reason – it implies (stay with me here) "acting" like you're something you're not! An actress isn't Annie any more than she is Queen Elizabeth or a serial killer or a talking pig. Why I've even heard that sometimes all-male or all-female schools manage to put on plays where the people who fill some of the roles aren't even the right gender. Because it's acting, and you suspend your disbelief as an audience member. Since the role in question in Annie is a fictional character, I hardly see the problem.
Oh wait. It's that she's black, as these totally-not-racist white people helpfully explain.
Were it a biopic, the actor's race might be an issue. You wouldn't cast Wesley Snipes as Pope John Paul II or Ed Asner as Malcolm X.
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When we're talking about a character that doesn't exist except as a figment of our imaginations, is it really that hard to suspend disbelief to think that, for example, Idris Elba is a mythological Norse god? If you're stuck on that question, bear in mind that Norse gods are made up and never existed so no one has any idea what they look like.
Oh wait. I keep forgetting. Black. The problem is black, even though we're totally not racist.
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wetcasements says:
America: home of the cognitively challenged.
J. Dryden says:
I, for one, would pay an amazing amount of money to see Ed Asner as Malcolm X–that man is a goddamned treasure.
That said: What I love about the "Annie" fracas (I wonder if anyone will object if the producers "forget" that Daddy Warbucks was–as his name suggests–a war profiteer) is that it's an opportunity for people who didn't know they were racist to discover that, in fact, they are. We has a similar thing a few years back when the new Spider-Man movie was in the offing and somebody threw out the name Donald Glover and the fansites just fucking EXPLODED with RAGE at how this was SACRILEGE because…and then they'd get REEEEEAL vague and trail off, mumble mumble mumble. (For the record, Glover would have been terrific in the part.)
People think that because they don't go around in bed-sheets or use the n-word, they're not racist. Then somebody suggests taking away something that's THEIRS and suddenly George Wallace is laughing his ass off in hell because somebody just became another "Wallace Democrat."
Also, the movie will suck because apart from Ms. Wallis, everyone involved is just awful–the director is one of the visionaries who gave us GLEE for Chrissakes–and the material was played out 30 years ago. But when it tanks, be prepared for all the racists to blame it on…mumble mumble mumble.
Mothra says:
My favorite of the comments are the people who think there could actually be an all-white version of "Roots." I find it worrisome I share the planet with people this dumb.
just me says:
"bear in mind that Norse gods are made up and never existed so no one has any idea what they look like"
Unlike the Christian god, which is reeeeel and so we know for a fact that Jeezus ain't black.
But still it's disappointing. I had thought that since the Federation had embraced black Klingons we had moved past such bigotry towards fictional characters.
I guess we should just be grateful such hatred isn't directed at real people. That would be truly horrible.
Also totally-not-racist, but for serious says:
Wait, I thought the Christian god was totally black. Isn't he always all up in the other deities' grill, talkin about how they're sucker MCs and nobody should listen to them? And he spits some wicked lines about how he's the shit and nobody else can touch him.
Stop!
Hammer time.
Mo says:
Went and read the Wikipedia article, and it cheered me up that the original comic strip's reactionary old author is no doubt spinning in his grave over this latest Annie.
middle seaman says:
Wesley Snipes as Pope John Paul II and Ed Asner as Malcolm X might make an interesting casting for a movie. Since movies require huge investment, casting tends to be conservative and as safe as investors want it.
Hollywood didn't run out of ideas more than hi-tech stopped making progress. It always had tons of bad movies and a few good ones. It always had tons of bad actors and a decent number of excellent ones.
No, Hollywood is like our presidents. One Clinton and a ton of also rans.
eau says:
ITS SPOSED TO BE KIMBA THE WHITE LION!!!
WHITE!!!!!1!!!!
FUCKN PC HOLLYWEIRD!!!! FUCKN YELLOW DOG LION "SIMBA"!!! DO THEY THINK WE CAN'T SEE THRU THAT BULLSHIT??!?!?!!!
Arslan says:
What's even more racist is the fact that many of these people probably never gave a shit about Little Orphan Annie(seriously, who the fuck has heard anything about that in the past 20 years, at least?), but the thought of a black Annie provoked enough rage for them to get on the internet and whine about it. Totally not racist.
Anonymouse says:
On a related note, a minor tv network has a new program out about aliens who land on Earth and get quarantined for a decade, then a few get integrated into society. This is Alien Nation from the 1980s…only not. Alien Nation dealt with issues of immigration, slavery, racism, the caste system, and confronting prejudice (in matters of gender and thinking, not just race). This new show? Bleah. Pretty pretty 20-something "teenagers" to woo the Millenials. I can see the show *trying* to be something, but it's so watered-down it's just dumb.
Sarah says:
Dude, two of the fictional characters from the fictional series The Hunger Games were written to be black and the racist shitbags got all hot and bothered about it.
If people are really that attached to the Aileen Quinn version of Annie (and I am too; saw it many times as a youngster, but I don't object to a black Annie in the new version) there are several different editions out on DVD and Blue-Ray. Let them hole up in their houses and watch it on endless repeat while telling themselves how not-racist they are.
Peggy says:
My favorite of the current racist shitbag meltdowns is the one where we can believe in the existence of the Fantastic Four… But not a black Johnny Storm. "SUE STORM IS HIS SISTER AND SHE'S WHITE, YOU MORANS!!!!," etc. Yes, yes: it's ok that he's a Human Torch and can burn and burn and not be harmed… But he couldn't possibly be part of a biracial/multiracial family!
My least favorite racist shitbag moments have to do with my black/mixed-race students being harassed by white asshole adults, but at least most of my white students also seem pissed off about that sort of thing.
Linda says:
Have we really gotten crazier/regressed in the last 40 years? Because in the 70s, they made an all-African American remake of The Wizard of Oz, and nobody said a peep. Is Little Orphan Annie really more iconic than Dorothy, and Glinda the Good Witch and the Wicked Witch of the West?
One of two possibilities come to mind: we've really gone down the tubes, race-wise, in the last 40 years, or maybe the proliferation of social media has given a louder voice to the small minded putzes that got hidden in the shadows in the the past.
xynzee says:
Other than JP-2 or Malcolm X being contemporary real persons, not sure why you feel that casting Snipes or Asner (respectively) couldn't be a done thing.
Isn't that the hallmark of not just a good actor, but a GREAT actor? Where the actor disappears and the character s/he is playing becomes "real". I remember watching a PBS adaptation of The Elephant Man. The actor playing Merrick didn't use make up, but instead contorted his body to the role. That actor delivered a far more convincing performance than the film adaptation.
Imagine Snipes or Samuel L. Jackson playing Calhoun. That could be very interesting—and get some knickers in knots :)
On a note related to Annie and comic book adaptations, people have an image of these characters, who they are, how they sound like. They've become their "friends" and for lack of a better word "real" to the readers. You know how it is when a book is adapted to film. People had a vision of what Hogwarts was supposed to look like…
In some ways it'd be like someone you've been in a relationship with for years suddenly rips off their disguise and you find yourself in bed with Danny de Vito. More than a little paradigm shifting.
If I were to give this new production of Annie any more thought than the above, and try to analyse the story for social messages:
Here we have rich white guy rescuing destitute black child.
Why not a rich African-American man (or even a woman) rescuing destitute white child?
Anonymouse says:
@Linda: I was in school when the all-AA cast of The Wiz came out; it was a school-wide field trip. A fun time was had by all. I think as a society, we really have gone downhill since St. Ronnie Raygun and his oh-so-obvious dogwhistles. Now it's apparently perfectly acceptable to think and say the most horrible stuff.
Major Kong says:
I believe there was a production of Othello with the lead role played by Patrick Stewart and all other parts played by black actors.
xynzee says:
@Linda: the operative word on The Wiz is *ALL* African-American cast.
If the cast had had more diversity, with Diana as Dorthy and whites in minor roles and as the monkeys who knows, could have changed things.
But then again a Cheerios commercial caused people to completely lose their shit as well.
Therese says:
Pretty sure the black Annie issue was already decided in the pilot episode of Boston Legal.
xynzee says:
@Mjr: Othello should say it all.
Someone who would see a stage production of Othello—especially one that could cast Patrick Stewart—is not going to blip the radar of this type of nut case.
RosiesDad says:
I think we need to remember that the vast majority of those feigning outrage about a black Annie are a small minority of the real Murika. The vast majority…really just don't care one way or the other. I have a hard time believing that the idiots sampled on C&L represent anything other than a lunatic fringe.
Also, Idris Elba will always be Russell "Stringer" Bell, Baltimore crack boss, to me. (It wasn't until long after I had watched the entire 5 seasons of "The Wire" that I found out that Mr. Elba is British. Dude can act.)
c u n d gulag says:
The original comic was in B&W.
And Annie is an orphan, so she could be any color under the rainbow.
These totally not-racist feckin' eedjit's have way too much time on their hands.
Also, too – who gives a shit what racist morons think?
Csicopper says:
Come on….of course Jesus was black.
They killed him.
Anonymouse says:
@Csicopper; what are you talking about? Jesus of Nazareth was blond, blue-eyed, and fair skinned! And spoke Muriken English!
Eau says:
@RosiesDad: check out idris vehicle 'Luther'. You can thank me after.
RosiesDad says:
@Eau: I've seen a couple of episodes. Luther was how I found out he was British. And when I came to appreciate just how good his acting chops are.
But thank you for mentioning it.
cekman says:
Ed, your citing of Thor gives comic book fans way too much credit. When Donald Glover waged a mock campaign to get cast as Spiderman a few years ago, loads of fanboys got their Underoos in a twist. Evan Dorkin's Eltingville Club characters are real and they're everywhere.
To me, an equally important question is: why another Little Orphan Annie movie? Even the comic strip isn't running anymore. The strip started in 1924, and was cancelled in 2010. Do you know how hard it is to cancel a legacy comic strip? Blondie, Dick Tracy, Prince Valiant, Snuffy Smith, Mary Worth and Gasoline Alley are all around as old as Annie, and I expect they'll keep running until the last newspaper is printed – so, until April at least.
cekman says:
Off-topic, but a quick postscript on Rod Dreher from last week. Rod took a lot of criticism for his defense of the Arizona 'religious liberty' bill, and he's getting testy. In an angry response to Andrew Sullivan, he claims that Christians who oppose gay marriage are being "forced to live in the closet." He uses the term three times! There are no violins small enough.
cekman says:
I missed the mention of Glover right at the beginning of the thread. Sorry, J. Dryden.
All the talk of Jesus in this thread is strangely timely. Just today, Adult Swim greenlighted a non-animated series called Black Jesus, created by Aaron McGruder (best known for his comic strip The Boondocks).
Amelia says:
why another Little Orphan Annie movie?
Uh, is everyone aware that JayZ is one of the producers of this remake? I feel like there are clues out there… somewhere… subtly… that he's kind of a fan of this movie… and the music in it. I personally find it utterly delightful to imagine JayZ being all "there's a serious lack of kids movies with protagonists who look like my kid… oh hey, I CAN SOLVE THAT."
My only beef with this whole thing is that Cameron Diaz doesn't seem anywhere near a fitting replacement for Carole Burnett, who scared the hell out of me as Miss Hannigan.
Alan C says:
Someone above mentioned the "white guy rescuing black kid" meme (a la Diff'rent Strokes). Actually, Jamie Foxx is the Daddy Warbucks character, although they've renamed him Benjamin Stacks–I guess gecause he has stacks of Benjamins. This production is clearly in the tradition of the Wiz and updates the story to the present day. I thought the trailer actually looked pretty good. And yeah, the people freaking out are racists.
swkellogg says:
On a similar note, there are quite a few people I've known who have a difficult time with a gay actor in a straight role. It seems many people can accept the idea of a straight actor playing a gay person, but the reverse is something they just can't abide.
BTW, Norse gods, unlike all the others, are very real. I spoke with Odin just the other day.
Then I fell off the barstool.
xynzee says:
@ Alan C: Thanks for the info and correction. Mea culpa.
Really? says:
If Chris hemisworth had been cast as Baron Samedi in a marvel movie people would have lost there shit the same way they did over Idris Elba as a Norse god. Lu chalked it up more to fanboy rage at things not meeting there expectations than racism. Besides, Elba's accent made him fit in better in Asgard than some of the warriors three. The real racists are the ones who were still complaining when Thor 2 came out.
However in defense of fanboys I would like to point out the total lack of negative reaction to Samuel l. Jackson as nick fury.
Sarah says:
Going a bit off-topic here, but this is too hilarious not to share. There is a movie reviewer who calls Twelve Years a Slave "anti-slavery propaganda," and laments the lack of representation for "kind master[s]" and "contented slave[s]." Yes, really. Warning for extreme stupidity.
http://spectator.org/articles/56909/propaganda-not-%E2%80%98reality-or-%E2%80%98truth
mothra says:
On a similar note, there are quite a few people I've known who have a difficult time with a gay actor in a straight role.
Wouldn't those folks be surprised to learn that they've probably see a gay actor play a straight role more often than they think? It's changing ever….so…..slowly, but Hollywood is changing slower than the rest of society. It's all about image, people.
Arslan says:
@Sarah
Kind of reminds me about the conservative uproar over Spielberg's Amistad in 1997. They complained about the "gory violence" and nudity. Next year Spielberg released a little obscure film known as Saving Private Ryan. Suddenly gory violence wasn't such a big deal anymore.
Major Kong says:
I was a little unsure when I heard about Idris Elba being cast in the Thor movie. I just expected a norse diety to be, you know, nordic looking.
After I saw it, I thought he did an outstanding job and was one of the highlights of an otherwise just-OK film.
Don says:
I feel no more Annies should be cast until they find a two-dimensional redheaded caucasian girl born without pupils or irises.
Tom says:
I'm actually more offended that they put Cameron Diaz in it.
Anonymouse says:
@Sarah; you just can't make that kind of crazy up, can you?
Phoenician in a time of Romans says:
I still intend to write an airport novel where a bunch of terrorists unleash an highly infectious virus on America with the sole visible effect of permanently upgrading melanin production – turning EVERYONE black.
The South would be turned into a broken wasteland, torn apart by the forces of paranoia and derp, most of the rest of America wouldn't care – and sunny California might see it as an advantage.
Phoenician in a time of Romans says:
I was a little unsure when I heard about Idris Elba being cast in the Thor movie. I just expected a norse diety to be, you know, nordic looking.
So how long have women been expected to worship a god who didn't look like them because He had a Mighty Penis – for no reason that was ever adequately explained?
Eau says:
@Major Kong: when I saw that mel Gibson had cast Jim cavaziel as Jesus, I thought a shepherd from the Middle East should look, y'know, Middle Eastern. Having seen the film, I still think so.
Deggjr says:
Some people were upset that Carrie Underwood played Fraulein Maria (auf wiedersehen all y'all). Everybody has an opinion about remakes.
Eau says:
@phoenician: maybe the swingin' dick was a later addition. Hollywood's weird casting decisions has got nothing on Christianity. Poor old Esther (from memory, something like goddess of spring, renewal,etc) has somehow become a rabbit that shits chocolate eggs.
And while we're discussing ladies and casting and fanboys soiling themselves with rage: Liv Tyler in LOTR, anyone?
Major Kong says:
I thought a shepherd from the Middle East should look, y'know, Middle Eastern.
You mean he didn't have light skin, light brown hair and blue eyes? Who knew?
svnski says:
@eau: Most of the LOTR fanboys i know were soiling themselves with semen, not rage…
anori says:
In the world of opera, this does not seem to be such a big deal, at least not these days. I don't think people pay much attention to a singer's race one way or the other. This wasn't always the case, though. My father recalls going to the Met with his mother (this was sometime in the 60s) to see Wagner's "Die Walkuere". One of the Valkyries was African-American, and apparently it was all my grandmother could do not to burst out laughing.
BruceFromOhio says:
You wouldn't cast Wesley Snipes as Pope John Paul II or Ed Asner as Malcolm X.
Oh, yes, I would.
Ridnik Chrome says:
You wouldn't cast Wesley Snipes as Pope John Paul II or Ed Asner as Malcolm X.
Oh, yes, I would.
I would, too. In the same movie. In which they team up to fight invaders from Mars…