The American adaptation Ghost In The Shell is now just days away from hitting theaters, after months—nay, years—of concerns that the film was carrying on Hollywood’s tradition of whitewashing Asian characters by casting Scarlett Johansson as the film’s protagonist. But while she may be the lead, it’s been made clear that Johansson’s not playing Motoko Kusanagi; she’s playing The Major, who’s presumably just another white character in a movie. The actress has also said that she’d never try to play another race, thereby bringing the controversy to a close.
Accordingly, Paramount’s moved forward with a new promo for the film, which urges fans to go to IAmMajor.me, where they can upload pictures and make such bold statements like “I am strong” or “I am fearless.” At least, that’s what the studio hoped users would do. Instead, many people have been crafting critical responses to the casting choice.
But the mockery didn’t end there—folks also took Hollywood to task for similar incidents that occurred in the past, such as the predominantly white cast of The Last Airbender, and the decision to cast Jim Sturgess as Jeff Ma, a real-life member of the MIT Blackjack Team depicted in 21.
We can only guess what havoc would have been wrought with a Snapchat filter.