By Len Patel
Scotch tape is out. Digital effects are in. The results are the same.
Movieweb.com reports that the makers of the movie adaptation of the Japanese manga series Ghost in the Shell are using CGI VFX to make Scarlett Johansson and other actors and actresses appear more Asian.
They’ve gone so far as to run tests to gauge audience reaction to the makeover. You see the results in the photo to the left. It was released Friday, the first image from the movie which began shooting this week.
No one asked me, but Johansson looks as Asian as Christopher Lee did in The Face of Fu Manchu. That movie came out in 1965 at the height of the civil rights movement. Apparently that message didn’t reach the folks at Paramount and Dream Works.
It’s been a banner week for whitewashing in Hollywood. Marvel dropped its first tease trailer for Doctor Strange. That movie features Tilda Swinton as the Ancient One who teaches a critically injured neurosurgeon who travels to the Himalayas to learn mystic arts from the powerful sorcerer.
The trailer is laughable. When Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange pleads with the Ancient One to take him as her pupil, it’s sure to illicit a chuckle from the audience. Not a good sign at a pivotal point of the movie.
I won’t be seeing either movie. What about you?
(AsAmNews is an all-volunteer effort of dedicated staff and interns. You can show your support by liking our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/asamnews, following us on Twitter and sharing our stories.)
Re: Visusl effects used to Whitewash Ghost in the Shell: Holy crap. So many people arguing about this and I bet hardly any of them have read the Manga. it explains why kusanagi decided on a Caucasian female cyber body, and the creator of the manga explained that he admires strong western female leads which is why he made the major a Caucasian female. But by all means, keep arguing about it.