Will whitewashing anger haunt ‘Ghost in the Shell’?
The sci-fi action film “Ghost in the Shell” arrives in theaters Friday with social media talking more about who’s starring in the movie than who is. Issues with the big-screen adaptation of the popular Japanese manga starring Scarlett Johansson were raised when she was cast two years ago. Since then, concerns about whitewashing and the appropriation of Asian culture have dogged high-profile projects such as “Doctor Strange,” “The Great Wall,” upcoming manga adaptation “Death Note” and the Netflix series “Iron Fist.”
“We’ve been having this conversation in our circles for decades,” says Keith Chow, editor and co-founder of The Nerds of Color website. “The fact that it’s now more mainstream, that the creators have to address those issues, that’s actually a good thing.”
The bigger question for Hollywood, though: Does all that online outrage really matter to moviegoing audiences as a whole?
“It absolutely doesn’t,” says Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for comScore. “It’s good that people can make their issue with the movie known via social media. But ultimately, people vote with their dollars.”
Even though such casting courts controversy, a high-profile A-lister like Johansson makes financial sense, says Jeff Bock, senior box-office analyst for Exhibitor Relations: The actress is no stranger to action as a stalwart of the “Avengers” films, plus her 2014 movie “Lucy” was a $126.7 million hit. “There are going to be people who wave flags, but ultimately it comes down to what sells this film, and Scarlett Johansson has done it before and she can do it again.”
“Ghost in the Shell,” directed by Rupert Sanders, features Johansson as The Major, the cyborg commander of a task force hunting cybercriminals, a character who is depicted as Asian in the original source material, animated films and video games.
Critics of the casting say an Asian or Asian-American actress should have been tapped for the role.
“It ignores the fact that there are Asian-American people in the world,” says Chow.
Within two weeks of Johansson’s casting in 2015, more than 15,000 people signed an online petition to replace her with an Asian actress.
Recently, the actress has been defending her role, telling Marie Claire: “Diversity is important in Hollywood, and I would never want to feel like I was playing a character that was offensive.”
But the internet hasn’t let up: Earlier this month, a marketing site for the movie backfired, turning into a place to create mocking memes.
Dergarabedian points out that the more people talk online about “Ghost in the Shell” (whether positively or negatively), the more it increases awareness and could add to the bottom line.
But the quality of the movie will be the deciding factor in its success or failure, “not all the controversy or any of that extraneous noise or conversation.” It’s expected to debut just north of $30 million, according to Dergarabedian — less than “Lucy’s” $43.9 million opening.
“Doctor Strange” was dinged for casting Tilda Swinton as an Asian male character from the comics but the movie was well-received by critics and audiences and made $233 million domestically.
On the other hand, “The Great Wall” put Matt Damon at the center of a majority Asian cast, received poor reviews and tanked here with $45 million (though it racked up $171 million in China).
Regardless of whether such movies ultimately succeed, these kinds of discussions are vital to Chow and other Asian-American activists such as Shaun Lau, writer and host of the film/ social issues podcast No, Totally!
There’s incentive for the movie business to listen. According to a 2016 Motion Picture Association of America annual report, Asian-Americans are the fastest-growing group of frequent moviegoers — though they account for 8% of the population, they comprise 11% of frequent moviegoers.