11 Upcoming Movies That Have Ignored Massive Mistakes
8. Whitewashing The Lead Role - The Curse Of La Llorona
The Mistake
The Curse of La Llorona is the latest upcoming entry into The Conjuring Universe, a spin-off revolving around the infamous titular ghost from Latin American folklore.
And as perfectly suited as that sounds to this world of horror movies, the release of the first trailer kicked up quite the fuss indeed, with many crying foul that a Mexican story was being fronted by a white American actress.
Linda Cardellini stars as the movie's protagonist Anna Tate-Garcia, in a move that many commentators saw as "white-washing" in order to make the story more "accessible" to a wider audience. Frankly, it is quite bizarre that a Mexican story doesn't have a Mexican protagonist.
In an age where these details matter more than ever before, don't be surprised if it causes the Latin-American market - who are obviously the prime target audience for this movie - to shy away from what would otherwise be an easy draw for them.
The Lesson
No film in recent memory has been raked over the coals more aggressively for its perceived whitewashing than the 2017 Ghost in the Shell remake, which cast Scarlett Johansson in the role of The Major, who in both the manga and the anime was a Japanese character.
In a half-baked attempt to swat away criticisms, the film's third-act plot twist actually revealed that, despite her white appearance, The Major was in fact a Japanese woman underneath. Naturally, this only further enraged those frustrated by the casting, as it felt like a smug rug-pull to try and put the complainers in their place.
In an era where diversity and inclusion are turning in consistently strong profits at the box office, is there really any excuse for this?