#CAST OF PRINCE OF PERSIA MOVIE#
#CAST OF PRINCE OF PERSIA SERIES#

Night Shyamalan, вЂњThe Last AirbenderвЂќ (as the movie is called to distinguish it from a certain James Cameron-directed 3-D blockbuster) has enraged some of the showвЂ™s aficionados by casting white actors in three of four principal roles - characters that fans of the original property insist are Asian and Native American.ДЄnd with just weeks until the movieвЂ™s July 2 release - after a year-and-a-half-long letter-writing campaign to the filmвЂ™s producers and a correspondence with Paramount President Adam Goodman to underscore the importance of casting Asian actors in designated Asian roles - members of the Media Action Network for Asian Americans and an organization called are urging fans to boycott вЂњAirbender.вЂќ

#CAST OF PRINCE OF PERSIA SERIES#

In addition to Gyllenhaal and British actress Gemma ArtertonвЂ™s portrayal of Iranian characters in the swords-and-sandals action epic вЂњPrince of Persia,вЂќ Paramount has come under attack for its live-action adaptation of the Nickelodeon animated series ' Avatar: The Last Airbender.вЂќ Directed by вЂњSixth SenseвЂќ auteur M. And some early fan reactions have varied from indignation to righteous fury to organized revolt over a perceived вЂњwhitewashingвЂќ of multi-culti characters, a practice that has come to be known as вЂњracebending.вЂќ

This summer, two of the seasonвЂ™s biggest budgeted films have sparked controversy by installing white actors in decidedly вЂњethnicвЂќ parts. Even now, in the age of Obama - when the newly installed Miss USA Rima Fakih is Lebanese American, Will Smith is the biggest movie star in the world and Sonia Sotomayor became the first Latina to sit on the Supreme Court - the movie industry can still seem woefully behind the times when it comes to matters of race.Д¬onsider the latest evidence. Yunioshi character from вЂњBreakfast at TiffanyвЂ™s,вЂќ the grandfather of all вЂњYellowfaceвЂќ stereotypes.ДЄlthough these portrayals took place decades ago, their legacy lives on. Think: John Wayne playing Genghis Khan in вЂњThe Conqueror,вЂќ Peter SellersвЂ™ bumbling Indian character in вЂњThe PartyвЂќ or even more notoriously, Mickey RooneyвЂ™s buck-toothed Mr. Of course, Hollywood, has a rich history with this kind of thing. ThatвЂ™s a big problem a lot of people in the community are having with this film.вЂќ вЂњItвЂ™s insulting that people of color - especially Middle Easterners or South Asians - are not allowed to portray ourselves in these roles. вЂњMy first reaction was, вЂReally?!вЂ™ вЂќ said Dar. And playing Dastan, the hero and titular heir to the Persian throne in the $200-million tent-pole film, is none other than Hancock ParkвЂ™s own Swedish-Jewish-American prince, Jake Gyllenhaal. None of its principle cast members are of Iranian, Middle Eastern or Muslim descent. So when Disney studios announced plans for a live-action adaptation of Prince, Dar held out hope it would be a вЂњserious story that would dispel a lot of stereotypes and misconceptions.вЂќ Then came the bad news regarding вЂњPrince of Persia: The Sands of TimeвЂќ (the movie which arrives in theaters on Friday). вЂњPeople could develop some respect for that culture instead of seeing it vilified.вЂќ вЂњYou could see clearly the protagonist had distinct Middle Eastern features and darker skin,вЂќ said Dar, 26, who pens the blog Muslim Reverie from Langhorne, Pa. Independent filmmaker and blogger Jehanzeb Dar, to name one such player, remembers his favorable first reaction to the swashbuckling action game, which is set amid the sands and ancient cities of Persia (as ancient Iran is known) and follows a hero with a magic sword caught between forces of good and evil. Since its release, the video game franchise Prince of Persia has become notable for the acrobatic grace of its dagger-wielding, balloon pants-wearing hero as well as for what the games didnвЂ™t do: affront gamers of Middle Eastern and Muslim descent with stereotypical depictions of people from the region as terrorists or religious zealots.

Cast of prince of persia