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.Ĭonsider the latest evidence.
Yunioshi character from “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” the grandfather of all “Yellowface” stereotypes.Īlthough these portrayals took place decades ago, their legacy lives on. Think: John Wayne playing Genghis Khan in “The Conqueror,” Peter Sellers’ bumbling Indian character in “The Party” or even more notoriously, Mickey Rooney’s buck-toothed Mr. Of course, Hollywood, has a rich history with this kind of thing. That’s a big problem a lot of people in the community are having with this film.” “It’s insulting that people of color - especially Middle Easterners or South Asians - are not allowed to portray ourselves in these roles. “My first reaction was, ‘Really?!’ ” 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 Park’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 “serious story that would dispel a lot of stereotypes and misconceptions.” Then came the bad news regarding “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time” (the movie which arrives in theaters on Friday). “People could develop some respect for that culture instead of seeing it vilified.” “You could see clearly the protagonist had distinct Middle Eastern features and darker skin,” 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. Sands of time.warior within.the 2 thrones.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 didn’t do: affront gamers of Middle Eastern and Muslim descent with stereotypical depictions of people from the region as terrorists or religious zealots. U know i am a big fan of this game i finished it all I am middle eastre and i think that this man. Disney has pushed the release date back all the way to May 28th, 2010. Prince of Persia stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Gemma Arterton, Ben Kingsley, and Alfred Molina. Prince of Persia is being produced by powerhouse producer Jerry Bruckheimer, directed by Donnie Brasco, Mona Lisa Smile and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire helmer Mike Newell, and written by both Jeffrey Nachmanoff ( The Day After Tomorrow) and one of the game's creators, Jordan Mechner. The initial reaction to Gyllenhaal seemed to be quite negative.
#Prince of persia movie casts full#
Some of the speculation I've heard focused on the fact that the production had hit some snags, but it's obvious that this is moving ahead at full steam and they'll finish with more than a year of time for post-production. We also recently announced that Prince of Persia was pushed back from next summer to May of 2010. This truly will be the first time in Hollywood that we'll see a good video game adaptation! Check out the full photo of Gyllenhaal below. If you had any doubts about this guy filling the role, this will finally put all those to rest! Not only does he look the part, but he is ripped! If anything, this photos makes me so much more excited to finally see one of my favorite video games come to life on the big screen.
The photo comes from the set of the film currently shooting in Morocco with big tough Gyllenhaal holding hands with the sweet Reese Witherspoon. Paparazzi from Just Jared have brought us our very first look at Jake Gyllenhaal as Prince Dastan in Disney's upcoming Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time.
0 kommentar(er)
