Studio And Director Apologize For ‘Gods Of Egypt’ Casting
You know what? I don’t exactly know how to feel about this. On one hand Alex Proyas and the people over at Lionsgate royally fucked up with their casting of their upcoming film ‘Gods Of Egypt’. Similar to last years ‘Exodus: Gods and Kings’, a film set in ancient Egypt with a main cast that consists of mostly white actors, ‘Gods of Egypt’ is seeing it’s share of controversy. Don’t get me wrong it’s warranted, this is a problem Hollywood has had for years but unlike those other films the filmmakers and studio for GOE have actually come out and admitted their faults, Lionsgate, the studio behind the film had this to say in a statement:
”We recognize that it is our responsibility to help ensure that casting decisions reflect the diversity and culture of the time periods portrayed. In this instance we failed to live up to our own standards of sensitivity and diversity, for which we sincerely apologize. Lionsgate is deeply committed to making films that reflect the diversity of our audiences. We have, can and will continue to do better.”
The films director Alex Proyas (Dark City, The Crow) had this to say:
“The process of casting a movie has many complicated variables, but it is clear that our casting choices should have been more diverse. I sincerely apologize to those who are offended by the decisions we made.”
Although that is admirable it does raise the obvious question, “Why the fuck did you cast those actors in the first place?” It almost seems like they knew the casting would cause controversy but they wanted those actors regardless and figured if they get out in front of the story they might save some face, but I’m not buying it. I think the director and the studio know exactly what they’re doing, they want publicity and they want to look like the good guys.
Sorry. Apology or no, this film still looks like shit.
[Source: Forbes]