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Netflix's Death Note the Next Target of Whitewashing Claims

Whitewashing is not a new media criticism. The subject of racial representation has come up in Hollywood with instances like Ben Affleck playing CIA technical operations officer Tony Mendez in Argo, Emma Stone playing Liam Neeson plays Ra's al Ghul in Batman Begins, and the cast of The Last Airbender is predominately White.

This trend of replacing non-White characters with White actors has continued to stir up detractors, notably with Mamoru Oshii backed her up.

“I believe having Scarlett play Motoko was the best possible casting for this movie," Oshii said. "I can only sense a political motive from the people opposing it, and I believe artistic expression must be free from politics."

Claims, including an article by ScreenCrush citing anonymous sources that CGI was commissioned that would have altered Johansson in post-production to “shift her ethnicity” also ignited further controversy.

This stage then, was already set for the debut of Nat Wolff is stirring up more negative sentiment. An online petition by Sarah Rose has received over 13,000 signatures promising to boycott the film for its "all white" cast. The petition also states that Asian-American actor Edward Zo was denied a role after auditioning for the film.

While the petition claims the film's cast is all White, Black actor Paul Nakauchi stars as Watari. Stanfield's casting has drawn, albeit a different kind, of criticism. The film relocates the original manga's story from Japan to Seattle, Washington.

Source: Zack Sharf at IndieWire