Time for a black or Latino Spider-Man

[StarTrek1701]

^Indeed. Beyonce shouldn't be portraying anyone, including Beyonce.

I guess an ethnic minority Spider-Man would work, although I really don't see anyone doing a better job than Tobey Maguire already did. The reboot is a sham and an abomination and Spider-Man 3 wasn't that bad.

You are dead to me.

 

[StarTrek1701]

Oh and we'll most probably see Al Sharpton blowing his top off if we get a Chinese 'Blade' or Caucasian 'Uhura'.

 

[DarKush]

As another poster pointed out there are black and Latino superheroes already out there, however, the problem has been in the comics and on the current comic book movie boom not developing and promoting these characters so they can have a movie or franchise. Black Panther has all the ingredients to be a franchise for example, but nothing seems to be crystallizing around putting him on the silver screen.

I would rather see films based on these characters than just browning or blackening Spider-Man. However, I wonder if majority white and global audiences could accept the idea of a black or brown hero as an 'everyman' or care about his relationship with Mary Jane, which was a significant part of the previous films.

I am disappointed that a lot of the black superhero/comic characters that have received movies over the last 20 years have been original creations or not tied to original comic book characters. You've had Meteor Man, Blankman, Catwoman, and Hancock in that vein. Only Blade, Spawn, and Steel have been derived from source material. DC, Marvel, or Image hasn't shown much interest in exploring their rich, though often untapped or underdeveloped reservoir of non-white characters, and then reinforcing the movies with more focus in the comics. And there is a tendency to make black superhero movies comedies, underlining the idea that a non-white superhero, specifically, a black one is a joke. And I find that very sad, yet telling.

Potential franchise characters: John Stewart, Black Panther & Storm, Deathlok, Blue Marvel, Static, Icon & Rocket, Hardware, Blue Beetle, Black Lightning & his family, War Machine

Other characters that I would like to see at least get the big screen treatment:

DC
Vixen
Black Manta
Amanda Waller
Cyborg
Cassandra Cain
Lady Shiva
Tattoo Man
Firestorm
Connor Hawke
Atom
Grace Choi
Mr. Terrific
Kyle Rayner

Marvel
Luke Cage (as long as they don't make him stereotypical)
Tarantula
Echo
Isaiah Bradley (Captain America)
Bishop
Jubilee
Night Thrasher

Image
American Way comic series

Milestone
Blood Syndicate

Independent
Black Jack (Arron Day)

 

[DarKush]

Oh and we'll most probably see Al Sharpton blowing his top off if we get a Chinese 'Blade' or Caucasian 'Uhura'.

I always see variations on this answer on boards like this, and I don't agree. Sharpton's head remained on when Angelina Jolie was cast in Wanted, taking the reins of a character that was designed to look like Halle Berry in the comic. Before Snipes and Goyer made Blade popular, he was about as well known among the general public as was the Wanted character so you can't say it was because the Wanted character was unknown. Jolie even put on makeup to play a real-life biracial woman, Marianne Pearl (sp) in a film, and Sharpton has not spontaneously combusted.

Sharpton also somehow managed to hold it together when black characters were switched out of new BSG, both Tigh and Boomer, two significant characters. And the one black replacement, Dualla, was a minor character. Or when McFarlane made Terry a white character back in the Spawn film because there were studio concerns that a majority black cast would make the film a 'black' film and it would not be as profitable. Or when a very fair Rachel Weisz (sp) was Nefertiti in the Mummy Returns.

Whitening of roles isn't as bad as it probably was back in the day, with stuff like John Wayne as Genghis Khan, but it still does occur and there are no civil rights protests about it like you and some other people claim will surely happen if previously black or non-white characters are played by whites.

 

[John Picard]

Does anyone remember the fiasco around 2003 when story broke out that Lois Lane was going to be played by Beyonce?

Oh man, that would've been awesome.

 

[Shazam!]

^Indeed. Beyonce shouldn't be portraying anyone, including Beyonce.

WTF Halo is an awesome song.

 

[Gaith]

The Lois Lane of All-Star Superman looks more like Beyonce than Kate Bosworth, skin-tone wise at least.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

If the choice is between an interesting nonwhite actor or this boring lineup, I'm all for changing Spidey's race!

I don't know why they need to reboot the series anyway, so if they're going to reboot it, then reboot the frak out of it.

 

[captcalhoun]

Marvel are trying to develop Black Panther and Luke Cage for the movies, Dar. and War Machine is in IM2 lest we forget.

and according to the synopsis i've just seen, Amanda Waller's in the Green Lantern movie played by Angela Bassett...

 

[Kelthaz]

After the fiasco that was Japanese Spider-man I say we keep them white to prevent anything like that from ever happening again.

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MxGtH-2duM[/yt]

 

[od0_ital]

... I am disappointed that a lot of the black superhero/comic characters that have received movies over the last 20 years have been original creations or not tied to original comic book characters. You've had Meteor Man, Blankman, Catwoman, and Hancock in that vein. Only Blade, Spawn, and Steel have been derived from source material....

Dude, ya really think Catwoman was original?

The idea of multiple "catwomen" goes back to the '60s Batman series, where three different actresses - Julie Newmar, Lee Meriwether & Eartha Kitt - played the role of Catwoman!

 

[DarKush]

^
Catwoman was original in the sense that the movie Catwoman was not Selina Kyle, but a totally new character, Patience Price. On the old Batman TV series, all the women playing Catwoman were considered, to my knowledge, Selina Kyle. That TV show, and I believe at least one comic-maybe one of the Frank Miller comics-portrayed a black Kyle, but the movie chose to go in another direction.

The larger point I was trying to make was that the comic companies/movie studios aren't mining the non-white characters they have, that are already established, and just as often as not the films getting made involve totally new creations. I'm not completely opposed to that, but I think it would be nice to build on established black and other non-white characters so that it can lead to more support for their past stories (more published collections), more encouragement to use or continue to use them in current storylines, more non-white characters headlining books, support for new non-white characters, more toys, video games, etc. With a wholly original character, I haven't seen much of that kind of marketing where black characters are concerned. I don't think there were any Hancock action figures despite that movie's popularity.

 

[Hermiod]

^We really shouldn't use the Batman TV show as an example. They just shoved people who were popular at the time in to any role that was available. That's why we got a guy who refused to shave off his moustache as the Joker too.

 

[od0_ital]

^
Catwoman was original in the sense that the movie Catwoman was not Selina Kyle, but a totally new character, Patience Price. On the old Batman TV series, all the women playing Catwoman were considered, to my knowledge, Selina Kyle....

Just goin' by IMDB.com on this, but the Lee Meriwether Catwoman used the regular name of Kitka (which went with her cover as a Russian, of course), while Julie Newmar's Catwoman used the name Minerva Mathews.

And do ya really think Eartha Kitt, a short black woman, was supposed to be the same character previously portrayed by tall white women?

... I don't think there were any Hancock action figures despite that movie's popularity.

I don't think Hancock was really all that "kid friendly," thus, no action figures. Would his accessories have included empty liquor bottles and an Asian's head up his own ass, human centipede-style?

^We really shouldn't use the Batman TV show as an example. They just shoved people who were popular at the time in to any role that was available. That's why we got a guy who refused to shave off his moustache as the Joker too.

From what I've read, the folks "shoved" into roles wanted to be on the series because of its popularity at the time.

And Cesar Romera wasn't a bad Joker at all...too bad the blu ray has such a great picture quality, though. Ya can see his mustache! I never even noticed as a kid...

 

[Aragorn]

Oh and we'll most probably see Al Sharpton blowing his top off if we get a Chinese 'Blade' or Caucasian 'Uhura'.

Only if there's a camera nearby.

 

[DarKush]

Odo,

From my recollection there was never anything on the show that contradicted the idea that the various Catwomen were supposed to be different characters. They just appeared as Catwoman, without a reference to them being different characters, from what I recall, but I haven't seen the old Adam West show in years. In any event, that's beside the point. Was the character Halle Berry played Selina Kyle? And isn't Selina Kyle the most recognizable person who has been Catwoman?

No, she wasn't, and a lot of the comic book inspired black characters who have gotten movies over the last 20 years were not from actual comics, which I thought was interesting, and a sign that the comic book companies are not doing enough to develop these characters into motion picture properties.

As for Hancock, I'm not advocating them making Hancock action figures. I didn't like the film. But the point I'm making is that going with established characters might lead to more cross promotion and the making of toys, games, etc. It's harder to do that with original characters, unless you've got a big marketing machine behind you. But even new movie properties like Prince of Persia can reference games and graphic novels, and have something of a fan base because of that instead of manufacturing something whole cloth.

 

[od0_ital]

From my recollection there was never anything on the show that contradicted the idea that the various Catwomen were supposed to be different characters.

Aside from appearances, costumes, accents, aliases & that Batman discovered the identity of at least one of 'em, right?

They just appeared as Catwoman, without a reference to them being different characters, from what I recall, but I haven't seen the old Adam West show in years.

Neither have I, really wish it would come out on DVD...

In any event, that's beside the point.

No, its exactly the point - ya were tryin' to say Catwoman was an original film when it wasn't, and I was pointin' out that the precedent was set by the Batman franchise forty years ago for there to be different Catwomen.

Was the character Halle Berry played Selina Kyle?

No, but a photo of Michelle Pfieffer as Selina Kyle/Catwoman was used when the crazy cat lady was explainin' what had happened to Patience.

And isn't Selina Kyle the most recognizable person who has been Catwoman?

I'd say anyone in skin tight leather usin' a whip as a tail would be recognizable as Catwoman.

No, she wasn't, and a lot of the comic book inspired black characters who have gotten movies over the last 20 years were not from actual comics, which I thought was interesting, and a sign that the comic book companies are not doing enough to develop these characters into motion picture properties.

Samuel Jackson's contract with Marvel will give him a Nick Fury film. Don Cheadle has a multi-film contract with Marvel to continue the role of Rhodey/War Machine.

Yeah, ya can point a finger at the last couple of decades and complain about how much it sucks for minorities in superhero films, if ya want to do that. Knock yourself out.

Or, ya could look at what's goin' on now, at least for the Marvel universe, and see that things are changin'.

As for Hancock, I'm not advocating them making Hancock action figures. I didn't like the film. But the point I'm making is that going with established characters might lead to more cross promotion and the making of toys, games, etc. It's harder to do that with original characters, unless you've got a big marketing machine behind you. But even new movie properties like Prince of Persia can reference games and graphic novels, and have something of a fan base because of that instead of manufacturing something whole cloth.

Ya know the Prince of Persia is bein' played by a white guy, right?

 

[A beaker full of death]

io9 thinks so, and while I don't agree with all the points of their "rant" (while the military does have a sorry record dealing with African-Americans, a black Captain America would have been pretty awkward, historically speaking, and Will Smith is too old for the part anyway), I'm in favor of giving it a try with Spider-Man. Why not?

Here's one sort of person who shouldn't be cast: a Brit or other non-American-raised kid. Just say no!

I am so tired of this sort of racist crap...

 

[A beaker full of death]

^We really shouldn't use the Batman TV show as an example. They just shoved people who were popular at the time in to any role that was available. That's why we got a guy who refused to shave off his moustache as the Joker too.

As the best damn joker yet!
And Gorshin as the Riddler...
these guys defined those parts!
You think it was coincidence that they worked so well?

 

[Stone_Cold_Sisko]

Spider-Man is one of the few heroes who I really wouldn't mind if they cast a different race. Peter Parker is just a guy. I'm not attached to any specific look for him. Superman might look odd with a different skin-tone. It doesn't really matter with Superman. Getting the attitude of Peter Parker is more important.