Alright, you know what’s coming. The people behind the new Pan must know what’s coming. And why? All because, despite having the resources of a big budget Hollywood film behind it, the new Peter Pan remake couldn’t find one talented actor in the whole of the Americas who also happens to be a descendant of the indigenous peoples of the Americas…
WHERE IN THE WORLD ARE ALL OF THESE ACTORS HIDING? Fuck, if their ancestors had of hid like this when the Europeans came they could have slowly and stealthily picked the invaders off one by one, without any loss of life on their part. They’d be laughing.
Joe Wright, best known for casting Keira Knightley in everything, is already set to direct the retelling of the J.M. Barrie stage play and novel. The ‘origin story,’ which was adapted by Jason Fuchs, whose previous screenplay work begins and ends with Ice Age: Continental Drift, already has Hugh Jackman and Garrett Hedlund attached as Blackbeard and Hook, respectively.
The source material, which features a group referred to by Barrie as ‘Piccaninny Tribe’ or the ‘Redskins,’ both of which terms are now recognised as unchill, is apparently being reconstructed to “create a world that is very international and multi-racial, effectively challenging audiences’ preconceived notions of Neverland and reimagining the environment.” However, so far, the three actors cast are straight up white.
Considering the context and how much knowledge a Scottish author born in 1860 could have had of such a group of people, the ignorance shown in the original text is relatively understandable. Less so for the Disney version made in 1953:
And just downright shitty for a modern day version of the story to alter that aspect of the Tiger Lily character. Why not change her name to something more representative of the culture? Why not actually do some research and represent the tribe in a more authentic way?
The book, as a product of its time, shows how little people knew of far off cultural groups, depicting the tribe as a slouching, stupid, sloppy people who smoke pipes, yell “how” and literally have red skin. This movie could have been a chance to show that in this, the time of The Internet, we can have interesting, aspirational characters from different cultures in blockbuster films and actually get the fucking basics right.
Pan opens in 3D on the 17th of July, 2015.
via The Wrap
