"Fullmetal Alchemist" gets all-Japanese cast
White actors have been portraying people of color for decades in Hollywood, but the upcoming film adaptation of "Fullmetal Alchemist" is flipping the script.
The live-action adaptation of the manga and anime title will boast a wholly Japanese cast for leading roles.
"I want to depict something that follows the original work as much as possible," the movie's director, Fumihiko Sori, told Natalie. "The cast is entirely Japanese, but the setting is Europe. However, their race and nationality isn't expressed in a specific form."
"Fullmetal Alchemist" features characters with fair features who live in Amestris, a fictional country inspired by British and German culture. The story follows Edward, a State Alchemist who tries to solve alchemy-related issues around Amestris.
The news comes after the outrage sparked when movies like "The Martian," "Aloha," "Dr. Strange" and "Ghost in the Shell" cast white actors as historically Asian characters.