profeminist:

Ghost in the Shell Fans Launch Petition Demanding Dreamworks Stop Whitewashing Asian Characters

“A fan petition asking Dreamworks to stop whitewashing has gained traction recently in response to Scarlett Johansson’s casting as Major Motoko Kusanagi in Rupert Sanders’ upcoming Ghost in the Shell adaptation. (Considering Dreamworks’ other major contender for the role was fellow white blonde woman Margot Robbie, it’s obvious that representing Japanese actresses was never even on the studio’s agenda.)

Petition creator Julie Rodriguez explains,

The original film is set in Japan, and the major cast members are Japanese. So why would the American remake star a white actress? The industry is already unfriendly to Asian actors without roles in major films being changed to exclude them. One recent survey found that in 2013, Asian characters made up only 4.4% of speaking roles in top-grossing Hollywood films.

Read the full piece here | Sign the petition here