In a few days, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time will release and possibly roll on to be one of the most successful movies based on a game franchise ever. Yet the casting in the movie, particularly of white actor Jake Gyllenhaal for the title role of Prince Dastan, has rubbed some critics the wrong way.
“This part really needed to go to someone who’s Persian,” said Jehanzeb Dar, a blogger and independent filmmaker. “It’s not only insulting to Persians, it’s also insulting to white people. It’s saying white people can’t enjoy movies unless the protagonist is white.
“It becomes very clear that it’s part of the historical pattern of Hollywood and it’s not an isolated incident and it’s not because they happen to be fictional characters,” said Michael Le of Racebending.com. “It’s because this is the standard procedure for Hollywood films, and it really shouldn’t be. It’s 2010.”
Despite the mythical Middle-Eastern setting for Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, practically all of the main cast members are Caucasian. Ben Kingsley (who plays the antagonist Vizer Nizam) is half Indian and is probably best known for playing Gandhi.
Source: Yahoo! Movies