Matt Damon is hit by criticism for starring in the movie "The Great Wall." (Photo : Getty Images)
An American Chinese film production of the Great Wall of China is set to be released in December 2016. The movie is produced by Legendary Entertainment.
Zhang Yimou is the director of the movie and has been accused of "whitewashing" or choosing Caucasian actors to play roles fit for actors of another ethnic color.
Whitewashing is a trend in Hollywood that was the center of criticism during this year's academy awards. Films like "Dr. Strange", "Ghost in the Shell" and "Aloha" have all cast white American actors for lead roles.
Film experts believe that because the film is backed by a huge budget, then American lead actors should bring in big profits.
Aynne Kokas, an assistant professor of media studies at the University of Virginia, said, "'The Great Wall' is definitely among the biggest budget co-productions, and it's the first very large budget one in which there is a major Chinese creative force behind it."
She added, "That's the part of the story that's getting left out."
Many movie distribution companies have tried to penetrate the Chinese market but government regulations prohibit them. Foreign films have limited release in the country.
Through the merger of a Chinese and American outfit, "The Great Wall" will be able to maneuver from government restriction.
The movie is written by screenwriters from Hollywood. Other cast members are William Dafoe and Pedro Pascal. Famous Chinese actors such as Any Lau and Jing Tan are also part of the cast.
PoPing AuYeung, a casting director who worked in both Chinese and American movies, said, "They think they will lose the global market if they have Chinese as a lead. But they seem to forget that China is a huge market. A lot of movies flop in the U.S. but make it up in China."
American Chinese actress Constance Yu said on her Twitter account, "Our heroes don't look like Matt Damon. They look like Malala, Gandhi, Mandela."
Zhang defended the movie and said, "In many ways 'The Great Wall' is the opposite of what is being suggested. For the first time, a film deeply rooted in Chinese culture, with one of the largest Chinese casts ever assembled, is being made at tent pole scale for a world audience."
He added, "Matt Damon is not playing a role that was originally conceived for a Chinese actor."
Legendary Entertainment was unable to respond to requests for comment.
