A British tv show of Michael Jackson?
A white actor has been cast as African-American pop star Michael Jackson and twitter is not very happy about that.
According to The Guardian, Joseph Fiennes will play the late superstar in a comedy to appear on the British channel Sky Arts. The half-hour show, called "Elizabeth, Michael & Marlon," centers around a fabled road trip in which Jackson, Elizabeth Taylor and Marlon Brando tried to get home to Los Angeles from New York after the September 11 terrorist attacks.
For some, the casting decision has been just as unbelievable as the idea that Jackson, Taylor and Brando (who supposedly insisted on frequent stops at fast food restaurants) would just hop in a car and take off cross-country.
As
the debate rages on about the lack of quality roles for actors of color
and thus the lack of representation at awards shows, one person
tweeted, "Joseph Fiennes can play Michael Jackson. (A real person). But
Idris can't play James Bond (a fake spy for a fake agency)?" - said a tweet.
Twitter took to their thumbs to express how they feel:
Joseph Fiennes can play Michael Jackson. (A real person). But Idris can't play James Bond (a fake spy for a fake agency)? Cool, cool, cool.
— Prentice Penny (@The_A_Prentice) January 27, 2016Too crazy for words! #JosephFiennes playing Michael Jackson! What next? Tom Cruise playing Muhammad Ali? Uma Thurman playing Rosa Parks?
— Duncan Whitehead (@DuncanWhitehead) January 27, 2016Read about Joseph Fiennes playing Michael Jackson, and checked the calendar. Thought I slept 2 months & it was April 1st.
— Jay Nickerson (@doodlinmunkyboy) January 27, 2016