In this view, having actors of color play mythical beings who were previously portrayed as white is a reminder that white people are no longer an unexamined cultural default in the real world.
That said, casting diversity is not the same as storytelling diversity. As conservative purists point out, the story of Tolkien and Martin “Witcher” “Harry Potter” and many other big-budget fantasies are largely based on European models. (Amazon’s “The Wheel of Time,” which contains elements of Eastern philosophy, is partly an exception, but still well within the well-known realm of his fantasy.)
So casting a colorblind like “The Rings of Power” drives adoption, but you’re just putting different faces into the same monocultural frame. While changing who plays wizards, lords, and ladies, Hollywood spends billions of dollars to portray a tiny fraction of the world’s myths and lore.
There’s more to fantasy than that. For example, author Marlon James explains that his Dark Star trilogy is in the works. “Africa’s Game of Thrones” It’s a captivating, twisted thriller of quest and royal intrigue, filled with wizards, shape shifters, bush fairies, and vampire lightning birds.
It’s a dizzying tale on screen if it ever comes to fruition. (James Said The adaptation project, produced by Black Panther’s Michael B. Jordan, is reportedly still in the “very early stages.” ) And there are magical traditions across the globe that go beyond the usual variations of medieval Europe.
After all, fantasy is meant to expand the world, not shrink it. For storytellers, performers, and above all, audiences, it’s better to recognize the potential for this increasingly popular genre to show dreams come in every imaginable color.