Dear Marvel,
So the infamous Hollywood whitewashing machine, which has been actively sweeping minorities (often Asians) off the big screen practically since the dawn of cinema, has claimed yet another victim: the distinctly Tibetan character The Ancient One from the upcoming Doctor Strange adaptation, who in the film is portrayed by the distinctly Caucasian Tilda Swinton. While it was easy to fume at yet another example of racial re-casting, I chose instead to be highly amused with the musings of one of the film's screenwriters, C. Robert Cargill, in a recent interview in which he said, in a refreshing moment of candor, that one of the bigger problems with casting a Tibetan character was the distinct possibility of aggravating China, which is quickly turning into the biggest market, outside of the United States itself, for Hollywood movies.
Shorn of all of his other ramblings, Cargill's statement basically boils down to "Marvel doesn't want to piss off China and lose all that gleaming money" which of course, you guys will vehemently disown, if you choose to acknowledge the statement at all. But in a world full of double-speak like Hollywood, I find myself appreciating Cargill's utter honesty (even if he did have to backtrack eventually and explain that he was only speculating or speaking for himself). This particular Asian forgives you (even if you obviously didn't ask for it) for your whitewashing, even though, with the exception of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (which, let's face it, as a television show, doesn't really count) Asian people have been pretty much at the periphery of the Marvel Universe all throughout, so much so that the Asian actress at the end of Ant-Man didn't even get to speak her own dialogue (though really, that was an inspired bit of comedy).
I do hope, however, that you can make this up to me and any other Asian who might have felt slighted by this recasting. I, for one, have thought of how you could make it up to us.
Yesterday Phase 3 of your Cinematic Universe kicked off in fine style. You look all set to make a bundle with Captain America: Civil War (great movie, by the way) and for all the brickbats you're enduring for the recasting of the Ancient One, you'll probably make a tidy sum for Doctor Strange as well. Heck, barring a serious dip in quality I don't see any reason why Phase 3 cannot be the most profitable string of movies for you guys yet.
Let's talk about Phase 4.
I'll cut straight to the chase: Nate Moore, co-producer of both Captain America: Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War and I have something in common: both of us want to Brian K. Vaughan's and Adrian Alphona's Runaways made into a movie franchise. It's arguably Marvel's best original property in the last twenty years, and the two lead characters, at least in the beginning, are Alex Wilder, an African American, and Nico Minoru, a Japanese American. I'm pretty sure you can see where this is going.
By the time Phase 4 rolls around in 2020, given your current trajectory at the box office, you'll probably have raked in something like $8 billion at the global box office. You will have shown the world, if any doubt remains, that your brand alone is enough to give a decent movie a fighting chance at the tills.
I exhort you to step out of your comfort zone, considering there's a lot of material in your library that departs from the established norm. Runaways is a good start; it's got an original, solid premise, plenty of potential for high-octane action sequences, strong female characters towards which the young girls that made The Hunger Games a box office smash could gravitate, and an African-American and an Asian-American sharing the lead role. It's got everything you like and diversity besides.
Also, launching a new franchise will give you the opportunity to give your megafranchise the Avengers and the solo films of the individual members a much-needed rest while you shop around for new cast members to replace the fortysomething Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth and Scarlett Johansson, as well as the well-into-fifty Robert Downey Jr., Mark Ruffalo, Don Cheadle, Paul Rudd and Jeremy Renner. We all know the Avengers will be back in theaters, but maybe they could return in Phase 5 with a fresh cast? Please think about it, because we need new blood in more ways than just recasting old roles. We need new characters to whom we can relate and new legends to capture our imagination. And considering the global audience that consumes these films voraciously (including myself), it would be nice to see someone in the lead role other than the "straight white male" that has become a staple of most action movies, including yours. Civil War was a bit of a watershed moment in terms of your storytelling; it's hands-down the ballsiest movie you've made so far, so clearly taking risks is not an issue for you.
You guys clearly pride yourselves on telling good stories, and in Runaways, you have an absolute gem of a story to adapt. More than Guardians of the Galaxy or any other movie you've released to date, this can be a real test for your brand, one I'm confident you will pass with flying colors.
Yours truly,
Jim
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