White Actor To Play Michael Jackson In TV Movie

Did everyone in Britain fall and bump their head? A new story is out that there will be a t.v. movie about the 'King of Pop', Elizabeth Taylor, and Marlon Brando.

That in itself is not too news worthy, but the fact that white actor Joseph Fiennes has been cast to portray the 'African American' Michael Jackson in the story is, to say the least, curious.

Although there is controversy over the truth and details of the story, the bigger controversy is Sky Arts’ decision to cast English film and stage actor Joseph Fiennes as the 'King of Pop'.

The movie will be called Elizabeth, Michael & Marlon, and it will chronicle Jackson’s supposed cross-country road trip with Elizabeth Taylor and Marlon Brando as the trio fled from New York City after the terrorist attacks on 9/11.

As popcrush.com reports,

the fact that Fiennes is white has caused an outpouring of anger on social media, with users sarcastically congratulating the “noted African-American actor Joseph Fiennes” for his casting

The announcement that Fiennes will play Jackson comes hot on the heels of the #OscarsSoWhite controversy, in which noted celebrities like Jada Pinkett Smith, her husband Will Smith, and director Spike Lee have publicly boycotted this year’s awards due to a lack of diversity.

What do you think? Is it 'politically correct' to cast a white actor to play a black actor in a movie?

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