Captain Hook isn't the only one looking for a fight. Thousands of people have signed a petition against Warner Bros.' upcoming live action Peter Pan adaptation, Pan, protesting, in particular, the studio's recent announcement that Rooney Mara will play Native American princess Tiger Lily in the film.
The petition — which has collected more than 4,000 signatures since launching via Care2 on Tuesday, March 18 — calls for Warner Bros. to "stop casting white actors to play people of color!" It states: "This casting choice is particularly shameful for a children's movie. Telling children their role models must be all white is unacceptable."
The petition further claims that Warner Bros. offered an "unapologetic" statement about the casting choice. This alleged statement is quoted as saying that "the world being created is multi-racial/international — and a very different character than previously imagined." However, Warner Bros. denied to The Hollywood Reporter that any such statement was released.
Hugh Jackman and Garrett Hedlund, Rooney's costars in the movie, are also mentioned in the petition. "Not so multi-racial after all, Warner Bros.," the authors note, referring to the actors as "two white guys." (Les Miserables star Jackman will play Blackbeard, while Hedlund has been cast in the role of Hook. Newcomer Levi Miller was recently tapped for the title role.)
Directed by Atonement and Anna Karenina director Joe Wright, Pan is screenwriter Jason Fuchs' origin story spin on J.M. Barrie's classic tale. It's set to hit theaters on July 17, 2015.
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