NPR Talks about the Diversity with the Hollywood Superhero

I just had this post this....it is sooooo relevant!! I was on the NPR website doing research for one topic and ran up on another and I knew I had to share with the masses!!

Hollywood Superheroes Losing The Fight For Diversity by John Ridley (8/9/2011)

The big budget disappointment Green Lantern was about a superhero whose powers were only limited by his imagination. But I kind of get the feeling that Hollywood's earning powers are being limited by its lack of imagination.

Consider the box office potential if movie producers had been as bold as Marvel's Ultimate Comics Spider-Man series when it introduced Miles Morales — a part black, part Hispanic teen — as the new Spider-man.

It wouldn't have been much of a stretch for producers to re-imagine Green Lantern as a person of color. In the comic book world, there's already a black Green Lantern named John Stewart who's probably got more name recognition going for him than his white counterpart, Hal Jordan.

So if Hollywood can crank out fantasy pictures with blue Smurfs, why is it so reticent to do the same with African-Americans, Hispanics and Asians? If second stringers like Thor can get the big-screen treatment, don't comic book legends of color like Luke Cage and Black Panther deserve the same?

Every hero needs a villain, and I can tell you from experience that supposedly "liberal" Hollywood loves to make the audience the bad guy. There's a self-fulfilling delusion at work in the studio system that white audiences won't pay to see black actors cast outside a narrow type of role.

This was so needed right about now. I felt like this article literally read my mind! It touched upon so many topics regarding superheroes in Hollywood today. The one point that really hit home was the fact of how he mentioned Hollywood not taking advantage of all the diversity that is out there as it relates to superheroes. If given the chance the audience just might like it, but only when given the chance.

Now I am not saying that Hollywood needs to do a slew of superhero movies, however if they do...DO IT BETTER!! Just like Mr. Ridley, I could think of several other superheroes/animation movies that could be spotlighted on the big screen other than The Smurfs, Elektra, Monster vs. Aliens, etc. you get the point.

Articles such as this one are the just the beginning of what Hollywood upper management needs to hear! Maybe soon someone will truly listen.