The Anger Behind Diversity Casting in Fantasy and Sci-Fi Movies

I won’t lie to you. I did not read The Lord of the Rings Books.

I picked up the book once, got a few chapters in, and had to put it down. I've started The Wheel of Time book three times and couldn't get past the first few chapters. Sword of Shannara? Same thing.

High fantasy books aren't my jam. No matter how hard I try to be a "good" fantasy writer by reading all the classics, the worldbuilding details and historical backstories put me to sleep. Also, the super high word count doesn't do me any favors either.

But if we're talking about movies and TV shows, though? I'm there!

I've watched all three LOTR movies in order at least once a year.

Sword of Shannara was one of my favorite fantasy TV shows (and I was super mad when it got cancelled!)

Rings of Power and the Wheel of Time were on my watch lists.

Aside from the fact that these shows take the lore of the books and present it in an engaging and beautiful way, I appreciate the diversity that the modern TV shows bring to the table (except for the LOTR movies, of course).

Black dwarves? (Rings of Power)

Black and Asian Aes Sedai? (Wheel of Time)

A Black queen? (Swords of Shannara)

Count me in!

Finally, fantasy stories that are the classics we love, with diverse characters that look like me and the people I know.

Characters that aren’t all white.

As creators and directors realized that fantasy and science fiction could reflect the world we live in, many people lost their minds.

The backlash was so great that Buzzfeed published a whole article with 18 responses to such backlash and criticism. CNN wrote an entire article about the controversy surrounding black elves in Rings of Power. Deadline and Screenrant have talked about how crazy people were for casting a teen of color in the role of Astrid in How to Train Your Dragon.

Other movies and TV shows where people had a cow about people of color being cast in various roles that come up in my research were:

• Halle Bailey as the black Little Mermaid

• Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys in House of the Dragon

• John Boyega in the Star Wars Franchise

• Michael B Jordan as the Human Torch in the Fantastic Four movie

• Leah Jeffries as Annabeth in The Percy Jackson Series

Instead of looking at this evolution of speculative fiction as diverse and inclusive, many critics use a word that makes creators like me want to throw my phone across the room.

Woke is nothing but code for anything that's not white and straight. If it’s not white or straight, it’s wrong. In my post on diversity, I explored why "normal" in the fantasy and sci-fi story world is considered white and male. When a movie dares to cast a non-white person in a traditionally white role in fantasy or science fiction, it spits in the face of the norm.

Never mind that fantasy and science fiction are made up in worlds that don’t exist. Yet it doesn't stop critics from calling such casting decisions as not being historically accurate or not staying faithful to the source material.

Excuse me while I try not to choke on my coffee at the audacity of such claims.

While I'm not a fan of just having a black character to check off a box, I do feel that much of these criticisms are hate in disguise.

But once we realize what this is really about—many white fantasy and sci-fi fans don't want to see people of color represent their beloved characters—creators like us can move forward accordingly.

Be prepared for the backlash, especially if you're adapting or re-telling a classic fantasy or sci-fi story. Figure out how you will defend your right to create a world that reflects the one we live in, like those actors and directors cited in that Buzzfeed article have.

Don’t stop writing your version of your favorite fantasy or sci-fi classic. Chances are, some readers were just like you and wanted to see elves, queens, and dragon lords that looked more like you or the people you grew up around.

Don’t let the fear of not writing something marketable stop you. Instead, take inspiration from the fantasy and sci-fi movies that have smashed expectations (and left critics scratching their heads!) like:

• Black Panther

• Into the Spider-verse

• Sinners

Now it’s your turn! What do you think about the constant backlash against diverse casting in fantasy and sci-fi?