Producers wants Leonardo DiCaprio to play Persian poet Rumi, leading to whitewashing claims. Photo/AP
Producers wants Leonardo DiCaprio to play Persian poet Rumi, leading to whitewashing claims. Photo/AP
A petition is calling for producers of a film about Rumi to look for someone else other than Leonardo DiCaprio to play the famed Persian poet.
Screenwriters David Franzoni and Stephen Joel Brown recently said they were looking to cast DiCaprio in the role, although he hasn't yet signed onto the film.
But the petition calls the suggestion "ludicrous and offensive" and asks producers to cast "a Middle Eastern actor as Rumi to truly challenge the Hollywood stereotypes".
Rumi was a famed poet in the 13th Century.
"Casting Leonardo DiCaprio as Rumi rewrites history, takes possession of Muslim accomplishments, and gives the credit to a white man," the petition claims.
It comes as New Zealand-based movie Ghost in the Shell faced criticism for casting Scarlett Johansson as a character many thought should have been played by an Asian actress.
