Movie adaptations misrepresenting your characters

You answered your own question when you talked about your story being 'adapted'.

'Adapted' means that parts will be changed. That's part of the Hollywood system. If you don't like it then don't worry - you have a simple solution - just don't give anyone permission to adapt it. It isn't a problem. Just say 'no'.

If you want to have the upside (eg: budget) of Hollywood but not the downside then you are being unreasonable. It might be possible, of course - but it wouldn't be common.

And let's be serious - asking someone to invest $80 million in a project but not let them have control over the cast (which, sadly, is important to recoup investment) simply isn't going to happen.

The method the studios use to greenlight a project is called 'the comps'. They run comparisons - by demographics, by casts, by style similarities, etc to estimate income from various sources. And they know that audiences, by and large, want to see audiences that are like them.

As a test - do you think Avatar would have been as successful in the USA if it was about the Chinese going instead of Americans? That's why the adaptation of the true story of '21' had white guys instead of Asians.

What about Star Wars - if Luke Skywalker had been 'Chi Shen Ling' and everyone was Asian ?

It's sad - but it's part of the deal of going for a system that is geared towards an American audience.

It also occasionally works the other way. The film adaptation of 'Shoeless Joe' had the part of a white guy (J.D Salinger) played by James Earl Jones! (They also changed his name to avoid legal issues. Ref)


So simply don't sell your project to Hollywood. Problem solved.

Mac
(PS: If it's any consolation - other cultures do it as well. I have a statue of Jesus that I bought at a market in Beijing. It is a typical 'Jesus' statue holding a lamb .. but it is the most Han Chinese depiction of that scene that is humanly possible!

Aristophanes pointed out that we always create heroes in our image. Not much has changed in the last few thousand years.)

If I was going to let Hollywood adapt a story of mine... I would take the money and run. I wouldn't want to be involved in any aspect of it as I would only end up getting into arguments about changes. As Mac said, it's what Hollywood, and every other film maker, does.

If you want full control, then produce the movie yourself...

Tyrannosaurus Rex said:

If you've ever considered getting your writing adapted into movie format, are you concerned that your characters might be misrepresented? I'll broaden the discussion beyond ethnicity to include any portrayal of your characters that aren't true to the original writing.

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Absolutely, I would be concerned. But it really wouldn't be my problem. Once I optioned the rights, it's out of my hands.

Film adaptations of Other Source Material (whether they are novels, comics, or video games) are exactly that--adaptations. Two different mediums. Changes will have to be made to create a film that the filmmakers believe will make money.

That doesn't mean I won't whine in private over the horrible ways they've ruined my vision, though.

Tyrannosaurus Rex--it's a valid concern, absolutely. Unfortunately the only real way to make sure that doesn't happen is to refuse any offers to option the film. You just won't have control over it.

I'm okay with major things being changed, personally--it's an adaptation, and making a film is very different than writing a book. And I don't actually have any desire to meddle in the process or oversee anything. But the whitewashing issue is one thing that would bother me, and I do have a project I'd be hesitant about letting anyone adapt for film if it ever comes to that.

It comes down to whether you want to take the risk and see what happens (meaning take the money and run) or say no. I'll grant it would be tough to turn down the money, at least for me. And many options never get any farther in the process than that, so the film may never get made even if you're paid for the rights.

Mac H. said:

As a test - do you think Avatar would have been as successful in the USA if it was about the Chinese going instead of Americans? That's why the adaptation of the true story of '21' had white guys instead of Asians.

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But American does not equal white. I agree that people in the US are more likely in general to get behind a movie about the US doing something like going to an alien planet--but that's a separate issue from cast diversity.

Taking the OP's example of The Last Airbender, that was based on a completely Asian-inspired fantasy world that was already incredibly popular as a cartoon, with both children and adult viewers--and without a single white character, until the casting of the movie.

I'm not okay with "it's sad, but that's how it is" when the way it is leaves out tons of Americans who would also like to see themselves on the screen. Hollywood needs to get with it.

I'm working from memory here,but Clive Cussler was so upset over the film made from his book Raise the Titanic (1980) he swore to never sell film rights again. And he didn't until Sahara (2005). That one didn't please him either, although he is credited as one of the writers. IIRC he bad mouthed the film in public, the production company sued, he counter sued, and both ended up having to pay the other.

If you sell the film rights, all bets are off, go home and write the next book. Don't worry about the film makers tampering with your 'vision'. And that assumes a film is even made. The greatest majority of books optioned never turn into a film.

MM

Adapted means get the most money you can get, and divorce yourself from caring.

Daniel Wallace, an author whose book was adapted to a film, commented:

The best adaptations are inspired by the source material, not dictated by it.

The screenwriter doesn’t work for the author; he takes possession of the story, and owns it as much as the novelist does. If not, if there is even a hint of subservience, the adaptation and the movie it hopes to become will suffer, and sometimes die a grisly, unliterary death.

And if you’ve never seen an unliterary death it’s a sad thing to watch.

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Ref: John August's Blog

Mac

Yup, once you sell the right, it's out of your hands. You can, of course, produce, adapt and direct it yourself (John Irving adapted his own The Cider House Rules). Or sell it to someone you trust (Sideways was produced and directed by the author's friends). But generally speaking, you have no say in how it's adapted.

I think it's a mistake to write your novel with "film adaptation" in mind. Unless for sure you'll sell the film right, why? Even if you're sure you'll be selling the right, novel and film are two different things. Why not just write your novel the way you want? At least you'll get one of them right. Spielberg significantly changed Jurassic Park (and with good reasons). But the film and the book are good, but I prefer the book, and wouldn't blame Crichton for the changes Spielberg made... and the movies -- however badly adapted -- could only help the sales of the novel.

Like Medievalist said, take the money and forget about it. Or you adapt it as a spec script and try to sell that one...

maestrowork said:

Spielberg significantly changed Jurassic Park (and with good reasons). But the film and the book are good, but I prefer the book, and wouldn't blame Crichton for the changes Spielberg made... and the movies -- however badly adapted -- could only help the sales of the novel.

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Yep, both JP movies are more than a little different than the books, especially the second one. Other than the main character, there isn't much about it that is the same. Even the character's motivations are different in the movie.

Like Medievalist said, take the money and forget about it. Or you adapt it as a spec script and try to sell that one...

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Yep, what Ray said about what Lisa said. Take the money and forget about it. Write your next novel and wait for people to buy your first one which will become popular just because there's a movie. You win.

jvc said:

Write your next novel and wait for people to buy your first one which will become popular just because there's a movie. You win.

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That's what happened to John Grisham.

Medievalist said:

Adapted means get the most money you can get, and divorce yourself from caring.

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Yeah, I agree. You'll probably get over it once that check is in your hands.

I would have a serious problem with whitewashing. Though my characters are of all races,I would turn homicidal if some "Last Air Bender' mess jumped off with any of my character of color. So,I don't think about movie adaptations at all and since a writer can't control the process of casting and such,Hollywood wouldn't be for me.

But you have to expect whitewashing to happen. So the only way around it is not to sell the rights. C'est la vie.

mirandashell said:

But you have to expect whitewashing to happen. So the only way around it is not to sell the rights. C'est la vie.

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Pretty much and that is extremely sad. So,chucking the deuces and keeping the rights to myself works.

This is a very arrogant thing to say, but if I were presented with the opportunity to have my book adapted into a movie, I would turn it down no matter how much control I would have precisely because I don't think characters - or really anything else - from prose translate well into movies.

And I'm not a big fan of movies. Books are my thing, really.

Sometimes a film's interpretation is so much better than the original text.

If you don't believe me - watch 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button' and then read the story.

The story was just a silly tale about a guy complaining that he ages backwards. It's not an epic. It has no soul. It is just a stone.

Eric Roth took that stone and made good soup out of it.

Mac

As much as I agree that the screenwriter etc havge the right to adapt as they see fit, whitewashing is a very different issue and a valid one to be concerned about.

The fact that The Last Airbender TV series was so popular despite having no white characters in it at all makes it very clear that
1- there were enough non-white children watching it to make it a big hit
2- white kids are not as biased against seeing non-white characters as Hollywood believes
3- the kids that loved the series would have been fine about non-white actors

I for one am sick and tired of the assumption that "the audience" is made up of straight white men, and that anyone else who watches a movie needs to just deal with it.

On Topic, would it be possible when getting a book made into a film to insist that while casting control is given over to the director etc, that they be required to match RL race to book race? Or at least have colourblind casting calls?

Le sigh... on film adaptations, who else was seething with rage watching the TV adaptation of Pratchett's Going Postal?

Aidan Watson-Morris said:

And I'm not a big fan of movies. Books are my thing, really.

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* gasp *

Movies are great.

mirandashell said:

But you have to expect whitewashing to happen. So the only way around it is not to sell the rights. C'est la vie.

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It's a little too cynical. Certainly some whitewashing is inevitable, but Hollywood isn't completely run by white men either. There are plenty of movies that are true to the ethnic and cultural diversity.

maestrowork said:

It's a little too cynical. Certainly some whitewashing is inevitable, but Hollywood isn't completely run by white men either. There are plenty of movies that are true to the ethnic and cultural diversity.

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Such as? I can't think of a single Hollywood movie that didn't 'whitewash' the characters.

I can think of plenty of Indie movies, some very good, but a typical Hollywood movie? No.

And yes, it is cynical and no I don't agree with what Hollywood do at all. But I know it happens.

Battle: LA has a large main cast of Latinos, Blacks and an Asian.

Anna the King has an almost all-Asian cast. As did Memoirs of a Geisha.

The Rabbit Hole has Sandra Oh.

Sideway, which was also adapted, also has Sandra Oh.

Harold and Kumar - two main characters, both ethnic

The Social Network - some of the secondary characters are ethnically diverse

Scott Pilgrim

Charlie's Angels - Lucy Liu as one of the Angels

Snow Falling on Cedars

The Last Emperor

Look, as an Asian actor, I know it's still an upward battle, but I think "broad strokes" like this is also not fair. The Last Airbender is a bad movie to begin with... the whitewashing is just one of its problems. Actually the reverse is also true: I know for a fact that some roles went to ethnic actors even though they were written for Caucasians. For example, the Asian role in Battle: LA.

You want to see how bad adaptations can be when the "money people" and "studio suits" take over, read Queen of The Damned then watch the movie made of it. The newest and prettiest "it" actors were chosen for their salability rather than resemblance to characters and that little thing called acting ability. Townsend is a handsome fellow but is NO Lestat. Plus he was dark haired. Lestat is blond. Cruise may be all sorts of batty these days but he acted his ass off in Interview. And then there's the issue of the movie's soundtrack when the execs have their way. They think the "kiddies" will only like a movie if the most popular bands' (subjective as all hell) music plays every 5 minutes. I can honestly say Twilight was better if for at least having a musical score instead of being plastered beginning-to-end with "edgy nu metal that the 13-21 crowd will REALLY dig". That's a very small "if" of course, but still.

I feel like if my books were EVER adapted into a movie, any "whitewashing" would be totally improbable, seeing as most of my books are based on myths, legends, or histories of different cultures. I have a story about a Chinese-American who has to move back to his birthplace of Jinan as an heir to a very large and important company. He finds that he has powers (based on Chinese history and mythology) and the story is about his life there in Jinan. In this situation...well, I guess they COULD whitewash it, with some effort, but it would probably leave the audience thinking WTF if they did.