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‘The Great Wall’ lead actor Matt Damon slammed whitewashing controversy rumors during a press conference at the recent New York Comic Con. Meanwhile, the second official trailer for the upcoming film featured Damon’s character going into battle against gigantic monsters.
According to News.com.au, Damon finally spoke out against the casting backlash received by his upcoming action-adventure and fantasy film directed by Yimou Zhang. Speaking at the New York Comic-Con, the 46-year old actor, producer, and screenwriter slammed the alleged whitewashing controversy, which hounded the development of the new film.
Damon said, "Yeah, it was a f***ing bummer. I had a few reactions. I was surprised, I guess because it was based on a teaser, it wasn't even a full trailer let alone a movie. To get those charges levied against you.”
He continued, "From a marketing perspective, what's a worse wipeout for a marketing team than to have that happen as a backlash against a teaser you put out? They're trying to establish a number of things within a minute. It's a teaser, they're trying to tease the monster. They're saying it's a visionary filmmaker that Middle America probably doesn't know. It's the Steven Spielberg of China, right?”
Damon admitted that he was “wounded” by the remarks stating that the people who criticized the upcoming film should “educate” themselves first by considering that the project is a monster film with an original story, according to the Mirror.
Director Yimou Zhang previously addressed the controversy saying, “The Great Wall is the opposite of what is being suggested… For the first time, a film deeply rooted in Chinese culture, with one of the largest Chinese casts ever assembled, is being made at tent pole scale for a world audience.”
Meanwhile, Damon showed off his battle skills in the newest trailer released last October 8. According to Variety, the second official trailer revealed more of the film’s plot and featured Damon’s character clad in full ancient armor as he is challenged on the battle field. During the middle part of the trailer, it is revealed that the attack on the Great Wall of China is committed by monsters.
‘The Great Wall’ is an upcoming film scheduled to premiere in theaters on February 17, 2017. It is directed by Yimou Zhang and written by Tony Gilroy, Doug Miro, Max Brooks, Edward Zwick, Marshall Herskovitz, and Carlo Bernard. It is produced by Legendary East, Atlas Entertainment, Kava Productions, Le Vision Pictures, and Legendary Pictures.
