Fox News is reporting that the talented Denzel Washington is scheduled to play Hannibal in an upcoming Netflix movie. (We’ve seen Denzel on a horse, but on an elephant?) The identity-obsessed in Hollywood doubtless celebrate this ahistorical but with-it casting, but it’s not going down well in Tunisia, where the sensible there argue that casting a black African as Hannibal erases their history. (Hannibal was a Carthaginian, old Carthage now being Tunisia.) Of course, it does. But woke Hollywood erases everyone’s history, so what makes Tunisians think they would get a pass?
Obviously, there’s an acute shortage of DEI executives in Tunisia. I’d be more than happy to send them ours. Their need is clearly greater. Perhaps we could start with Claudine Gay. I’d happily contribute to her one-way ticket. (RELATED: Harvard Students Question Presidential Selection Process Amid Claudine Gay Plagiarism Scandal)
My wife and I have enjoyed Denzel Washington’s work over the decades (with a few exceptions — that superfluous remake of The Magnificent Seven was dreadful). But this is ridiculous; all this rearranging sex and complexion of historical figures just to make leftists feel virtuous is, at the very least, annoying to anyone save the ideologically besotted. I’ve heard Denzel talk on various subjects, and he’s always struck me as a sensible sort. I wouldn’t have thought he would stoop to this. He’s being used by those in the movie biz who work tirelessly to feel good about themselves while keeping movie theaters three-quarters empty. They’d rather hector and virtue signal than entertain.
This nonsense isn’t new, though it seems to have picked up speed lately. I understand now there’s even a 007 who gets a little cranky every 28 days. Back in the early eighties, when Ronnie was snoozing in the White House, I was working on Capitol Hill helping to make the world safe for Florida Rep. Andy Ireland. The congressman and I were both conservative. But the gals who worked in the office preparing the first draft of replies to people who had written the congressman all held black belts in feminist indignation. As a result, they were delighted to read that Shakespeare in the Park that summer featured a woman playing Hamlet. They reckoned this to be a great leap forward in civilization and an event to be celebrated, not that any of them had shown a flicker of interest in the Bard before this. This lot considered me the old (I was 40 — they were mostly 23, going on 17), traditional Mustache Pete, dreadfully out of step with current “thinking.” At least they were right about this. So, they were surprised when I said that I was fine with the Brave New Casting. After all, why should the juicy roles be restricted by sex? This brought smiles to their make-up-free faces. The hook being set, I took a beat and added, “In fact, my sources tell me that next year Richard Burton is going to play Lady Macbeth.” They threw stuff at me.
