Gods of Egypt director apologises for lack of diversity in casting

Gods of Egypt director Alex Proyas has apologised after critic accused him of “whitewashing” the cast of the film.
The movie, about gods on a mythical quest in Egypt, has come under fire over the casting of Gerard Butler, Courtney Eaton and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau in starring roles, and Proyas is now acknowledging the moviemakers should have worked harder to cast actors that better reflected Africans.
“The process of casting a movie has many complicated variables, but it is clear that our casting choices should have been more diverse,” a statement from Proyas to TheWrap.com reads. “I sincerely apologize to those who are offended by the decisions we made.”
“We recognize that it is our responsibility to help ensure that casting decisions reflect the diversity and culture of the time periods portrayed,” a representative for Lionsgate studio adds. “In this instance we failed to live up to our own standards of sensitivity and diversity, for which we sincerely apologize.
“Lionsgate is deeply committed to making films that reflect the diversity of our audiences. We have, can and will continue to do better.​​”
Proyas is not the only filmmaker to face criticisms of whitewashing movies about Ancient Egypt – last year (14), Ridley Scott was called out for casting Christian Bale and Joel Edgerton in lead roles in Exodus: Gods and Kings about Hebrew Moses and Egyptian Ramses.