Moon Knight director Mohammed Diab has criticized Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam film for not casting Egyptian actors.
Marvel Studios’ latest series is Moon Knight, which stars Oscar Isaac’s Marc Spector, whose body serves as the vessel for Egyptian god Khonsu. Though details are slim on the series, the Disney Plus series is set to take direct influence from Egyptian and Middle Eastern/African mythos, wearing its inspiration on its sleeve. Director Mohammed Diab recounted to Filfan how it was important to honor and highlight Egyptian culture.
Speaking with the outlet, Diab emphasized his and Marvel’s efforts to create an inclusive environment for Egyptian creatives.
“I wanted to showcase Egyptian talents as much as I could, every culture should be represented by its people so I hired actors, an editor, a costume designer, an art director and a composer who are all Egyptian.”
The Marvel director went on to criticize Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam, which is set to release later this year. Like Moon Knight, Black Adam is also influenced by Egyptian culture but doesn’t specifically mention the country. Instead, the comic books feature a nation called Kahndaq, which is heavily inspired by Egypt. Diab went on to discuss how Dwayne Johnson’s upcoming DC debut doesn’t appear to honor the country. Seeing as the film hasn’t been released yet, it’s hard to judge if it has failed on the diversity front.
“I was really annoyed with DC when they set Black Adam in a fictional Middle Eastern country as an excuse to cast non-Egyptians, when it was obviously meant to be in Egypt. Representation opportunities shouldn’t be wasted. But it’s not a full mistake since it’s based on an iteration of the comics that doesn’t mention Egypt.”
Starring Oscar Isaac, Ethan Hawke, Gaspard Ulliel, and May Calamawy, the series is set to make its Disney Plus debut on March 30th.
Stay tuned for all the latest news surrounding Moon Knight, and be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more content!
Source: Filfan
