A new report details that DC Studios and James Gunn continued the trend of race-swapping Perry White for their upcoming Superman film by casting Wendell Pierce in the role.
Wendell Pierce via The Late Show with Stephen Colbert YouTube
According to The Hollywood Reporter’s Borys Kit, Pierce landed the role of Perry White.
Kit writes, “Wendell Pierce, perhaps best known for his work as a detective on HBO’s seminal crime series The Wire, has been cast as the iconic editor-in-chief of The Daily Planet in James Gunn’s Superman.”
Perry White in Action Comics #461 (1966), DC Comics
READ: James Gunn Explains Why He Changed The Title For ‘Superman: Legacy’
For those unfamiliar with Perry White, he originally appeared on the second episode of The Adventures of Superman radio serial and was voiced by Julian Noa. He would later be incorporated into the comics beginning in Superman #7.
Perry White and Lois Lane in Superman #7 (1940), DC Comics
White is the editor-in-chief of the Daily Planet, the newspaper that Clark Kent and Lois Lane work for. He’s usually depicted with a strict adherence to journalist ethics and has a strong personality that demands the most high quality work from his employees including Kent and Lane.
The old adage, tough but fair fits White to a tee.
Panels from Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen’s Boss Perry White (2022), DC Comics
This isn’t the first time that Perry White has been race-swapped by Hollywood. Laurence Fishburne played the character in Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
However, the character had previously been depicted as he’s portrayed in the comics by a plethora of actors in film and on television throughout the years. On television, they include John Hamilton in Adventures of Superman, Allen Ludden in It’s a Bird… It’s a Plane… It’s Superman, Lane Smith in Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Michael McKean in Smallville, and Paul Jarrett in Superman & Lois.
On film, the character was portrayed by Pierre Walkin in the 1948 Superman serials and Atom Man vs. Superman in 1950, Jackie Cooper played the character in Superman: The Movie and its three sequels, and Frank Langella played the character in Superman Returns.
Jackie Cooper as Perry White in Superman: The Movie (1978), Warner Bros. Pictures
It’s unsurprising that Gunn would race swap the character of Perry White. Gunn has made it clear he’s in favor of race-swapping simply because he believes the old stories were too white.
In the lead up to the release of his The Suicide Squad film a user commented on Gunn’s Instagram, “then make new black comic book characters, or bring back old ones. Making white characters black isn’t solving the problem. I’m on your side man, I think there should be more black super heroes. But when you start taking white super heroes and changing their race/gender for the sole purpose of being ‘diverse’ its just kinda sad.”
A comment on James Gunn’s Instagram
Gunn replied, “That’s pretty simple. Because 95% of all superheroes have historically been white it makes sense as we start adapting them to film in the modern era that some characters who were originally white become another ethnicity to more accurately reflect our world. In most cases, it would not make sense to take a character originally another ethnicity and make them white because there are already so many white superheroes.”
James Gunn on Instagram
He would take it a step further when another user questioned why the High Evolutionary was race replaced in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
The user commented on Gunn’s Instagram, “Damnit… another white guy they made into a black guy. Why couldn’t they just leave him white or i dont know…pick a different minority? How about Asian or gasp! A Latino?(how many Latinos and Asians in MCU? Like total of 5??) Or make him an Indian or something… because they don’t and won’t, that makes them ‘woke’.”
The user continued, “Next time, a major character (hero/villain) will be a trans or homosexual or non-binary (when in comics they are not). Sad and pathetic. They’re picking based on race and whats PC and not on acting and whats established.”
A comment on James Gunn’s Instagram
Gunn responded by accusing the user of having racist presumptions, “I chose the best actor, period, and the best person for the role. I don’t give a s**t what ethnicity Chukwudi Iwuji is, so stop with your racist presumptions on WHY he was chosen. (And, by the way he’s playing a guy who’s almost always purple in the color.)”
James Gunn on Instagram
What do you make of Perry White being played by Wendell Pierce?
NEXT: James Gunn Confirms Race Swap For Lex Luthor Henchman Otis In ‘Superman: Legacy’
