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10 Bizarre Movie Casting Decisions That Made No Sense

Did you hear the one about Joseph Fiennes being cast as Michael Jackson? Well, turns out it's not a joke. It has been reported that Ralph's brother will indeed be playing the King of Pop in the upcoming TV movie Elizabeth, Michael & Marlon, something that, predictably, provoked outrage in certain quarters, with people angry over the decision to hire a white English man to play an African-American musician. For the most part, though, people were just stunned.

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5) Everybody In Exodus: Gods And Kings

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A biblical extravaganza, about the exodus of Hebrews led by Moses out of Egypt, Exodus: Gods and Kings seemed like a perfect opportunity for Hollywood to show off a newfound penchant for diversity in the 21st century. So who does director Ridley Scott cast in his action epic? Why a cast full of white British, American and Australian actors of course.

Exodus‘ stars include Christian Bale, Joel Edgerton, Aaron Paul, Ben Mendelsohn and Sigourney Weaver, all playing Egyptians. More astonishing was Scott’s response when asked why Exodus was this goddamn white:

“I can’t mount a film of this budget, where I have to rely on tax rebates in Spain, and say that my lead actor is Mohammad so-and-so from such-and-such. I’m just not going to get it financed.”

Blunt, but at least now you know why Mohammad So-And-So From Such-And-Such never gets any work.