Denzel Washington as Hannibal
Controversy in Tunisia
Wrong skin color for “Hannibal”? Denzel Washington controversy.
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Excitement in Tunisia over Hannibal film with Denzel Washington. Is the Oscar winner the wrong choice?
The Tunisian newspaper “La Presse” calls Washington’s casting in upcoming Netflix project a “historical mistake.” An online petition, which according to “The Guardian” Over 1,300 people have already signed, calling on Netflix to cancel the film. She calls on the government to take action “against the attempt to steal our history.”
“It’s fiction”
The politician Yassine Mami sees Culture Minister Hayet Ketat Guermazi as responsible. “It’s about defending the Tunisian identity and listening to the reactions of civil society,” The Guardian quoted Mami as saying.
But Hayet Ketat Guermazi doesn’t even think about getting into the ring against Netflix. On the contrary. “It’s fiction. It’s their right to do whatever they want,” said according to the French newspaper “Le Monde“Hannibal is a historical figure, even if we are all proud that he was Tunisian.” It is more important to the minister that Netflix films in Tunisia in order to strengthen the film location.
No certainty about Hannibal’s skin color
There is no reliable research information about the skin color of the real Hannibal. The Carthaginians are descended from the Phoenicians. The city-states of the Phoenicians were located in the area where the modern states of Lebanon, Syria and Israel lie. During Hannibal’s lifetime (ca. 247 – 183 BC), the area around the Mediterranean was very ethnically mixed.
In the as-yet-untitled film, Denzel Washington is set to play the legendary general who brought the Roman Empire to the brink of defeat in the Punic Wars. The director is Antoine Fuqua (58), who already shot “Training Day” and the “Equalizer” series with Washington.