Bullet Traindirector David Leitch and the author of the original Japanese novel the film is based on, Kōtarō Isaka, made statements defending the decision to cast non-Japanese actors while still setting the film in Japan.
Sony’sBullet Trainhas received backlash for casting non-Japanese actors in an adaptation of a Japanese novel, with the most glaring being Brad Pitt’s leading role. The accusations of whitewashing recall such other recent controversies as Scarlett Johansson’s role as the Japanese agent inGhost in the Shell(2017) or the casting of white actors and actresses to play Egyptian royalty inExodus: Gods and Kings(2014).
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In an interview withThe New York Times, however, the novel’s author has defendedtheBullet Traincasting choices. In the interview, author Kōtarō Isaka said that the characters of his novel are “ethnically malleable” and that they are “not real people, and maybe they’re not even Japanese.” He went on to say that the Japanese setting is not essential to the story. In the novel, titledMaria Beetlein Japan andBullet Trainin the English translation, several hitmen board a Tokyo bullet train, each with a different target. Chaos ensues as the assassins all attempt to carry out their individual missions within the confined space of the train.
Leitch recently spoke toThe New York Timesas well, saying that the team debated where to set the film. “We had conversations like, ‘Maybe it could be Europe, maybe it could be a different part of Asia.' Where could we see all these international types colliding?” According to Leitch, it was eventually settled that the film would be set in Tokyo because its international nature would support the film’s multiracial cast, which includes White, Black, and Asian actors playing an international set of characters from the United States, Britain, Germany, Mexico, and Japan.
A number of Asian American advocacy groups have also spoken out about their disappointment with the casting choices. David Inoue, executive director of the Japanese American Citizens League, said toAsAmNewsin March that the casting of non-Japanese actors such as Pitt, Sandra Bullock, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson is a symptom of the problematic idea “that Asian actors in the leading roles cannot carry a blockbuster, despite all the recent evidence indicating otherwise, beginning withCrazy Rich Asiansandextending toShang Chi.”
Fans on Twitter have especially criticized the decision to set the film in Japan and place white actors in leading roles. Some argue that the choices would be less offensive if the entire film was simply set in the United States, where the cast would be more authentic. Most at issue is the decision to castPitt in the leadingBullet Trainrole, a choice which seems wholly unnecessary given the wealth of extremely talented actors of Asian descent in the United States. Although some fans feel relieved now that the novel’s author has approved the casting choices, for many, the underlying problems and questions still remain.
Bullet Trainis scheduled to arrive in theaters on July 03, 2025.
