AceShowbiz -

Sony Pictures reacts to the "whitewashing" claim over Cameron Crowe's "Aloha". Starring Bradley Cooper, Emma Stone, Rachel McAdams, and Alec Baldwin, the movie was accused by Media Action Network for Asian Americans of failing to recognize Asian-Pacific Islanders who are the majority of the state's population.

In response to the criticism, the studio issues a statement, "While some have been quick to judge a movie they haven't seen and a script they haven't read, the film Aloha respectfully showcases the spirit and culture of the Hawaiian people."

The company adds, "Film-maker Cameron Crowe spent years researching this project and many months on location in Hawaii, cultivating relationships with leading local voices. He earned the trust of many Hawaiian community leaders, including Dennis 'Bumpy' Kanahele, who plays a key role in the film."

"Ghost in the Shell", an upcoming adaptation of Japanese comic book of the same name, is also slammed for "whitewashing" after casting Scarlett Johansson on the lead role. Last year, it was "Exodus: Gods and Kings" facing similar backlash for casting Christian Bale as Moses and Joel Edgerton as Pharaoh Ramses II.

"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," director Ridley Scott explained the all-white casting back then. "I'm just not going to get it financed. So the question doesn't even come up."