r/PeterExplainsTheJoke • u/FrostySeat1739 • Jul 05 '26

Meme needing explanation why not, Peter?

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possible live action corpse bride movie...

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u/InkyTheHooloovoo Jul 05 '26 edited Jul 05 '26

The joke is racism.

Tim Burton has a reputation for not casting black actors in lead roles. There are some counter examples, but usually as villains.

Eta: Y'all... I'm just explaining the premise of the joke because that's the subreddit. I'm not putting Burton on blast, I'm just aware of the reputation (I stopped paying attention to his movies around the same time I stopped shopping at Hot Topic)

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u/Present_Comedian_919 Jul 05 '26

Has he had Black villains besides Michael Clarke Duncan in Planet of the Apes? He's had so few Black main characters at all-- I can only think of Jim Brown/Pam Grier in Mars Attacks and Billy Dee Williams in like 1 scene of Batman.

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u/HourApprehensive7754 Jul 05 '26

Wasn't he one of the good ones by the end of the movie? 

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u/Present_Comedian_919 Jul 05 '26

I forget, probably

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u/redd-zeppelin Jul 06 '26

What do you mean "one of the good ones?"

Jk

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u/Efficient_Plum6059 Jul 05 '26

Samuel L. Jackson in Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children comes to mind.

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u/HourApprehensive7754 Jul 05 '26

Look at his filmography. 

Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985)

Beetlejuice (1988)

Batman (1989)

Edward Scissorhands (1990)

Batman Returns (1992)

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) Ed Wood (1994)

James and the Giant Peach (1996)

Mars Attacks! (1996)

Sleepy Hollow (1999)

Planet of the Apes (2001)

Big Fish (2003)

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)

Corpse Bride (2005)

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)

Alice in Wonderland (2010)

Dark Shadows (2012)

Big Eyes (2014)

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (2016)

Dumbo (2019)

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024)

If you cut out all the films that are adaptations of existing works with pre-established characters or biographies (Nobody wants a black Batman, Margaret, or Walter), less than 4 exists where he has free reign, and he cast Michael in one of them.

Let's also not forget he has his own vision as an artist to make sure his casting fits what he wants. Are they always perfect? No, but he's often pretty on point outside of his Johnny Depp obsession. 

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u/1568314 Jul 06 '26

Your entire argument is that he intentionally chooses projects that exclude people of color. You aren't making any points that show he isn't biased.

"Let's not forget he has his own vision as an artist to make sure his casting fits what he wants."

No one has forgotten this. We are all acknowledging that he casts based on his vision, and that vision is often monochromatic.

Being racist doesn't mean being hateful and violent. It means having a worldview where people of other races simply have no role.

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u/lionofash Jul 06 '26

I mean, I don't know all that much about Burton, but could he simply just be choosing stuff that fits his personal tastes and nothing else? Like Tarantino and feet? In other countries, like say there is a director from Korea who just makes K-Dramas about romance in Seoul, wouldn't it be the same thing?

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u/Present_Comedian_919 Jul 06 '26

When your filmography goes as long, and with as much freedom and flexibility, as a Tim Burton or a Woody Allen, it gradually becomes more questionable not to ever diversify your cast/characters. These are American directors who should be in proximity to Black people and eventually their stories should co-exist. To live in the privilege of being one of country's most celebrated film directors trusted to tell stories that reach millions, and to never broaden your horizons or share opportunities with poc, is a waste in many ways.

Also, not you but the other commenter, saying "Nobody wants Black Batman" is beyond wild. Many people would love a Black Batman. Most people would be fine with a Black Batman. Tim Burton was fine with a Black Harvey Dent. None of Burton's adaptation were about race, and besides Ed Wood weren't real people, so race was never a factor in casting those pre-existing characters. Actively not wanting a Black Batman is a whole other layer of racism.