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So there is this company in the UK called Sky Arts and they produce a comedy series called Urban Myths. They have a new episode coming up and the internet is buzzing (freaking out) over the casting of Joseph Fiennes as Michael Jackson. So far I think this is a bit of a culture clash between British production companies who are more willing to cast actors in parts that don't exactly match their race than are American studios.

Here's the trailer:



First reaction by Entertainment Tonight.

Well, apparently it's a moot point. Sky Arts has pulled the episode due to the backlash. Michael's daughter, Paris, especially didn't like what she saw as caricaturing of her father and godmother.

I didn't see anything offensive in the trailer but there was nothing actually funny either.

The character looks like something out of The Mighty Boosh.

And if that can be taken as an indicator of its overall quality, probably best pulled.

I haven't seen the video in the post, so has anyone been mentioned who should have been cast instead?
Properly acting the part of an older Michael Jackson would be difficult for anyone, and I expect would need a lot of makeup work to get right.

The shot I saw on the BBC's pages made Fiennes look quite odd. But then...