There are rumors that Idris Elba might be the new James Bond, and the fact that Sony would consider casting a black man for the role has Rush Limbaugh up in arms.

Photo Credit - WP/POOL/Getty Images
Photo Credit - WP/POOL/Getty Images
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You probably don’t remember this, but when James Bond premiered on screen, he was played as an American by an Barry Nelson and was referred to as “Jimmy Bond.

I think changing the race of classic movie characters is a good thing. In movies, an actor's race doesn't matter - it's about what that person brings to the character. Some current examples of this would be Denzel Washington taking on the role of Robert McCall in the movie reboot of the 80’s TV series “The Equalizer,” which originally starred British actor Edward Woodward. The remake of "Annie" has also changed the race of its main character - Quvenzhane Wallis is playing the role that was once played by Aileen Quinn.

Go back further and you’ll find Johnny Depp in the role of “Tonto” in The Lone Ranger, and David Carradine playing Kwai Chang Caine in "Kung Fu" a role coveted by Bruce Lee.

The only color that matters in movies, like everything else, is green - if these movies take in enough money there will be an “Equalizer II” and “Annie II.” If the movies are good that wouldn’t be a bad thing.

How do you feel about movie characters changing races? Which did you like? Which did you not?

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