Zoe Saldana's 'Nina' Gets First Poster, More Online Backlash

Zoe Saldana‘s casting as Nina Simone in “Nina” is once again causing outrage, after the official poster for the film was released Tuesday.

Fans took to Twitter to point out that Saldana looks nothing like Simone, the legendary African-American singer-songwriter and civil rights activist whose struggles to balance music, family and what she believed in left her living alone in France, feeling exiled from her own country.

“Zoe Saldana looks nothing like Nina Simone #FAIL not even close,” tweeted one user. “Why not just Will Smith to do it?”

Also Read: Zoe Saldana's Nina Simone Biopic Acquired by RLJ Entertainment

“That Zoe Saldana pic as Nina Simone looks like the blackface of a bad Halloween or frat party,” another user wrote.

Some even compared the bad casting to that of Joseph Fiennes being hired to play Michael Jackson in a British television special, which also caused outrage back in January. Other Twitter users also suggested actresses who would’ve been a better fit for the role, which include Lupita Nyong’o and Viola Davis.

Also Read: Zoe Saldana Blasts Immigration Opponents: 'Shut Up and Just Deal With It'

In 2012, rumors circulated that Saldana would play Simone, and the response was overwhelmingly negative, with fans saying that Saldana was too light-skinned to portray the singer. In 2014, an image was released in which Saldana’s nose had been altered with a prosthetic. Many took to Twitter to suggest that Saldana’s casting was a form of blackface.

“Nina” hits theaters on April 22, also stars David Oyelowo and is written and directed by Cynthia Mort.

See some tweets below.

Zoe Saldana playing Nina Simone. Is she the best actress for this role? https://t.co/iOTmktu6tw pic.twitter.com/lez4tjkctq

— Heartbeatz Radio (@heartbeatzofafr) March 1, 2016

Zoe Saldana looks nothing like Nina Simone #FAIL
not even close. Why not just get Will Smith to do it.

— paully (@paully_steaks) March 1, 2016

Zoe Saldana isn't even that good of an actress to be pressed to cast …. They could've castes a darker woman

— Kori (@KorinaKorinax) March 1, 2016

i love Nina Simone, as well as Zoe Saldana, i think they could've picked someone else to play Nina, instead of painting Zoe darker WTF

— Brandon Love (@okbrann) March 1, 2016

That Zoe Saldana pic as Nina Simone looks like the blackface of a bad Halloween or frat party ????

— ProfB (@AntheaButler) March 1, 2016

So many talented dark-skinned actresses out there. No excuse for spray on melanin on Zoe Saldana. https://t.co/BJBpuVTuSu

— Jenét Morrow (@JenetAllDay) March 1, 2016

I like zoe saldana. but an afro-latina that denys her blackness has no business playing an unapologetic, pro-black singer/activist.

— υnғrιendly вlĸ нoттe (@naeePALM) March 1, 2016

QUESTION: Why did they DARKEN Zoe Saldana rather than cast a darker actress since it was such a crucial part of Nina Simone's story?

— Dart_Adams (@Dart_Adams) March 1, 2016

The casting of Zoe Saldana as Nina Simone is still baffling me

— backfoot dreams (@LookAtKaysToes) March 1, 2016

casting directors went out of the way to not cast a dark-skinned bw. so many dark-skinned actresses w/ better acting chops than zoe saldana.

— Taylor (@tayreeeenie) March 1, 2016

Zoe Saldana playing Nina is the CLOSEST to whitewashing without a white person. Equivalent to getting a white man to play Michael Jackson…

— Indigo Jane (@ImaneNicholas) March 1, 2016

@XLNB @MatthewACherry just 2 options that work better than Zoe Saldana pic.twitter.com/jgXCaytaKD

— $h'nasty (@bigdaddy_stash) March 1, 2016

Just found out that Zoe Saldana is playing Nina Simone….. Who the fuck decided on this? pic.twitter.com/MlQcH70FMS

— Tay Solo (@Tinytay19) March 1, 2016

Heard rumors about Zoe Saldana playing Nina Simone years ago but I never thought it would actually happen ???? Do better, Hollywood. Do better.

— Presh (@Tuti_Felice) March 1, 2016

16 White Actors Miscast in Nonwhite Roles, From Mickey Rooney to Emma Stone (Photos)

Katharine Hepburn in "Dragon Seed" (1944)
Caucasian Hepburn played a Chinese woman in this big-screen adaptation of the Pearl S. Buck novel.
MGM
Marlon Brando in "The Teahouse of the August Moon" (1956)
Brando starred as an Okinawan translator for the U.S. Army in this comedy about the American occupation of the island nation.
MGM
John Wayne in "Conquerer" (1956)
Wayne was cast as Mongol conquerer Genghis Khan in what's considered by many to be one of the worst films of all time.
RKO Radio Pictures
Charlton Heston in "Touch of Evil" (1958)
Heston starred as Ramon Miguel Vargas in the 1958 crime film, a Mexican narcotics officer.
Universal
Mickey Rooney in "Breakfast at Tiffany's" (1961)
More caricature than character, Rooney starred as the buck-toothed, Japanese Mr. Yunioshi in the 1961 film, which has faced volumes of criticism since.
Paramount Pictures
Natalie Wood in "West Side Story" (1961)
Wood plays a Puerto Rican teenager in the 1961 musical film, although she was Russian-American in real life.
United Artists
Laurence Olivier in "Othello" (1965)
Not only did the white actor play a Moor in 1965's "Othello," he did so while wearing blackface.
Warner Bros.
Al Pacino in "Scarface" (1983)
Pacino plays a Cuban gangster in the 1983 film, and many criticized his over-the-top accent as offensive.
Universal
Anthony Hopkins in "Mask of Zorro" (1998)
Welsh actor Hopkins starred as the Spanish Zorro, a.k.a. Don Diego de la Vega, in the 1998 film.
Tristar
Rob Schneider in "50 First Dates" (2004)
Schneider seems to play a different ethnicity in every Adam Sandler movie. In "The Waterboy" he was the "You can do it!" guy, in "Big Daddy," he was a Middle-Eastern deliveryman, and in "50 First Dates," he plays a native Hawaiian. Badly.
Columbia Pictures
Mike Myers in "The Love Guru" (2008)
Myers played an Indian-American guru in the roundly panned movie, in which he dressed up a lot of racist jokes in a terrible accent.

See Video: Mike Myers Was ‘Super Proud’ Standing Next to Kanye West When He Dissed George W. Bush
Paramount
Every character from "21" (2008)
The movie follows a group of math students who come up with a card counting strategy to win big in Vegas. While the movie had a predominantly white cast, the real life MIT students were all Asian-American.
Sony
Jake Gyllenhaal in "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time" (2010)
Gyllenhaal plays a Middle-Eastern prince in the film, which many called "insulting" and "the perfect example of whitewashing."

Also Read: Jake Gyllenhaal in Talks to Join Benedict Cumberbatch in ‘The Current War’
Disney
Johnny Depp in "Lone Ranger" (2013)
Like Mara, Johnny Depp played a Native American in Disney's film, which sparked outrage among fans and critics despite the actor's claims that his great-grandmother had mostly Cherokee blood.

Also Read: Disney CFO: ‘Lone Ranger’ Flop Shows Non-Franchise Movies Need to Cost Less
Disney
Rooney Mara in "Pan" (2015)
Mara was cast as Tiger Lily, a Native American, in the 2015 film based on the Peter Pan story.

Also Read: Rooney Mara in Negotiations to Play Tiger Lily in Warner Bros.’ ‘Pan’
Warner Bros.
Emma Stone in "Aloha" (2015)
Stone played a Chinese/Swedish/Hawaiian woman in this critically and commercially disappointing Cameron Crowe romantic comedy.

Also Read: Cameron Crowe Apologizes for Emma Stone’s Asian ‘Aloha’ Character: ‘Was Based on a Real-Life, Red-Head Local’
Sony