In what seems like an address to the white-washing Hollywood scandal a major Hollywood production has been announced that will have elements of Ancient Egypt and will use an all-Arab cast! Of course, this is a great step against white-washing but is Arab-washing Ancient Egypt really a good step in the right direction?

Yes, there may have been Arabs around the Nile area in Ancient Egyptian times but it cannot be denied that Ancient Egyptian society was more than that, it was also black and Africa, Arab and later European too. This should be represented and taken into account if the white-washing is really going to be addressed.

Cairo Scene reported (src):

The project entitled “The Chosen Guard” is set to be a collaboration between an American production team with an Egyptian cast and crew that will begin shooting in both English and Arabic in April.

The film is set to star Yousef Mansour, who aided in writing the script, and will also be co-directing with American award-winning director and choreography, Courtney Miller, who has developed an impressive resume working with superstars Michael Jackson, Beyoncé, and Britney Spears.

According to the production company’s press release, the film will be filled with insane car chases, large dance numbers, a big fat Ancient Egypt wedding and plenty of action. As for the film’s synopsis, producers explain that The Chosen Guard will be a modern-day story about Sabaa, a man who is chosen by the ancient Pharaohs to defend the Golden Temple, the last unopened relic in Egyptian antiquity.

The project is incredibly pivotal to Egypt and its success could not only attract future tourists captivated by Ancient Egypt but also create new jobs and prove that filming in Egypt is an attractive authentic alternative to shooting epic films about Egypt in Morocco.

I’ve lived in Egypt so I personally do support this project, I also know people in the Egyptian film industry who would greatly welcome this. However it’s really falling short by not making it a majority African cast with North African Arabs, Africans (especially Sudanese) and other locals.

Is this a step in the right direction?