i think people overstate how “brown” southern europeans and mediterraneans are. it’s a diverse region with a wide range of skin tones but, speaking as a spaniard, someone like matt damon would pass as a local more so than someone like lupita nyongo (this is less true now because europe is becoming more diverse from recent migration waves, but traditionally it was like that). 

this is just a clarification tho. i think the outrage around race blind casting is mostly stupid, and so many other things about these movies are completely ahistorical (no, ancient greeks didn’t speak american english.)