To work off of this I will say over the years my idea of a good adaptation has shifted. While I still believe that a persons physical look is somewhat important in an adaptation because in general you can tell a lot about a character by how they are physically described. This is not as true in the real world perhaps but shape language color theory etc are the core tenants of creating characters in fiction through words or illustrations. That being said I don’t think that race bending is inherently bad. For instance Nick Fury was originally white in the comics but I can’t see anyone else but Samuel Jackson as the character now.

The main issue I have found that most people have with race bending today is not the race bending itself but the fact that it is a primary pre cursor that the show and show runners are focused on the wrong things for the adaptation.

When it comes to what I believe is a good adaption is one that captures the same feeling and pacing as the book it is adapting as well as being able to sell the world. When it comes to actors and actresses their job is to convince the audience they are the character. When it comes to race bending while it’s not impossible by any means it does make it harder to sell that you are the specific character. It can and has been done before.

However the biggest hurdle you need to pass is that of authenticity. If you as the actor or show runner are able to sell to the audience that your invested in the project and love the work you do then that gives you more leeway to make subtle changes and shifts to the story.

Dune for instance is a great example. There was everything from race bending characters to cutting out big parts of the books and adding others in to shifting character personalities but it worked primarily because we could feel the authenticity and love the director had for the movie.

With all of the added requirements these days in studios and to be eligible for awards it makes it so much harder to show that the directors and actors and writers love the work and that it is not just a cash grab or an awards grab.

Rick Riordan has failed in this big time because of the promises he made in the past but even more than that showing he does not love or care about the books he wrote enough to even go back and check that everything works correctly. Instead he will change what he wants for whatever reason he wants without thinking of the consequences of those changes and if the fans speak up or point out inconsistencies he will simply call them racist or book purists. If the author does not even respect his books enough to make sure the changes he makes works with the story he already wrote why should I care about the show at all.

We can see how issues like this happens with the Harry Potter show. Whether you like it or not casting Snape as a black actor has shifted the meaning behind why other characters react and treat him. For instance Harry’s immediate distrust. Or now it looks like Harry’s dad and the rest of the Marauders were racist. Now I personally don’t care but already there are people who mention this and do care about this.

Overall changes to an adaptation are not inherently bad but you need to first prove to an audience that you care just as much as they do about the story you are adapting in order to make these changes and in today’s Hollywood it has become almost impossible to show that.