People Still Hate Zoe Saldana as Nina Simone

While it makes its Cannes debut, Nina is receiving backlash on twitter for its casting choices, while the director just filed a lawsuit against the film’s producers.

After the above photo was released yesterday, in which Zoe Saldana’s skin was darkened and her nose changes with a prosthesis, people took to twitter to air their grievances, pointing out that there are other actresses who resemble Simone who could’ve played her, and that casting her was a form of black face:

There’s also a #BlackBiopics hashtag, in which users suggest unsuitable casting for iconic roles, such as “Coretta Scott King as played by Willow Smith.”

In addition, director Cynthia Mort has filed a lawsuit against Nina‘s production company for excluding her for breach of director’s agreement:

“She worked tirelessly to prepare the Film for a wide and successful commercial release,” says the lawsuit. “Yet, throughout the course of the Film’s production and post-production, Defendants consistently acted to frustrate Mort’s involvement in the Film, thereby breaching the Director Agreement. These breaches by the Defendants include, but are not limited to: taking complete control of editing the Film in June 2013 and failing to consult with Mort about subsequent cuts and changes; abandoning Mort’s previous cuts of the Film; failing to disclose the Film’s financials, finishing budget, and financing deals; and failing to keep Mort informed of other crucial creative and budgetary developments and decisions throughout production and post-production of the Film.”