Charlie Hunnam has been cast to play Mexican-American drug lord Edgar Valdez Villarreal in a film about the life and arrest of the first American to join the ranks of the Mexican cartel.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Legendary Studios acquired the rights to a "Rolling Stone" article about the drug lord titled "An American Drug Lord in Acapulco." The studio has chosen to cast Hunnam, an English actor, in the lead role.

Valdez Villarreal, nicknamed "La Barbie" for his light skin, blue eyes and light hair, was arrested in 2010 after making millions moving drugs from Colombia.

The news of the casting received a lot of criticism. It is the latest in a series of controversial casting choices that some are citing as a Hollywood trend, in which studios "whitewash" stories about minorities using white actors, reported Vanity Fair.

Prior to Hunnam's casting, Gerard Butler was cast as an Egyptian in "Gods of Egypt," actress Rooney Mara took heat for playing native princess Tiger Lily in the latest "Peter Pan" adaptation "Pan," as did Christian Bale playing Moses in "Exodus" and Emma Stone, who played an Asian Hawaiian woman in the film "Aloha."

The news about Hunnam's casting has been making the rounds on Twitter, with many poking fun or criticizing the news.

After the Academy Awards failed to nominate minority actors in most award categories for the second year in a row, despite there being a variety of Oscar-worthy performances from black and Latino stars, the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite reemerged

Created by April Reign, the managing editor at Broadway Black, the hashtag references the lack of diversity in Hollywood. Reign told Latin Post that Hunnam's casting is exactly the issue that #OscarsSoWhite tackles.

"How many Latino or Hispanic men were auditioned for this role? Were Latino and Hispanic men considered as screenwriters?" she said. "Though Villarreal was known as 'La Barbie' because of his blond hair and blue eyes, clearly these are affectations that could have been addressed by the wonders of movie makeup."

Several white actors have altered their looks in the past to fit a character's physical description, from Jennifer Lawrence in "The Hunger Games" to Johnny Depp in "Black Mass." The chances of a Latino actor refusing to dye his hair blonde or wear contacts are extremely slim if he were given the chance to play a role like Valdez Villarreal.

"One would hope that the executives at Legendary Studios were mindful of these issues when making both their screenwriting and lead actor choices, and truly picked the most qualified people, after ensuring that everyone had an opportunity to put their best foot forward," Reign said.

According to Deadline, "American Sniper" writer Jason Hall will work on the film's script.

Hunnam, known for playing biker gang member Jax Teller in FX's successful drama "Sons of Anarchy," starred in other Legendary film's, including "Pacific Rim" and "Crimson Peak."

Related