Denzel Washington's Casting As Famed General Hannibal In Film Sparks Controversy In Tunisia

@NBCNews Hannibal was not black. He was of Phoenician decent, who were a Semitic people

— (@)

@gigabilly @NBCNews Denzel is also too old. He's 68. Hannibal during the 2nd Punic wars was in his late 20's.

— (@)

@MikeFazedMuch @NBCNews Portraying him as black is rewriting history.

— (@)

@MikeFazedMuch @NBCNews I'm sorry but both Denzel's skin color, physical appearance and age do not match Hannibal. There is nothing historical, it is a total INVENTED rewriting of the historical person.

— (@)

@NBCNews This isn't rewriting history, it's one of the great actors of our time portraying a historical figure.

— (@)

@gigabilly @NBCNews Counterpoint: Denzel is awesome and could play Larry Bird if he wanted.

— (@)

@NBCNews he is the greatest actor one could hope for to play any role let alone this one, he will do it justice

— (@)

@NBCNews Counterpoint: Denzel Washington's a great actor

— (@)

@MailOnline Sorry, but this is pathetic, Denzel is a fantastic actor, and I, for one, can't wait to watch. He will do a fantastic job like he always does.

— (@)

@WanjiruNjoya Honestly, I think he\u2019s going to be fabulous in the role. And I fervently wish we stopped focusing so much on immutable traits and focus on what people achieve, he\u2019s an amazing actor and I hope he\u2019s casted for that and not as a \u201cmessage\u201d about inclusion.

— (@)

@NBCNews I'm torn. He's one of if not THE greatest actors of his generation. But at the same time historical accuracy should matter.

— (@)

@IkebukuroIce I like Denzel, and he would probably make a good role, but he doesn\u2019t look anything like Hannibal.

— (@)