Apparently because:

1) It has an all-black cast;

and

2) It’s very patriotic. As in, flag-waving, hand-over-heart patriotic. Not that “accusing America of war crimes patriotic” crap that’s really just ranting against America.

It’s a movie about talented black pilots (the Tuskegee Airmen) who wanted to fight for their country and prove themselves.

They faced racism and adversity, and the movie demonstrates that. But (at least as far as I can tell from the trailer) it predominately shows patriotic men fighting for their country against an indisputably evil enemy.

Now, Ace has a theory: That the movie — following the path of the last Indiana Jones and several Star Wars installments — actually sucks and executives, rather than insult the legendary George Lucas, gave him some excuse about not knowing how to market an all-black film.

That’s possible. It’s also entirely possible Hollywood doesn’t want to make a “jingoistic” movie that shows strong, patriotic, level-headed Americans fighting for their country even when their country doesn’t respect them. A movie about a group of men who, rather than whining and demanding special treatment, proved themselves in combat and oftentimes died for the country they loved.

See, I don’t believe the lack of financing had anything to do with the fact the cast was black. I do think that was an excuse.

“Oh, we can’t do this because we don’t know how to market an all-black cast to those yokels in Middle America.”

That’s a great excuse from liberal to liberal. But I don’t believe it.

Instead, I believe Hollywood didn’t like the message. Could the movie suck? Sure. But that’s never stopped Hollywood before. Think of how many anti-war movies they’ve happily produced that even fellow anti-war types thought were awful.

And Lucas’ failures on the more recent Star Wars installments didn’t stop them from funding Indiana Jones. Or Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Hell, Phantom Menace was awful and yet Hollywood proceeded to put up the money for Attack of the Clones. Which also sucked. Hollywood’s reaction? To put up money for Revenge of the Sith.

Hollywood has happily funded sucky (anti-)war movies in the past. It’s also happily funded Lucas films after a string of sucky predecessors. But modern Hollywood has never been big on jingoistic war movies about brave, talented men fighting and dying for the country they love. And I think that was probably the real problem.