Let us not lie to ourselves. It is a young male genre (not 4 quadrant). The producers could be wishful while deg a movie formula, but that is all it is, a wish. If you are targeting young males, it follows that the lead character should be a young male (or at least a male). It is a cardinal sin to cast a female lead in a male action genre (not that there aren't any movies that successfully pulled it off, but you're very less likely to land a hit with wishful thinking). If you are reading the market, audiences are starved for a standard action flick with a standard male lead (Caucasian in America, etc.). I think gender politics had ruined the notion of common sense.