They said in an interview with the directors. lol. That it was being updated for modern times. A phrase I never want to hear again. It already features two gay vampires which they could actually take closer to the original source material than the movie. Race changing is a constant these days as a way to attack the fans for not liking a show as being racist. You say you don't like how far they a differing from the books and apparently you are a racist because that's one of the changes from the books. Even if that's not even the part you had a problem with.