Sure, but you all realize that the original film wasn’t meant to be at all respectful of the original source material right? It was a heavy-handed, campy indictment of the proto-fascist themes of the original novel and a parody of American militaristic jingoism. It nicely presages the Bush years.
The Johnnie of the film is a dim-witted naif/jock robot. He’s a protagonist in the same sense that Humbert Humbert is the protagonist of Lolita. He’s not meant to be likable or relatable.
I don’t know if that actually changes anything with regard to changing his race. I imagine the decision was made because Casper Van Dien just looks like someone who would give you a wedgie in high school (again, not a subtle film). He’s cursed/blessed with with one of those too-blandly-handsome-to-land-the-Bruce-Willis-role faces that you always find on character actors who are typecast as villains.
