The Last Airbender: White-Washed Like A Fence
By Alex
M. Night Shyamalan is set to direct the adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender; an anime-inspired cartoon series turned to live action film. But, it appears the fans are in a dramatic uproar.
Early this month on /Film they posted, first look photos of the Airbender cast. Not many were happy when they saw the photos of an all white cast. Jesse McCartney is supposedly in the works to play the character, Zuko, a Firebender and Nicola Peltz has been cast as Sokka’s fourteen-year-old sister Katara. An overwhelming percent of people are saying that Shyamalan is “white-washing” of their favorite series. Tom Sawyer must have thought it needed a fresh coat.
This animated series was first aired on Nickelodeon, now airing on the Nicktoons Network. The show is set in an Asian-influenced world of martial arts and elemental manipulation of air, fire, water and earth. The show follows the adventures of Aang, the main protagonist and his friends. Now the reason most of the fans are upset is because the belief is the main characters of the film should be Asian. It’s seems obvious enough if you look at the evidence. Asian inspired world, martial arts, all the main characters go by Asian names. Does Hollywood not want an all-Asian cast? Or, are the actors best suited for the roles just happen to be white? Unfortunately, that will not be determined until the movie is released possibly in the summer of 2010.
Will the fans riot and storm theaters, trashing the screens as the movie airs? Probably not. Will they continue to blast their fury on computers everywhere? Or course they will! The very first week of the movie’s release, there is sure be a huge turn out in theaters, simply due to the fact that there is huge fan base, and the people want to know if the film’s any good.
So cross thy fingers for M. Night’s new film, The Last Airbender. I can’t help but think, was that the twist?
Did you like this story? Well here are a few other stories involving anime, animated movies, and a few of the people involved in The Last Airbender…
Thursday, January 8, 2009 10:57AM
guys here is wat i would think would make a good cast: Aang: he could pass as a white kid Katara and Sokka: anyone with a natural tan!!! Zuko: has to be ASIAN!! again not tryin to be racist!! just saying. Oh and cause the cast this movie is goin to suck ,big time!!!
Thursday, January 8, 2009 10:59AM
i bet the only reason they got Jessie M. was cause he would atract alot of ppl. well for me they were wrong!!
Thursday, January 8, 2009 11:00AM
RIGHT ON!!!!
Monday, January 12, 2009 4:07AM
AHH! I'm insulted that you would insinuate that the Avatar audience and Jesse McCartney fans are one in the same! What a terrible thing to say! How would you like it if i said, "Oh well, all people who call them self Steve love Jesse McCartney" doesn't feel too good does it? Yah I didn't think so. Think next time you accuse a mass of people of being Jesse M. Fans. Because you might upset a freak like me who thinks it's funny to reply to amusing online posts. Yah!
Wednesday, January 14, 2009 3:08AM
I wouldn't mind, actually. I like both Avatar and Jesse McCartney.
Monday, February 2, 2009 12:01PM
[...] so I’ll stand corrected,but this would have been a great career move. Shyamalan took a lot of criticism for casting McCartney in a role that many fans felt should have been given to a more ethnically [...]
Friday, February 6, 2009 7:34PM
HEY UPDATE….PROTEST!! POST HERE FOR MORE DETAILS!!!
Saturday, March 14, 2009 10:15AM
[...] The Last Airbender: White-Washed Like A Fence [...]
Saturday, March 14, 2009 7:37PM
i am the biggest Avatar fan out there, and I have to say that I wouldn't mind Jesse McCartney playing Zuko ON ONE CONDITION… he must dye his hair black. I hope the scar-makeup is good too!
Saturday, March 14, 2009 7:44PM
hi peeps was up. im not as old as most avatar fans, but i HATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! jesse mcartney. plus dev patel is sssssssssssssssooooooooooo UGLY i might barf. Dante' Basco is already ssssssoooooo perfect tee hee
Saturday, March 14, 2009 7:46PM
I agree with Ally Basco is perfect for Zuko and I think Nicole Paltz playing Katara isn't a bad match either
Saturday, March 14, 2009 7:48PM
p.s.
ally and amanda r sisters ttttteeeeeeeeee hhhhheeeeeeee
Thursday, May 21, 2009 8:07PM
[...] film has caught a lot of slack from die hard fans surrounding it’s “suspect” casting, but these first images aren’t that bad. They feature Dev Patel as Zuko (above), the [...]
Thursday, June 18, 2009 8:02PM
[...] But then there’s The Godfather Part III. So it works both ways. I think if his next movie, Avatar: The Last Airbender, flops it’s a better than good chance he opts for the comforts of past [...]
Tuesday, August 11, 2009 1:37PM
I love katara, aang, and zuko to be a love triangle
Wednesday, August 19, 2009 6:37AM
There are no Caucasian characters in the Avatar Universe. They simply do not exist! Just like there are no minorities in the Lord Of The Rings Universe.
The creators, Mike DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, researched East Asian martial arts, religion, philosophy, mythology, have Asian or Inuit features, dress in Asian or Inuit clothing, and write with Chinese characters.
Why couldn't they have spent that same kind of energy finding the roles of these Asian characters?
Asian characters in a world built from Asian cultures should be played by Asian actors.
Friday, December 4, 2009 6:37PM
The setting for the show was a WORLD that was split into four one for each element. IT WAS NOT ASIA. The even have black actors in this. Otherwise it would be Asian washed. All people were auditioned these were the best by his standards and makeup can make a black guy into a white girl and a white guy into a black one and etc… so shut the hell up about color and enjoy the damn movie.
Saturday, December 12, 2009 5:04PM
it’s beautfull story
it’s amezzing
Friday, December 18, 2009 6:40AM
hey just saying it would be weird having a movie with people acting and not sounding the same they could at least give the really pale people a really good spray tan and make sure that its not like totally orange and that its spose to be people from all around the world so they should hold some audition's for the in australia or asia not all amirecan im not rasist but im getting tierd of every one in all the movies being ameircan plz let some aussie ofr african or asian plz
Sunday, December 20, 2009 2:29PM
The casting crew REALLY NEEDED to be thinking of the success "Slumdog Millionaire" had in the U.S. Instead of casting another teen flick staring "Twilight" series rejects. Putting a "Whites Only" sign on the list of appearences credits only underlines why aninme continues to grow in populariy… American audiances have evolved past the need to see all white cast in movies and still FLOCK to the theaters.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009 1:23PM
I definitely agree with Rachel. Sokka and Kitara are more Inuit then white. But when I read other blogs that say the cast is predominantly asian I was confused. I mean, I watched it and I never thought they were Asian. Especially when I saw Katara and Sokka, but Zoku has to be East Asian and they have a Southeast Asian actor playing him. I think its odd that when the people who make these movies behave like there were not enough people resembling the actual characters. I mean, there could be issues where these were the ONLY people who could act and that is who they took. And none of the people in the cast can act! They have the guy, Jasper, from Twilight who doesn't say more than five words the entire film! WHY HIM?!
Saturday, January 9, 2010 8:17PM
All the Fire Nation people are INDIAN instead of East Asian, all the people who could be played by Indian people are being played by white people, and God alone knows what they're gonna do for everyone else!
Wednesday, March 31, 2010 11:21AM
[...] previously written about our take on his choices at length so I definitely advise you to give The Last Airbender: White-Washed Like A Fence a read. As for Shyamalan’s thoughts, he finally broke down the logic behind his decision to [...]
Tuesday, May 18, 2010 3:40PM
India is not South East Asia. India is South Asia. I honestly think all the main characters look half white and half asian (I don't know why peeps aren't saying that….)except for Zoku, who is pretty much all East Asian.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010 3:49PM
Your right, it wasn't Asia, but borrowed heavily from Asian influence, where a lot of the animation was done in Korea. Your comment really doesn't make sense. It would be like if a movie studio in China made a movie about The Lord of The Rings and used an all Chinese cast, I guess people that don't think things through would just tell the complainers, it's not England, so it's fine if none of the cast members are white. I think the characters looked either half Asian half white or in the case of Zoku, full South East or East Asian in appearance. If you don't think so, in my opinion your most likely a bigot.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010 11:11PM
[...] (or retarded, or fat, or racist…it’s the internet—the world’s your oyster), but I think casting mostly white actors to uphold an Asian-influenced world is a subversive attempt by Shyamalan to force the viewer that [...]
Sunday, July 31, 2011 6:06PM
I believe that Toph, Aang, and the Air nomads were white. And perhaps Zuko.