Avatar: The Last Airbender Casting Controversy Continues
Online protests hoping to protest the casting of M. Night Shyamalan's live-action take on AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER are continuing.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY reported in December that Shyamalan offered the roles of Aang to karate-trained Texan Noah Ringer; Sokka to Jackson Rathbone (TWILIGHT); Katara to Nicola Peltz (DECK THE HALLS); and Zuko to Jesse McCartney, all Caucasian actors to portray Asian characters.
The casting announcement sparked a controversy, and many accused Paramount and Nickelodeon of "whitewashing" the film. Rathbone told MTV News earlier this month that, "I think it's one of those things where I pull my hair up, shave the sides, and I definitely need a tan. It's one of those things where, hopefully, the audience will suspend disbelief a little bit."
Some of the blogosphere protest was documented on gossip site i09. And a letter-writing campaign was started on a LiveJournal Page.
Via CARTOON BREW, comic book artist Derek Kirk Kim is protesting as well: [AVATAR is] wholly and inarguably built around Asian (and Inuit) culture. Everything from to the costume designs, to the written language, to the landscapes, to martial arts, to philosophy, to spirituality, to eating utensils! -- It’s all an evocative, but thinly veiled, re-imagining of ancient Asia."
He continues, "Imagine if someone had made a “fantasy” movie in which the entire world was built around African culture. Everyone is wearing ancient African clothes, African hats, eating traditional African food, writing in an African language, living in African homes, all encompassed in an African landscape...but everyone is white. How offensive, insulting, and disrespectful would that be toward Africans and African Americans? How much more offensive would it be if only the heroes were white and all the villians [sic] and background characters were African American? (I wince in fear thinking about THE LAST AIRBENDER suffering from the latter dynamic -- which it probably will.)"
Writer Madeline Ashby also pointed out that studio casting of animes AKIRA and COWBOY BEBOP have handed the lead roles to white actors, excluding Asians. Leonardo DiCaprio and Joseph Gordon Levitt are both attached to AKIRA and COWBOY BEBOP just got Keanu Reeves to star, although Reeves is of Hawaiian and Chinese descent.
The AVATAR film, titled THE LAST AIRBENDER, is set for a July 2010 release. Shyamalan is writing, directing and producing the film.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY reported in December that Shyamalan offered the roles of Aang to karate-trained Texan Noah Ringer; Sokka to Jackson Rathbone (TWILIGHT); Katara to Nicola Peltz (DECK THE HALLS); and Zuko to Jesse McCartney, all Caucasian actors to portray Asian characters.
The casting announcement sparked a controversy, and many accused Paramount and Nickelodeon of "whitewashing" the film. Rathbone told MTV News earlier this month that, "I think it's one of those things where I pull my hair up, shave the sides, and I definitely need a tan. It's one of those things where, hopefully, the audience will suspend disbelief a little bit."
Some of the blogosphere protest was documented on gossip site i09. And a letter-writing campaign was started on a LiveJournal Page.
Via CARTOON BREW, comic book artist Derek Kirk Kim is protesting as well: [AVATAR is] wholly and inarguably built around Asian (and Inuit) culture. Everything from to the costume designs, to the written language, to the landscapes, to martial arts, to philosophy, to spirituality, to eating utensils! -- It’s all an evocative, but thinly veiled, re-imagining of ancient Asia."
He continues, "Imagine if someone had made a “fantasy” movie in which the entire world was built around African culture. Everyone is wearing ancient African clothes, African hats, eating traditional African food, writing in an African language, living in African homes, all encompassed in an African landscape...but everyone is white. How offensive, insulting, and disrespectful would that be toward Africans and African Americans? How much more offensive would it be if only the heroes were white and all the villians [sic] and background characters were African American? (I wince in fear thinking about THE LAST AIRBENDER suffering from the latter dynamic -- which it probably will.)"
Writer Madeline Ashby also pointed out that studio casting of animes AKIRA and COWBOY BEBOP have handed the lead roles to white actors, excluding Asians. Leonardo DiCaprio and Joseph Gordon Levitt are both attached to AKIRA and COWBOY BEBOP just got Keanu Reeves to star, although Reeves is of Hawaiian and Chinese descent.
The AVATAR film, titled THE LAST AIRBENDER, is set for a July 2010 release. Shyamalan is writing, directing and producing the film.
Printer-friendly version
@ Type casting
If people say this isn't an Asian/Inuit related show, why are there Chinese writing in the intro (I have Chinese friends who can read the writing), why do they eat with chopsticks, why are there martial arts, why are there asian buildings and artwork, why do they have asian names, and why are Sokka and Katara brown skin wearing Inuit clothes? The creators of the show stated Sokka and Katara are Inuit, there are youtube videos about it.
Hi,
Very moving and descriptive. Love the detail. Nice!
Business PowerPoint Presentation
M. Night Shyamalan's film is a joke on Asian anime, Asian cultures and the well loved TV series. Just compare his cast of actors for the main roles to those characters in the series. Darn... one has to be suffering from the "I see dead people" to be imagining and seeing the TV characters when others don't. Perhaps, M. Night Shyamalan wants to take credit for originating the well-known characters among those clueless of the existence of the TV anime series. Jackson will NEVER pass as an Asian even if he had claimed that a tan and a change of hairstyle would make him Asian. He has to have the "I see dead people' mentality to believe so. And he ought to be reminded why Christopher Lee's Fu Manchu got an eternally filthy label!
Totally agree with you. even though, new voices are not really new. I've been writing custom essay paper about cartoons for years. And I'm well aware about that. However I agree with you. This actors didn't wire for sound any other cartoons. But they are quite popular actors.
I'm a big fan of the show but ignore this movie. Hollywood is in it only for the money! The producers already had actors in mind even before the production of the movie thinking these actors would bring in money. They don't care about the integrity of the show, the actors were picked out because the executives know them. Hollywood doesn't give a crap on talent, as long as they look good in front of the camera. This is going to be another generic film like DB!!
Well did you know that the show Avatar the Last airbender is slitly getting copied by another show!
Its called Avater, and the people are all Blue? Yeah i know type it on Youtube, just say Avatar and look for blue a blue face. Well also it makes me wonder if these characters are really going to make me laugh, and still think they sound like the original voices of the actually cartoon.
I agree with your statement, but i am actually a huge fan of the show who would love to see it in live action. Hopefully it doesn't blow egg water, and stray away from the actual TV show like Dragon Ball. All I can say is wait and see it when it comes out to judge.
The animated version's character DO NOT look Asian. Maybe their names are but they sure don't look Asian. The only one that remotely looks Asian is Zuko's Uncle.
are they good actors also is the question
why not use the original voices from the original cartoon how hard would that bee im sure most of them would love to do it
thats how all the cartoons, turned to movies are screwed up
and people struggle to connect with the caricature
and it just leaves the kids scratching there heads asking them self's who the hell are theses guys and its just the same as when you turn a cartoon movie to a TV show it takes weeks to adjust to the new voices like on Back in the Barn yard so why do you think we could except new voices in a 2 hour film so have fun with that
Post new comment