HUZZAH! - Airbender Casting Update!

[timepiececlock]

Okay, he's not Chinese, but I'll take an Indian Prince Zuko over a blond pop star any day.


(There's huge irony that the one character I thought would be white, Zuko, is going to be the only colored person, but I don't care!....for the record, I'm still pissed about the water sibs, tho.)

Edit 2: I'm also concerned about Katara's actress looking so young. How is she going to be the team's mom/organizer if she looks 12-13?

They'll probably have her verbally worry all the time and say "that's her acting like our mom"
instead of her "acting motherly" equating to "Managing our camp, keeping us on-mission, talking down the super-spirit-weapon Aangzilla, conversing with Earth Kingdom generals, and acting as the Avatar's mentor and first body guard / last line of defense," which is what she did in the show.

The Katara I want, the Katara in my mind...is the Katara who sweeps out her arms and rides a wave of mother fricking FURY across the crystal caves and goes "OH YOU DIDN'T BITCH!" on Zuko and the Dai Li.

Comments

[irrel.livejournal.com]

If this is not true I'll be very very mad.

I just may see the movie after all.

PS: Dear Mr. Shyamalan: Please re-cast Katara and Sokka. Thank you.

[mswyrr]

YAY! I'm happy it's no longer an all white cast, and I'm happy that this actor got picked because he's such a talented, fantastic kid and I've wanted to see him in more stuff since enjoying Slumdog Millionaire. I hope more re-casting happens, though, 'cause if Prince Often Nasty Zuko is the only character of color, I'm worried about the kind of message that's going to send when he's threatening our Dishearteningly White Heroes?

[mswyrr]

At the very, very least I hope the Fire Nation ends up being portrayed as ethnically diverse (and the other nations, too?? At least in the background? Plz, let there be POC air/water/earth-benders at least in the background!), so that the whole thing doesn't come across as a nation of Nasty Brown People taking over the lands of the whitified Earthbenders and Waterbenders and committing genocide against whiteified Airbenders.

That would be what we call BAD SUBTEXT.

I'm just guessing but I think the director probably chose Dev because he can *prove* that this actor of color is bankable, so the studio won't be all "no -- when in doubt, white!"

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

That's the whole problem. I can't stretch my imagination to believe they'd convert the entire FN to people of South Asian descent, so that means the FN background people will be diverse.

And if the WT is diverse too (or worst, all POC behind white heroes), and Aang is white, and the EK is white and/or diverse... then it means that race and ethnicity will mean nothing in the film. And that's wrong too, because ATLA is very much about racism and ethno-centrism and nationalism and all the evils those things can result in. In the show the FN never says "we killed you because you don't LOOK like us" but the "lesser elements" bending was a thin metaphor overlaid on racially/ethnically separated cultures.

[mswyrr]

And if the WT is diverse too (or worst, all POC behind white heroes), and Aang is white, and the EK is white and/or diverse... then it means that race and ethnicity will mean nothing in the film. And that's wrong too, because ATLA is very much about racism and ethno-centrism and nationalism and all the evils those things can result in. In the show the FN never says "we killed you because you don't LOOK like us" but the "lesser elements" bending was a thin metaphor overlaid on racially/ethnically separated cultures.

Good point. I loved the way that it was about ethnicity and race without being about white people or white guilt. That was FANTASTIC, really. Because it's not all about white people! The people of Japan, China and Korea (to give just one example) have some SERIOUS history that, while being effected by Western colonialism at times, was about the differences and governments and power and prejudice of people that cannot be all lumped together in stupid ways.

In truth, I'd like to see it done the way it was on TV. But if they absolutely MUST stick with the casting as is, I'd rather race and ethnicity mean nothing in the film than that it ends up reading as something really, really ugly.

[mswyrr]

Also, until just now I felt bad about find underage Zuko hot and 18 year old Dev cute separately, but now my squirming discomfort has been combined! I can save time and feel bad about both at once!

...yay?

((headdesk))

[ryanitenebrae.livejournal.com]

Well, Katara isn't quite as motherly in season one, in fact, she's a lot more like a kid, and by the time they get to the second movie, her actress will be older.

EDIT: Also, I'm happy about Dev Patel. Generally, he seems like he'd do a better job than would Jesse McCartney, and he has more experience with nuanced characters. This is funny, I was just listening to an interview with him yesterday and thinking, "This guy just sounds nice." About the Water Siblings, well, I have no opinions, but I can understand being upset about Jason Rathbone, especially after the comment he made. However . . . I think it's kind of unfair to Nicola Peltz. She's young, and this is her first real, big break as an actress. Nobody knows what she can do, yet, so isn't it unfair to her for people to be so negative about the role because of something she can't help?

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

Katara's motherly traits definitely featured more in the second and third season, but they were present in the first--her behavior in the first two episodes, her irritation at Aang wasting time in the Kyoshi episode, her feeling of responsibility toward the captured Earthbenders, and definitely her maturity in the last four episodes of season 1.


I think you'll find that no one is blaming Nicola Peltz. She's a little kid, what does she know? (Unlike Rathbone, who is 17 and should be more conscious of his language.) We're righteously pissed off at the casting staff for the film, who should know better.

[ryanitenebrae.livejournal.com]

And there is no reason why these character moments can't be recreated by Peltz. They would not seem odd coming from a 13 year old. Katara herself is only 14 in season one.


I understand that nobody's anger, that I know of, is directed at Peltz, but, still, having a large mass of people that actively wish she had not gotten her big breakout role strikes me as unfair.

EDIT: Actually, Rathbone is 24. That actually enforces what you are saying . . .

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

Doesn't strike me that way.

[celestinenox]

The Katara I want, the Katara in my mind...is the Katara who sweeps out her arms and rides a wave of mother fricking FURY across the crystal caves and goes "OH YOU DIDN'T BITCH!" on Zuko and Azula.

Sorry, it's Hollywood. Not going to happen. :( Sad, but so very, unfortunately true.

[jade-sabre-301.livejournal.com]

I have just decided I am not going to go see these movies. Illegal downloading FTW.

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

I'm still up in the air on that decision.

[strange_quark]

I WILL TOTALLY TAKE DEV PATEL AS ZUKO. Not the image I have of him in my head, but Dev was amazing in Slumdog Millionaire, so I'm no longer worried about Jesse McCartney ruining him. Provided that website is telling the truth, of course.

I worry about Katara, too. There's such a fine line with her character that the show walked pretty well, but the movie could royally mess up. I really don't want the sexism to go along with the racism.

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

There's such a fine line with her character that the show walked pretty well

Yes. Katara was my favorite character on the show, because she was equally as complex as Zuko's character, but her character arc was more original and less predictable. She was the most interesting person to watch grow, because she grew the most out of all of them. I want her to be awesome, dammit, and I'm so afraid of her being sidelined for the boys in the shorter medium of film. The show had entire episodes each season devoted to her kickassery--at least 2 in season 1, and 3 in season 3! Please, please don't let her be The Girl!

[strange_quark]

Ah, see, Zuko was my favorite character and his arc my favorite, but Katara is second by only by inches.

The problem that I have with the casting of such a young actress is that Katara is not just motherly, nor is she just bitchy, or weak, or strong, or a healer or a fighter or righteous or dark. She is, to varying degrees, all of these things. I've had years of acting training and it would still be difficult part to play. It's a lot to demand of any actor, much less a immature one. I really see no way Nicole Peltz could pull that off. That's completely separate from her race, which alone makes her unqualified.

Even people who are talented were not good when they were young. Daniel Radcliffe is a very fine actor now, but he wasn't in the first couple of Harry Potter movies.

[blushingsigh.livejournal.com]

It is kind of ironic that Zuko, who I believe is actually fairer than any of the characters on the show, is going to be played by Dev Patel. Which I think is pretty awesome because I have a feeling that if anyone kicks ass on the movie, it will be Patel.
And I want everybody to be recast. Seriously, are there no capable young Asian actors?
They'll probably have her verbally worry all the time and say "that's her acting like our mom"
I thought Katara was awesome in the show but I'm scared that they'll water her character down in the film and make her the stereotypical nagging girl in the group.
The Katara I want, the Katara in my mind...is the Katara who sweeps out her arms and rides a wave of mother fricking FURY across the crystal caves and goes "OH YOU DIDN'T BITCH!" on Zuko and the Dai Li.
I want that too but what I want the most is a scene of her pwning Azula. And then my life would be complete.