I've watched Shyamalan's first three films. Each is a step down from the next. "Sixth Sense" is undeniably and unqualifiably amazing. "Unbreakable" is perhaps not classic, but still very strong and very involving. "Signs" is a ghost tale with a satisfyingly creepy atmosphere, but not enough seems to happen. I am determined to watch the next three Shyamalan films and make up my own mind about them. But, from word-of-mouth, it seems that the downward trend continues.

Here's to hoping "The Last Airbender" is a step back in the right direction. After all, Guy Ritchie managed to take a step back in the right direction after two horrid movies. Maybe Shyamalan can do the same.

I still think he should try an adapted screenplay, though. You know, a premise that he didn't come up with.

We can't help but still be disappointed by the casting decisions the production has made. And it's abhorrent that the film chose to film in Greenland, a country with a Inuit/Yupik majority population, yet decided to cast white actors in Inuit roles.

It's like choosing to film a children's Black Panther movie in Africa, with a white actor playing T'Challa.

Since the AVATAR tv series was released in 2005, Nickelodeon, the creators, and M. Night Shyamalan have all described it as set in an Asian fantasy world. Yet, given the langage they used, the production made their preference for white actors to play ethnically Asian characters clear from the beginning.

It sends the message that white people can play more authentic East Asian/Inuit/Yupik characters than Asians themselves. That white people are more entitled to play Asian characters than Asian Americans are.

Come on.. you guys just need to let it go. I know it burns you guys up with some of the casting choices but there's really no need to let it get to you so bad. It's a kid's movie based on a kid's television series. The target audience doesn't care about the color of the skin of the kids (or the teenagers and even the adults) playing the select roles, and if you're gonna sit there and tell me your kids, or anyone else's kids are that offended by it then I think it's a clear case of a racist parent passing down racist beliefs to impressionable children. This is just like how us black people wanted a black Superman or a black Captain America (not me, though). You just gotta let these things go and enjoy the final product, as this is just starting to get downright annoying. The makers of the show are producers on the movie, and they clearly have faith in the casting. Just do the world a favor and stop spreading the hate.

@Nooch: I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I fail to see how protesting the casting perpetuates racism. How is it racist to want characters that are Asian, Inuit, etc. to stay that way? You mention Captain America and Superman – characters who were Caucasian since their creation as characters. The characters in Avatar, however, have been Inuit, Asian, and so forth, respectively, since THEIR creation. Changing their race now makes no sense.
"…you’re gonna sit there and tell me your kids, or anyone else’s kids are that offended by it then I think it’s a clear case of a racist parent passing down racist beliefs to impressionable children."
I don't understand your argument at all. Is it wrong for children who are People of Color to want heroes that look like they do? They got them, and strong ones, in Avatar, a show that RESPECTED the cultures it drew from without exoticism. And you think it's racist to object to a change – a whitewashing – of those characters' ethnicities? How is that ok?

@JM: "The Last Airbender" is not a premise M. Night created. It's a story based on the cartoon "Avatar: The Last Airbender."

@Nooch
tell me your kids, or anyone else’s kids are that offended by it then I think it’s a clear case of a racist parent passing down racist beliefs to impressionable children

So if the little black girl I babysit is really excited about Disney's the Princess and the Frog it's not because she's excited about someone looking like her finally being considered a princess instead of a houseservant….it's because her parents brainwashed her into being a racist?

It's a matter of representation. It's been going on in Hollywood for centuries. While The Last Airbender continues to discriminate, it's really hard to let things go.

Nick fury was white and is now black. No one cares. Though i think we all agree that samuel L. jackson is cooler than david hasselhoff. I mean those guys like bendis or whoever does the marvel movies were like, "Okay guys, david hasselhoff is kind of lame…anyone got any ideas?"
Guy who hadn't actually seen snakes on a plane, "I am so sick of these mother@#$%ing snakes on this mother@#$%ing plane!! Samuel L. Jackson!"

And where's the hate? I actually read these post to see people hating on the avatar movie. The only good one was that guy about the actors not being asian and that kind of didn't go into a burning of this movie. I mean, where are the good old fashioned witty comments about how much a movie will suck? I thought i could find them here guys. This is really disappointing of the whole people-who-respond-to-the-article-with-the-little-messages-at-the-bottom culture. I suppose this site is several IQ points above youtube but really? Where am i supposed to go to make myself feel better by making fun of something or watching someone else making fun of something? Comedy central? John stewart isn't on right now kids.

the casts of the movie just don’t make any sense, just like a movie about the life of michael jordan, and the director finds a white guy to play michael jordan….seriously wtf, no offense to Michael Jordan, he is awesome, but is there a problem about asian being an actor in this film? an insult to the great anime and to the chinese

okay, people…..you a taking a movie way too seriously! Movies are entertainment, let Shyamalan do what he may! He's a creative person and I expect a very entertaining movie! There have been many American remakes of Chinese movies, get over it! It's what the actors can bring to the movie, not what they look like!

All I can say is… Shyamalan! Please don't ruin this movie!!! I love the series and if I have to watch another "Lady In the Water" or "The Village", I'm gonna be so upset!

Overall I take the Avatar series as heavily relying on asian culture but not necessarily relying on it being asian actors. Apart from, I think that the best actors for the job would be the ones that could portray the best picture of the characters. As the user that spoke about Nick Fury, I believe Samuel Jackson will play a great Nick Fury, possibly much better then some others. Right now I'm hoping that the casting decisions were made primarily on talent and representation. I truly want this to be a good movie as the series was very enjoyable to me.

Hey Larien I totally agree with what you are saying. Nooch is a monkey – and a whitewashed one at that too. Even though I sorta kinda agree with his black superman argument. But it really doesn't apply to this case.

How can they get away with this? I mean I'm black so at first I did not perceive the racial insensitivity but on listening to the arguments. I cannot help but agree with you guys for raising the topic.

If they don't change their stance. I'm looking forward to not paying to watch the movie. I'll wait and watch a leaked version. My money won't support insensitivity and covert racism.

And visit http://www.racebending.com For more information.

Peace@Nooch:

@Nooch: HERE-HERE!!! I'm agreeing with you 100% – thanks for your comments. Nice to know there are really still other people out there that can just 'be' and not bring issue with things that just don't need to be.

This whole thing is just funny to me, so what you're saying is an indian director is being racist about an american made anime – style (no its not anime) cartoon created on nickelodeon (a childrens station)? Have you ever watched the cartoon? Yes they have eastern references, but not just asian, they have middle eastern and native american references. Not to mention the original voices were casted by actors of many different races. Even Uncle Iroh was originally voiced by an asian ( Mako – may he rest in peace) but then later on was voiced by a white guy. I think if you're trying to make a point on race in this movie, you're sorely out of luck, I think you should take this fight up with the people directing DragonBall.

@Weasel:

to Weasel:

wow, so what if this indian director is filming a movie about the life of michael jordan, and he hires a white man to play michael jordan, you think it's completely fine?

i'm sorry, i don't think you come from an Asain country..so you wouldn't undersand the difference

@qui: I think your taking something way out of context. Michael Jordan is an african american, if it was a documentary or story of michael jordan it would be completely different then it being a story about Avatar… whos race is……. an airbender nomad? I'm sorry but nowhere in the story did it say the Airbenders were asian. There are many asian americans as well, and are you telling me that eventhough they may look white they can't be proud of their asian heritage?

This whole thing is broken up into race — the story of avatar, all highly built upon how one race, one element cannot live without the others.. its supposed to symbolize equality, and here we all are complaining over semantics. Thats distasteful.

I can handle the races being different, though I would have really appreciated it if they could have kept closer to the original. I just hope the four nations are portrayed correctly. This includes that each nation has it's own race, as well as their own distinct asian culture. So far it looks like they're doing a good job with this so I'm happy. So as far as the actors go, I just want them show their characters the way they should. I'm a huge fan of the show.

Have you guys ever watched the cartoon???? Who are they supposed to cast as Asian??? MAYBE some fire nation… I see Asian cultural references throughout the series but LOOK at the characters. They could be ANY race and I believe THAT'S the point!

hey guys,
just wait and see how they will portray the characters. you're complaining about racism, because of the actors chosen for the roles. so why arent't you complaining about the cartoon itself, i can't remember any blacks in it! So stop complaining about it.
the problem ist that your imagination differ from the imagination of shyamalan and his crew.
stop agitating , it doesn't help…
i decided, that i will wait and see, and if it's suchs, then… so what, i won't stop loving the show, independent of whether i'll like the film or not.

( sorry for my english…. )

OMg with all the hate
at least a movies being made
at least someones having a go
anyway what if it isn't crap you'll feel kinda stupid if suddenly after the movie comes out the whole internet is talking about how surpirisingly good it was and you've got loads of bad comments about it
though maybe it will be crap. who knows? no-one can predict the future! you guys are so pessemistic

"Fighting over the internet is like running in the special olympics. Even if you win, you're still retarded."

I think the main point is that: does it really matter about their race? Sorry, but Aang didn't look Asian. In fact he looked like the whitest thing I've ever seen. But this is going to be a movie based on a cartoon. Who cares about the race? People are so politically correct these days that it gets rediculous. Racism is when you have prejudice against someone because of their race or skin color. So it's NOT racist to pick Caucasion actors. Because the intent isn't to discriminate or strip privelages away from because of their skin color. I don't think the casting people picked them because they were white. (If they did, that WOULD be racist, but how can you prove that?) So in definition, if the casting people and director chose certain child actors to play roles based purely on talent or celebrity, that is NOT racist. And it doesn't misaccurately intrepret the show because the characters in the show aren't Asian. They are part of the Water Tribe, Air Nomads, Fire Nation, and Earth Kingdom. Frankly if Aang was African American I wouldn't care. Even if people thought that would misaccurately interpret the show because Aang looks white I'd think that would be okay to do. Because the movie would be about the story and the character development not about the skin color. So if anything, worry that those things will be intrepreted well.

@Larien:
Okay I totally hesitate to stick my nose in this debate (I'm sure it will be well and thoroughly cut off and shoved unceremoniously into my big mouth along with both of my feet), but something about this discussion really rubbed me the wrong way. I don't think it is racist for people of ethnicity to desire ethnic roles be cast with like-ethnic actors. In fact I think it makes great sense. For instance, the GREAT Japanese actor who voiced Iroh on Avatar, Mako, has TONS of screen experience. I don't know why he couldn't be cast to play the role he inhabited so beautifully with his voice.

But I can't help but feel that if a character that was created as a caucasian American were cast as a non-caucasian American and ANY white American said what you're saying he'd be blasted back to infancy for being an evil white supremist racist you-know-what. I do think you're getting a little worked up over a children's movie, but the double-standard of your message draws me out of my white-American coma to whine about this common annoyance.

Ppl seem to have forgotten that my racial makeup is an ethnicity unto itself (I'm just as ethnic as anyone else – ethnic refers simply to your ethnic makeup) and that there are many horrific crimes of discrimination my light-skinned ancestors are not the least bit responsible for. How we became international scape goats I have no idea. Why is it such an insult for white people to be cast in originally Asian roles? And what about the Israeli actors who were cast in this film? Or is he Arab? I can't remember. And don't forget the Indian actor. My point is: they're taking roles that were created Asian and originally drawn as Asian, but you're not complaining about that. You're specifically complaining about WHITE actors. Does it not disappoint you that a non-Asian gets an Asian role? Or does it only bug you when it is a WHITE actor?

I'm sure I'll be labeled a horrible bigot for complaining about this. Anyone who says anything like this about White Americans gets relegated to the crazy fringe right-wing nutbag groups. I bet it will be shocking news to my Mexican husband to learn I'm an evil bigot.

Aside from complaining about the whole "you're only upset b/c white actors were cast (not the other ethnicities represented)" thing I did want to say:

I'm very excited to see what Shyamalan will do with this movie. I love his work. Yes, he's disappointed a couple of times (and exactly which times that was seems to vary from person to person), but he's also soared! If we can get past this self-important OMG the EVIL WHITE ACTORS thing we might actually end up with a truly enjoyable take on a masterful story. My whole family loves Avatar.

Oh and Darthvader: your comment was very thoughtful. The essence and true nature of racism seems to escape a lot of people who are complaining about it. I just felt like whining because I read a lot of other folks whining about how unjust it is for white folks to get this or that and complaining about racism in the same breath. Pot? Meet Kettle.

(and my husband and I had a long conversation MONTHS AGO about how we couldn't figure out why there was so much of the series that was stylisticly Chinese, but that the characters were drawn, scripted, and with only one exception, voiced so racially ambiguous)

@mother:
First I'd like to point out that Mako probably wasn't chosen for a part in the live action film because he died at the end of the 2nd season of avatar. The 3rd season is voiced by an entirely different person, Greg Baldwin actually, an american who looks somewhat white to me as if it matters.

Personally I agree with much of what you said. I believe they should have used Dante Basco as Prince Zuko in the movie. He has screen experience, he obviously understands Zuko and his emotions, and I feel he would make a better choice then the actor they did pick. Besides who doesn't like Rufio?

Lastly, in some cases I could understand where race would come into play in a movie that was developed authentically asian with asian characters, by asians for asians, and then the film gets created and the actors are all caucasian or indian or something. Thats why even I can't believe what they are doing with Dragon Ball, its been an enormous Japanimation Staple for decades.

Avatar on the other hand is a different story. It was never created to be japanimation, and is an anime-style american cartoon. It was never voiced by an entirely asian cast, or originally voiced in japanese. There were no defined races ethnicly chosen to what we know of. The whole show was written and scripted with a jumble of Asian, Middle Eastern, Native American, and Western ideologies. Focusing on just one of those destroys what the show was all about.

@Weasel: First I’d like to point out that Mako probably wasn’t chosen for a part in the live action film because he died at the end of the 2nd season of avatar. The 3rd season is voiced by an entirely different person, Greg Baldwin actually, an american who looks somewhat white to me as if it matters. "

*sheepish grin* oh. LOL! That's too bad. He was one of those iconic Japanese actors with such presence. Loved him. Sorry to hear he passed away. I truly didn't realize there was a different person doing Uncle's voice in Book 3. Usually I'm really spot on identifying voices.

Thanks for the backup. I really felt self-conscious posting all that whiny stuff about racial this-and-thats. It isn't my usual way. Perhaps it was due in part to emptiness of stomach and lateness of hour.

I have avoided Dragonball like it was diseased, even though the trailers were enticing enough. I thought it was simply incongruent to homogenize it.

But I'm very excited about Avatar. I am still rewatching it! My husband says "we've seen this episode" but I can't get enough. My favorite character has to be Sokka. He gets the best lines.

YES! Sokka is most definitley my favorite character. Probably because he reminds me of me a little bit. A tad goofy (well, more than a tad sometimes, in both of our cases) but still knows when to do the right thing and very brave. I don't know if Im brave neccesarily but I just like Sokka alot.

Besides Sokka, Zuko is my favorite character just because his character arc is so interesting. He changes probably the most through the show. And yes I love Avatar, although the season finale of season three seemed to be so typical of like the end of a Disney movie. (Don't get me wrong, I am an AVID Disney fan). And -SPOILER ALERT for Season Three Finale- even in Disney the main villain often dies. It just seems like the third season wrapped up too nicely and everything seemed too easy for the main characters to defeat the Fire Nation. In the first two seasons you have more of that sense of realism that I thought started to lost itself a little bit in Season Three. All of the main characters slowly became better than everybody else. Don't get me wrong- I still like the third season but the first two season finales seemed alot more satisfying.

It'll be interesting to see what they'll put in to the movies. Especially season three will be hard to put stuff in.

I do love Sokka, and I think the actor they have playing him looks somewhat spot on to the show. I can totally see it. MY favorite character is Toph, she's hilarious and they make her one of the strongest characters. Its too bad she won't be in the 1st film (as it looks right now) I usually fall asleep to Avatar so I must go through the seasons at least once a month when I'm not watching old office seasons so I totally understand rewatching them. :)

Please Please Please don't screw this up Mr. Shyamalan!!!This is my daughters absolute favorite show!!!

When I look at the character image of Aang I don't see a white child, I see someone who looks like "The Golden Child", I think that should be quite obvious (Aang was raised by monks).
Additionally, when I watch Avatar (a show which draw reference almost entirely from Asian culture), I consider most characters to have the appearance of being of Asian descent, particularly because of the apparent culture and fighting styles of each tribe in the program. This is regardless of the absence of the typical stereotypical markers of being Asian, which seen in other animated programs.
Anyone who claims that the films would be less marketable with an all-Asian cast, or that an all-Asian cast would be unacceptable, has obviously never watched Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Hero or House of Flying Daggers, films that used entirely Asian casts, and did incredibly well worldwide.
It is so very disappointing that after the outcry resulting from the cast choices for Dragonball Evolution, the same mistakes would be made again.
In closing, let us view it in this way, imagine they had cast Harry Potter as a Black or Asian child, it would have been seen as a ridiculous choice, and reasonably, casting Aang, Katara and Sokka as white children is not acceptable either.

@ Darthvader: I agree about the third season. (Trying to say this without giving spoilers) It was kind of… I mean the whole thing with Aang was pretty freaking awesome and it fit him. But the whole Azula thing was very disappointing to me. Psh… As much as I hate her, she is the badassness and I don't get how that could happen so easily. Especially with that epic temper tantrum she had.

But anyways…. I'm excited to see what's going to happen with the cast as far as Zuko goes. Because I really like Dev Patel in Slumdog (I heard he has a black belt. Idk.) and I can actually see him as a Zuko (It's looking like the Fire Nation will be represented by the middle east here… And it will probably be Shyamalan's way of inserting himself into his movie like he always does). I have to say, I don't know what this Noah Ringer kid looks like, so I'm not going to make assumptions based on his name, but I was REALLY, REALLY hoping for that kid in Tropic Thunder–Brandon Soo Hoo. He is so adorable AND he was like… AH! I love that kid. :P

Like FOR SURE, the Earth Kingdom needs to be Asian, hands down. They already may have not made Aang correctly, but I mean… you can't mess up a whole nation, can you???? O_o

@ Aang Fan: "Not acceptable"? What I don't get these days is that we have these preconceived notions of acting that don't really matter. Like the ethnicity of someone. I mean, it gets to the point that people care WAY too much about whether someone is the right ethnicity. What about the acting? That's more important thing to me is how they act, not how they look. So what if Harry Potter was of African ethnicity? I mean, yeah it would be weird (because-OMG-Harry Potter is white in the book) but isn't it more about the character?

I don't know. I guess it would be strange if Aang was African-American or something but I'd be able to handle it. As long as he had the monk tattoo all over his body (because that is important to the plot and his character). And if Kitara and Sokka were Norweigian for crying out loud.

(SPOILER ALERT FOR SEASON THREE FINALE) @ XtremeNuisance- I totally agree that Azula's little hissy fit at the end did NOT fit her character. I think she would take the power in stride. This is what she had strived for her entire life. I don't think Azula would've gone crazy. Maybe a little paranoid, yes, but not crazy like she did. Also, Aang defeating the Fire Lord by taking his powers? Lame. To me that seemed like just a Deux machina. Just a way the creators could have Aang defeat the Firelord without killing him. Even in some cartoons bad guys die. Admiral Zhao died. So what's the big whup? It would've been more interesting if Aang DID have to kill the Firelord and give up part of his morals for the world's sake. Plus, in the finale everything happened so easily. Three teenagers alone took out five Fire Nation ships, and the Black Lotuts just defeated the Fire Nation in the Earth Kingdom like it was nothing. I was half hoping that Aang was going to defeat the Fire Lord WITHOUT the Avatar State but…Yeah, so I'm assuming you guys thought I was pretty dissapointed?

@ Aang Fan: "Not acceptable"? What I don't get these days is that we have these preconceived notions of acting that don't really matter. Like the ethnicity of someone. I mean, it gets to the point that people care WAY too much about whether someone is the right ethnicity. What about the acting? That's more important thing to me is how they act, not how they look. So what if Harry Potter was of African ethnicity? I mean, yeah it would be weird (because-OMG-Harry Potter is white in the book) but isn't it more about the character?

I don't know. I guess it would be strange if Aang was African-American or something but I'd be able to handle it. As long as he had the monk tattoo all over his body (because that is important to the plot and his character). And if Kitara and Sokka were Norweigian for crying out loud.

(SPOILER ALERT FOR SEASON THREE FINALE) @ XtremeNuisance- I totally agree that Azula's little hissy fit at the end did NOT fit her character. I think she would take the power in stride. This is what she had strived for her entire life. I don't think Azula would've gone crazy. Maybe a little paranoid, yes, but not crazy like she did. Also, Aang defeating the Fire Lord by taking his powers? Lame. To me that seemed like just a Deux machina. Just a way the creators could have Aang defeat the Firelord without killing him. Even in some cartoons bad guys die. Admiral Zhao died. So what's the big whup? It would've been more interesting if Aang DID have to kill the Firelord and give up part of his morals for the world's sake. Plus, in the finale everything happened so easily. Three teenagers alone took out five Fire Nation ships, and the Black Lotuts just defeated the Fire Nation in the Earth Kingdom like it was nothing. I was half hoping that Aang was going to defeat the Fire Lord WITHOUT the Avatar State just so there would be more of that element of "oh, we know Aang is going to defeat the Fire Lord but at least it won't look like that…". Furthermore, why is it that only the Fire Lord can control Sozin's comet? Couldn't the entire Fire Nation combine their powers to take control of it? The one thing I really loved about Avatar was that it was so character driven. The show wasn't in any rush to get to the end until half way through the third season. (And, like I've said, I like the third season but the finale was dissapointing. It was enjoyable, don't get me wrong, but…). Then it was all about the final battle with Aang and the Fire Lord. Which is cool but the the finale wrapped up things too nicely. You knew Aang was training to fight the Firelord so the third season had to have that battle but it seemed like it was too forced in.

@AangFan: Again with the races? First of all how can you consider sokka and kitara to look asian? They were more darker skinned as there weren't any really dark characters in the series. I don't know any dark skinned asians, or as dark as an indian person ( as the color palette for katara and sokka is the same for Guru Pathik — did HE look asian too? )

Also, when have you known movies to be exact replicas of a book or original show? Rarely happens, and I still stand on the point that this cartoon was never meant to have an all asian cast, or they would have cast the voice actors as all asian, why should the movie be any different?

@Weasel
I think you'll find that Guru Pathik was not associated with any of the nations in particular and so could have been any colour, obviously he is Asian though. You should also note that when I say Asian that includes people from Eastern, Southeastern and Southern Asia (i.e. including India), it's quite a common association.

You're right that there aren't many movies that are exact replicas of the books from which they have been developed, usually because nobody would sit in the cinema for that long. But the races of the characters are not typically disregarded, example – Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, etc. Of the movies where the races are changed, for example Jessica Alba in Fantastic Four, some of the students in 21, etc. there will always be people complaining, I'm one of those people. Even something as small as Keanu Reeves doing Constantine and not being blonde was so much of an issue to a lot of people, so I don't know why people didn't expect there to be an uproar over this.

Additionally, who are you to say that it was not "meant" to have an all-Asian cast, as far as I am aware nobody here is involved with the movie, and so any reaction to the cast choices is a matter of opinion and not a matter of fact. To me it is not a case of what it is meant to be but more what I believe it should have been, my opinion stands firm.

Simply, casting directors should just advertise for people with the original characters features, something regularly done in the print industry, and as long as the acting is good true fans will be happy, true fans.

@AangFan:

I'm not out to change your opinion, as thats all that it really is, an opinion. I cannot discredit it or prove it true any more then you could do with mine.

BY you saying "You should also note that when I say Asian that includes people from Eastern, Southeastern and Southern Asia (i.e. including India), it’s quite a common association." you do understand that it appears the fire nation is primarily an indian or therefore "asian" casting as you say but again, that would not be to your standards.

Also, the point I was apparently making with the "all asian casting" in regards to the cartoon is just that — whether you feel like all the characters were asian, the actors were not. There was not an all asian cast… so if you truly want to stay true to the story… why not have an "asian" monk voiced by a "white" person and we can just dub the whole thing.

Please understand, the writers of the show, the creators of avatar, they are assisting in the writing and direction of the movie. I only see good coming from that — eventhough I may be a little disappointed with the casting decisions myself — I can't help but feel they will help guide Shyamalan into creating a strong rendition of the cartoon we all enjoy.

Okay, I have a question for you. If Aang was Asian, why was he as white as a blue-eyed newborn? I mean, really, he was very fair-skinned, and voiced by someone who was obviously American. And Katara and Sokka were more Inuit than they were Asian, also. After all, they were from the North Pole. Also, really none of them were Asian, because they weren't on Earth! I am so sick and tired of people complaining about this stuff. You know what, I've read every Harry Potter book three times. Did you know they didn't get his eye color right? But it doesn't even matter. He could be African-American or Asian for all I care, as long as he played the part right and made Harry come to life. It's not that big of a deal. And, I kind of even feel retarded for arguing my point. But, I've had enough!

Ohmygoodness… the pure ignorance of some people is astounding. Someone actually said "I don't know any dark skinned Asians." Really? Have you never met a Philippino? A Samoan? Anyone from Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia, or any of the other several southeast Asian countries where Asians do in fact exist with "dark skin"?

And it's purely clear where the "Nations" in the Avatar series are derived from. Allow me to point it out to those who need a bit of assistance recognizing these things: Air Nomads – Tibetan Monks, Water Tribes – Inuits (you could even go so far as typifying them as resembling SE Asians in appearance, but the culture is most definitely Inuit – and yes, they do have Asian roots), Fire Nation – Japanese, Earth Kingdoms – Chinese. It's apparent in architecture, names, facial features, and customs.

So maybe only the Fire Nation characters bear an OBVIOUS "Asian resemblance" in the cartoon. But honestly, if you look at the older characters of each nation, you CAN see that they have a distinctly Asian appearance — Monk Gyatso, for example, or Gran Gran. I've honestly never seen an older Caucasian person that looks remotely like the Monks of the Air Nomads or the elders of the Water Tribes. These characters WERE NOT drawn or created to be white.

Furthermore, although I am glad that there are now a number of ethnic cast members that have joined the film, I can't help but realize that they have all been cast in ANTAGONISTIC roles. While the heroes, or the protagonists, are all Caucasian (with the exception of Noah Ringer, only because I have no idea what ethnic background he comes from). Anyway, this just pushes the racism issue to the forefront even more. Let's have the bright-eyed, white-skinned kids save the world from the dark-skinned, shifty-eyed evil doers. Haven't we seen that concept a million times too many?

But with all that being said, there are still so many more mistakes to be made with this movie. I love Avatar, and I really hope that this movie is successful and only serves to bring more people into this great fandom. But I'm not holding my breath. Let's face it, this film, and M. Night, has the potential to ruin Avatar for those who have not been exposed to its greatness before. And that would be a very sad thing. With respect for the series, the movie should be kept as close to the true storyline as possible. Alas, it seems that is not being done. I'll still cross my fingers for its success even though I disagree with many of the choices made so far.

Sorry this was so long. I just had a lot to get off my chest.

@avatarfan:

I'm sorry but I do know many philippino people and although they are darker skinned, I don't think you understand my point. The color palette used in Avatar had no distinct "black" and "white" and again as I stated before these were voiced by no single particular ethnicity — so why argue about it? The fire nation are being cast as indian — big deal — you seem to be the only one making it seem like its all about race.

Not to mention the director is indian… what you are basically saying is, if they were going to make an ethnicity evil you would like them to be caucasian for a change. It sounds like the only racial disparity is coming from your end right now.

I don't think you understand that the film, and even the show isn't supposed to be about one single race or ethnicity. What about the Water Tribe? In the swamp were they ALSO asian?

You're pretty much already making your mind up that you won't enjoy the movie. You also seem to have made up your mind that the races should be to your standards. I suppose when you direct your own movie you can cast the actors how you'd like, until then lets not focus on what should be and focus on what is.

Okay, Weasel… just because a character doesn't "sound" Asian, doesn't mean they're not Asian. I mean, Dante Basco doesn't sound Asian to me, but in actuality he is. I understand the Swamp Benders sounded different. Does that mean they weren't Asian? I don't think so. I've never actually given much thought to the swamp guys, so I'll give you that one.

But come on, there was no "black" and "white" in Avatar because it was based in an Asian world…

And yes, I do realize that M. Night is an Asian himself. But perhaps he doesn't see these things the way a large number of others, like myself, see them. And there are such things as Casting Directors. And while I'm sure M. Night has the last and ultimate say in what decisions are made, I'm also fairly positive that his attentions are pulled toward a myriad of other issues which is why there's a supporting crew that also influence these decisions.

And so what if evil were depicted by a white cast for a change? But that's not what I'm getting at. The situation here is perpetuating that age old Hollywood standard of whitewashing. I'm not saying that the casting should be reversed with the Asians as the protagonists, and the Caucasians as the antagonists. No. What I AM saying, however, is that they should stick a little closer to the true story line and keep this an ASIAN BASED film. Because, after all, that is what it was to begin with. Asian based lore in an Asian based world telling the tale of Asian nations consisting of… what's that? You guessed it… Asians. So, no Weasel… the races shouldn't be to my standards. But they SHOULD be to the standards of the original story. And in my opinion, from everything I've seen, they are not. (And I'm not the only Avatard that feels this way, mind you.)

And you're right, I do have fairly low hopes for the film right now. But that doesn't mean I'm not supportive. I love the Avatar world and I would love nothing more than to see it continue and live on in some way, shape or form.

So don't make it seem like I'm trying to be the big-bad-race-police pointing my finger at everyone because I have a Sharpton point-of-view, so to speak. And I am focusing on what is. Which is why I'm disappointed.

Now on a totally off note, why couldn't they have cast the girl playing Yue as Katara? I saw her, and the word perfect came to mind.

And I'll keep you posted on the status of MY movie…

This is a little long – so please bear with me here. The first part addresses the race discussion and the second part addresses the 3rd season finale.

RE: the discussion of the race issue in casting Avatar – I have already said my peace about the vilifying of Caucasians for having success or good fortune or anything anyone would desire. But one thing I keep thinking about as people debate the racial identity of the characters keeps coming to mind: have you guys never noticed the fact that there are vastly varying skin colors among white people? And I'm not talking about the biracial whites. For instance, my mother is Scots-Irish and French. Her skin color is a deep olive because the region of France our family is from is on the Mediterranean Sea. She looks almost Native American with her black hair and dark skin. My children are all 1/4 Mexican and there's not a brown-skinned baby in the bunch (except for my foster daughter who is Puerto Rican – altogether I have 5 kids). Their grandmothers on both sides are very dark-skinned but not a single one of them was born with that coloration. In fact, my first child is so white he's nearly transparent! He has china-doll skin and blonde hair. You can't tell by looking at my husband that he is fully 1/2 mexican. His skin is light colored and extremely freckled with a degree of red tint to his hair (well, it is looking a lot less like dirty strawberry blonde these days as the gray is coming in all over!) My point is that his ethnic background is very diverse, but you couldn't tell by looking at him. And looking at my mother you would most likely guess something other than Scots-Irish and French b/c she just doesn't look all that European (unless you're thinking Greek, but she isn't Greek at all!)

So how is it you think by looking at some cartoon characters you can determine their actual racial makeup? For starters, Sokka and Katara have very blue eyes. I've never met a blue-eyed Inuit, yet some ppl here are insisting their race is based on the Inuit (granted, I'm not saying it is impossible, but I personally have never encountered it). Aang has a very Oriental name, but nothing about his appearance on the show screams SE Asian to me. There are clear associations between Japanese and Chinese and possibly Tibetan nations in the world created for Avatar, but as someone has pointed out here: there is also a very clear association with one group that is the furthest thing from Asian I can think of. That would be the Earth Nation folks who reminded me very much of some folks I grew up around on Bayou Bartholomew (that stretches from southern Louisianna into southern Arkansas).

One final thought occurs to me: the entire show takes place in a COMPLETELY FICTITIOUS WORLD! So when you take all these thoughts into account it seems to me that all this fuss is RIDICULOUS. It is detracting from the film before it even gets released. The most annoying aspect of it is that it presupposes a certain ideology on the part of those responsible for casting that is incredibly insulting. Especially given the fact that M. Knight is not a white man, himself.

How about this: lets get off our soap boxes and agree that racism is a way of living that has no real place in our society. But that would include this reverse discrimination against whites, as well. Then perhaps we can focus on enjoying this masterful work of storytelling and rejoice that someone cares enough to bring it to the big screen.

Re: the 3rd season finale (SPOILER ALERT)- I agree that the finale seemed to be concerned with trying to wrap up the whole story in an entirely too-neat box with a shiny bow. The genius of the whole story was the complexity of its characters. Nothing was really neat about any of their lives, so having everything work out so neatly in the end was a bit of a letdown. However, I loved the way Aang defeated the Fire Lord. My husband and I both love the scene where he gets glowy and all the elements are spinning around him. He seems so bad a**!

One of my favorite aspects to that episode is how during the height of the battle between Zuko and Azula the sound effects were brought way down and the music, a melancholy minor strain, is brought way up drowning out most of the other sounds. It was particularly effective. As for Azula's breakdown; I bought it. I saw flashes of it when her Tai Lee and Mai defied her and again more prominently when her father was leaving and telling her to stay behind. She was always very unstable, imo, and defeat would definitely have brought that to the surface. Her mother appearing to her on her coronation day (whether it was a spirit or a hallucination) also served to break her down further. Remember, she is only 14 and to be perfectly honest most 14 year old girls are a little unstable to start with! (I'm a girl and speaking from experience and observation – so if you disagree with me that's perfectly okay – I'm not trying to start a debate about the relative stability of young teenage girls) I would like to have seen both Iroh and Azula dealt with a little more completely at the end. Their characters both fell victim to the urgency of the writers to wrap up the Aang/Avatar/Fire Lord storyline so neatly, IMO. I also found the physical feats of Sokka, Suki, and Toph during their siege on the Fire Nation Air Ships too unbelievable (not that I was expecting all this believability, I mean it was an animated feature!) – it was just a little too far-fetched for me to take. Still, I can't think of any other episode that really left me feeling the least bit disappointed. They may have hurried through the ending, but overall the storytelling throughout Avatar is magical.

Okay, I'm not going to argue my point any further. I made my point, and I stand by it no matter what anyone else would care to say about it. Everyone's entitled to their opinions, and I just so happen to have a strong one about the race issue in the casting in the Avatar movie. The end.

I would, however, like to point out a few simple things. As far as eye color goes, people have said it before… the Avatar Universe is a fantastical universe whose only link to reality is the cultures that it's based upon. It is apparent to me that the animators chose to give each nation a distinction, not only in their cultures and customs, but in their physical appearance, i.e. eye color. I've never personally met anyone with golden colored eyes. So when you take that into account, a fictional blue-eyed Inuit isn't really a great stretch. That being said, my father who is half Asian, has green eyes. My great-grandfather, who was full Asian, had gray eyes. I am 3/4 Asian, and I have brown eyes; but my son has blue eyes. That's several generations of people with Asian heritage, all with different eye colors. So it's not completely unrealistic to believe there may be a light-eyed Asian or two wandering the planet. It's all part chance and part genetics.

But as far as the rest of it goes, I guess it's just all a matter of personal interpretation. I see that Avatar is based upon a completely Asian world which, to me, means that the characters are also Asian based. But that's all beside the point now. The movie is being filmed and the cast has been cast. I just hope that they stay very, very close to the true story line as that was what made Avatar so amazing to begin with. It would be heartbreaking if they strayed from it. If the cast can somehow manage to be authentic and true to the iconic characters they're portraying, then there's hope for this movie yet.

And I realize that this next statement goes against what I was trying to get across in my last post, but i feel it needs to be said… Does anyone else see that Milo Ventimiglia would make THE PERFECT Zuko? I mean, I know he's much older and he's not Asian (that I know of), but every time I see him on Heroes… his intensity and his personality just scream Zuko to me. I just had to point that out.

In reply to avatarfan:

You said, "Everyone’s entitled to their opinions, and I just so happen to have a strong one about the race issue in the casting in the Avatar movie."

So true. In fact, I'm not usually one to go on about my opinions so much online. Something about this conversation just pushed a button of mine, and after years of complaining to my husband about a particular point I just chose this moment to go on record about my feelings.

You said, "…So it’s not completely unrealistic to believe there may be a light-eyed Asian or two wandering the planet. It’s all part chance and part genetics."

Again, I agree. I tried to point out that the fact that I've never met a blue-eyed Inuit doesn't preclude the possibility of their existence. I just thought it was a good example of how I think it is impossible to declare a specific ethnic background for these characters based on their appearance. I agree that the entire storyline is rife with iconic Asian imagery (specifically Oriental), but there are some exceptions. They could be the exceptions that prove the rule or not. I have no idea b/c I am not privy to the intentions of the creators of this universe.

My big beef wasn't so much with the issue of casting non-Asians in this story specifically. It was more a problem with the vilification of Caucasians. This was probably the worst forum to air my complaints imaginable. It was just a whim, I guess.

I honestly hope the movie follows the series closely, but I also think Shyamalan is a genius storyteller. If he takes some liberties it is very possible they'll pay off. Face it – all of us fans long for MORE of the story. So while we long for him to be faithful to the original, it could be very interesting to have additional storyline to watch.

And YES! Milo would be GREAT as Zuko. He's got the intensity and the brooding that would fit that role nicely. I hope that the guy playing Zuko will have that dichotomy of anger/angst and that quality that makes you pull for that person (I'm sure it has a name, I jut can't think of it at the moment). But your casting idea is definitely one I agree with. I would like to hear who you would put in ALL the roles.

In fact, I would like to hear everyone's "ideal cast" for the movies!

Okay, I know that Robin Williams is white as all get out but he would be a really good uncle Iroh I think. He has one of the most perfect balances of serious and comedy I've ever seen in my life and since he's getting up there, I think that would've been cool. (I know Iroh's part has already been cast but this would've been cool.)

I also agree that Milo Ventimigilia would've been a good Zuko, but he is a little too old.

Yeah, as for the hope that the movie will provide some differences than the show, I'm with you guys on that. In fact one of the creators mentioned something about M. Night Shyamalan putting a new spin on Avatar. This doesn't mean that the plot won't follow but that it would be different. Which I think is a good idea. Especially since Avatar was a TV show and now it's being turned in to a movie. I think it's more important to be super faithful to the material when it's book to movie. Of course, movies that are TOO faithful to the book lose some artisticness and can often be a little slow and boring.

I guess this is just a thing of mine but I kinda was hoping M. Night Shyamalan would make the movies a little darker than the show. Like, witnessing more of the Fire Nation's cruelty, because much of the show we don't see the Fire Nation's cruelty and have less reason to hate them. But, if the creators and director are still trying to draw in the same age group I would completely understand if they didn't make it more graphic or whatever. Of course, and this is a pet peeve of mine, whenever there are any sword battles nobody stabs anyone. Take "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe for example: there are a lot of things being killed! But there is no blood shown and they cleverly avoid nasty looking cuts being shown or people getting cut in half. I just hope Sokka can actually use his sword for more than just batting away poles and stuff. :)

I think if we see any part of the storyline "darkened" it would be of Harry Potter proportions. This is first and foremost a childrens show, so I wouldn't see them making it overly "adult" as they still want to claim their target demographic. I also feel that they know there is a larger adult fanbase….. not to mention Shyamalan has yet to make a movie overly childish in any way, so I think we're looking at a good balance here.

What I'm worried about, would be that Shyamalan is a story teller. In all his movies he tells fantastic storys with solid direction, even if the story isn't to ones liking. What he doesn't do, or hasn't done yet… is directed a movie with a tremendous amount of action and special effects.

I don't want this to turn into the fantastic four or spiderman. Avatar would use different fighting styles which would incorporate both action and special effects, both of which this director isn't known for doing and I don't want the effects to turn out gimmicky or used as a crutch like in a lot of the mainstream Marvel films.

Hmm… I'll have to think long and hard about who I would choose for all the roles in Avatar. The characters, as they are, are all so distinct unto themselves it's hard to imagine anyone else playing the part. Apart from Milo, who captures Zuko's angsty-ness so perfectly, the other characters aren't so obvious. If I had my druthers – and if time travel were a possibility – I would choose the late Pat Morita for the role of Uncle. Aesthetically, he fits the character to a tee. And he encompasses the wisdom and subtle humor that was Uncle.

But as far as the rest of them go, like I said… I'll have to think about that. In keeping with an Asian theme, there were several members of the cast of The Last Samurai I thought would fit the bill. Ken Watanabe seemed like he could be a potential Ozai. And Koyuki looked like she could be the perfect Mai. And there were also others who seemed like they could fit the roles of Jeong-Jeong and Master Paku (I just don't remember their names).

Ultimately, though… I'll give it some more thought and get back to you. But Milo and Morita would definitely be a part of my "dream" cast :o)

Honestly you guys, they are already shooting. It is too late to change the cast so there is no point fussing over it. There were changes to the cast to accommodate some complaints. When you all make a movie, you may influence who the cast is. :)

I just really hope M.Night doesn't screw this one up. The whole fan base is just on their toes waiting to see what happens.

Ugh, god this is a pain…

Katara and Sokka may look Inuit, but they have BLUE eyes!!! I don't think you could get a brown eyed Inuit to have natural looking blue eyes with out a major computer graphics edit… They'd at least have to be 1/4 inuit, 3/4 German (or any other culture with genetically blue eyes, preferably with blond or light brown hair, red hair makes for a reddish brown throwback which is nowhere in the series…) in order to get perfectly blue eyes along with the dark skin and hair… Hell, if you really wanted a character that looks asian, there is a way to cheat. Find some one of Cherokee/German ancestry. The Cherokee part would give the upward slanted eyes, dark skin and hair, while the German part gives the blue eyes! Now, I am an eighth Cherokee, and I somehow got the upward slanted eyes, and I often get confused with people of Japanese ancestry all the time…

As for Earth kingdom, they look to be a mix of races. To me they are the biggest melting pot in the series. Some of them I could definetly say, "They're Caucasian, ooh that one is Asian, I think that one may be Indian."

As for the Fire Nation, they look mostly Chinese and or Japanese, at least the royals in the series do. The peasants could pretty much be anything…

Air Nomads… This one is difficult because I can also see them as anything… They could go either way as Caucasian or Indian in my standpoint…

Either way this turns out, and hopefully it is good, I hope you all look at the quality of the acting, not the race of the actor.

@Nooch: Nooch, you gotta be kidding. I'm Black and I never in my life heard from Black people say that we want to see a black Superman or a Black Captain America, probably more BLACK SUPERHEROES, but not the characters you are saying. We appreciate Superman and Captain America just as they are and sure wouldn't want ot seem them any different. Now, I like M.Night and to let people know he is truly a fan of the series so that's a plus, but the series is very Asian themed and influence. For, some reason Hollywood believe people want pay there money to see an Asian lead, but their wrong people especially for us fans of Asian anime and gaming. This, still, could be a great movie, but being Black I could understand the racism or bias of Hollywood because belive us Blacks have come a very long way to get where we at in the film world, this ain't right there are great Asian actors out there that could done these roles.

I am indeed a great fan of animated series of avatar: the last airbender. I know at first I was upset with the casting, but I then realize that the film adaptation of actors who come with many ethnic backgrounds from new zeland, persian, korean, american, indian, and latin ancenstry. I know for sure this film is not going to be another downtrend for shyamalan. It will be a turning point to come back to the top. Why would he want to upset his daughter's favorite animated film? haha, We will just have to wait and see when the trailer arrives first hand when the Transformers 2 Film comes out.

I have to say, I'm really happy that Dev Patel will be Zuko, though it will be weird to see the character and not hear Dante Basco's voice. Honestly though, anyone is better than Jesse McCartney (who was previously cast as Zuko until Shyamalan saw Slumdog). I have to agree with avatarfan and co. that the cast should have been primarily Asian, just because I think that they would look more like their cartoon counterparts, but honestly, as long as they can act like the characters, I couldn't care less. But yeah, my dream cast isn't really part specific, but I would love it if Dante Basco, Masi Oka (from Heroes), and George Takei had parts. Maybe George as Uncle Iroh? I think that could work. I would keep Dev Patel as Zuko though, if only Dante could dub his lines, cuz he really is the voice of Zuko.

There's my two bits.