Another Photo of Dev Patel as Zuko in The Last Airbender

CLAW

Wow another M. Night mess can't wait to not see this.

discojellyfish

Cast sucks.

eric

i hate that they changed prince zuko an oriental decentedd character to an indian cuz m. nights indian sort of annoys me and the fact that they just dont follow through and make everyone else indian i mean wtf are they gonna do make his father indian and his sisiter a martial artist a indian too . seriously m. night should have thought it through

Movies Rule

oriental...nice...asian

Movieraider321

so umm 3 you racist?

Dark Fist

Funny how fans and viewers so often feel that they are more authoritative about what an adaptation "should be" than the original creators themselves. Both creators of the original Avatar series thus far strongly approve of Shyamalan's vision and have commended his faithfulness to the original story. Whereas on the other hand, you have something like the Dragonball Evolution film, which caused Akira Toriyama (the original creator of the DB franchise) to react with a "Huh?" before deciding it was best to view the film as some alternate dimension version of his creation.

http://www.bleepinggeek.com Pete the Geek

"It's never revealed why he has the scar," In the press release, or in the movie? If they don't reveal how he got the scar in the movie, I fear for this project because that's kind of an important part of the character. That scar (and the way he got it) play LARGELY into why Prince Zuko is pursuing Aang so fervently. Having M. Night as a director is already a nail in the coffin, this project doesn't need any more.

Dean

Hmm... the whole of season 1 (23 eps) into a single movie... this is gonna be near impossible

Jazz

nice casting M.Night cause you are an Indian you cast an Indian to play an Oriental character

jh

thats barely even a scar, its supposed to be big cuz its supposed to be a constant reminder for him

fracaso

so will this movie only cover the main story arc of the first season? also, i'm curious as to what you mean when you say it's never revealed why he has the scar, because like #7 said, that is very important to the character's motivation in hunting down the avatar.

Fisherr

The movie looks promising.

thebrightside

I think this movie could go either way. He has great source material to work with and has the creators of the show looking over his shoulder. So it could surprise everyone. Or he'll mess it up like most other movies he's made lately. We'll have to see.

Yorick Brown

@ #3 Better indian than Jesse McCartney It shouldn't be too hard to fit a season into 1 movie, the show was ripe with filler episodes of ang learning different sorts of bending anyways.

Jessica

This is complete crap. I'm glad that he's not being played by Jesse McCartney, but they could've picked SUCH a better actor. I would've been happy with Zuko's original voice actor, Dante Basco. Avatar is supposed to be a story about culture- and frankly, the only Indian characters are the Water Tribe, who are more like Alaskan Inuit. The rest of the Avatar world is SUPPOSED to be made up of an oriental culture (I would think that would be obvious...). I'm finding it hard to believe that creators Mike & Bryan are accepting this whole-heartedly. It looks to me like Hollywood is trying to Americanize a series rich with foreign culture.

L

#15 the series itself is an American version... However, I do agree with #7 that Zuko's scar is a major plot point and it is supposed to be a hideous. As far as M. Night? I've always been a fan of him and I do have high hopes for this movie. I hope it's good, I really do.

september11th

I'm not familiar with the cartoon, but from this picture, looks like dev patel is playing the main badguy? he scowls and is serious business. but... he looks so young and not intimidating at all. i guess compared to the main character, who is a bald 12 year old yelping and spinning a stick, he may seem badass. and for an audience of children, they may not notice. it looks about on par with the dragon ball z movie.

PJ H

I am so disappointed. Zuko is ruined. WTF are you talking about with no one knowing why he has the scar. Anyone who watched the show knows how. Just Wikipedia it if you don't know Alex.

http://www.firstshowing.net Alex Billington

#18 - Uh, well, wikipedia says: "His most prominent feature is a dark red scar over his left eye that extends over his ear, it is possible that the scar was caused by a flame kick to the face." According to that entry, it says "possible" not definite... Do you know how he got it?

http://icanonlybe.me María

Zuko's father gave him that scar for refusing to battle with him, then banished him for cowardice. The scar is pretty important to Zuko's whole storyline, it represents everything that he's fighting for, initially at least. I'm not fan of this casting decision. Patel looks too sweet and charming to play Zuko, I would rather hug him than battle him. M. Night should have chosen someone that looked a little more ruthless and deadly.

Otacon

@20 first real comment on this article that can be taken seriously. and its “asian” culture you mooks. Orientals are rugs.

Sam2

@ 19 Alex ***************** Spoilers on the scar - ********************* When Zuko was young and during his first attendance of a war meeting with all the generals and his father, he questioned the general's and his father's war plans. His father felt insulted, and one of the ways for fire nation people to settle disputes is to have a public duel. The thing is his father never really much liked Zuko, because he was always second class compared to his older genius sister. Zuko refused to fight during the duel and that ashamed and enraged his father even more, so he used his flames to disfigure Zuko and banish him from the fire nation. The scar is constant reminder for Zuko that he must accomplish great things to get his honor back and return to the fire nation. So during several seasons on the tv show, he was obsessed in capturing Ang.

http://www.firstshowing.net Alex Billington

Thanks for the information on the scar guys... I don't watch the show so I didn't know and that info wasn't too easy to find. Much appreciated!

Michelle

I realize the scar is pretty exaggerated in the cartoon but you can barely see it on Dev, one of the most important things about Zuko's character (if not the whole driving force behind him for all of Book One) is his scar, and that is such a huge part of him that he can't hide from. This looks like something that a little concealer will cover up no problem. Whatever, I'm still better about the whole good guys = white, bad guys = foreign thing, not to mention Dev being cast as Zuko when he's obviously a perfect choice for Sokka.

Michelle

AND WHERE IS HIS BADASS HAIRCUT SHAMALANALANYAN

Cris

This is for All the # Well all i can say is that on the show all the nations were somewhat Asian. And in the movie every nation represents a race of people. I looked at the casting Earth benders are Chinese Fire benders are Indus. Water benders are white. And air benders well aang is the last one :] So i kinda like the way he set them up.

smacky

lame

Claus

Better a good actor than a bad (Mccartney)

uforeader

You people are nutty. You think this will be a bad movie because the scar isn't big enough? Sheesh... there's no pleasing someone with such a myopic view of film.

Vina

"Both creators of the original Avatar series thus far strongly approve of Shyamalan's vision and have commended his faithfulness to the original story." Well that's an outright lie. We haven't heard a peep from Mike and Bryan about the film for at least a year or so, and well before the casting choices were announced. Their DVD interviews said they were happy with the choice of Shyamalan as director. Beyond that, we don't know anything. Frankly, their silence about the matter probably says more than anything else.

Otacon

its "Asian" culture you mooks. Oriental is a rug. Having not seen the show, but always being mildly interested, I kind of like the look they're going for. Aang never struck me as overly Asian, but I can see the comparison. Goku on the other hand, was an alien altogether so he had no ties to any Earthbound race. That argument is moot.

Godius333

You all poeple suck!!!!!!!!!! M. Night is going to do a GREAT job!!!!!!!! I have so much hope in this movie and in him, why you people have to be so negative, you're only disappointing yourselves.... and just think this, afte dragonball, how bad could this movie be?

Dark Fist

@#30: An "outright lie"? Really? Hmm.. let's see here: "We love the script, and working with Night (M. Night Shyamalan) it's been really collaborative and he's been really respective of us and the material, and we've been able to help out on some of the artwork, and consulting. It'll be a pretty faithful adaptation of season one, that's the first movie, and hopefully there'll be two more after that." - Interview w/ Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko at Comic Con, July '08 I think that tells us *something* beyond whatever "DVD interviews" you're referring to. And in interviews prior to that we see them describing meeting and discussing the film with Shyamalan, not simply voicing their approval of him as you imply. Perhaps they have changed their minds at this point, but until there is actual documentation of their disapproval, you have no support for your refutation (or speculation) whatsoever. Also note that I used the words "thus far" when describing their support of Shyamalan as director. ~ In any case, all of this squabbling over the supposed "ethnicities" of the characters in the animated series is completely ridiculous. The difference between the nations and tribes of the Avatar world is CULTURE, not "race". As in our own world, both "race" and "ethnicity" are social constructs which ultimately have nothing to do with actual culture. So what if waterbending is based upon Tai Chi? Since when did you have to be born in China and/or have Chinese ancestors in order to practice Tai Chi? Oh but wait, the Water Tribe are Eskimo... so why is waterbending based upon a CHINESE martial art!? This is the sort of idiotic question you need to deal with when you start blathering fallacies which confuse 'race' with culture. Everyone who is upset about the 'racial portrayal' of the characters is just stubbornly hanging on to an ignorant past of cultures which didn't know how to describe each other. Reality check: we live in a multi-/cross-cultural world where it no longer matters who your ancestors are if you have access to other cultures (or decide to create one of your own). Someone born in Mississippi with parents from Spain and France could decide to learn Chinese and live in Hong Kong for decades as a prominent Tai Chi master if they wanted to. All this whining is the equivalent of refusing to be taught by such a person because they aren't "really" Chinese. Well you know what, I'm offended that Shyamalan didn't find a REAL Air Nomad to play Aang! Now I'm waiting to see someone say they are upset because the director is 'Indian' whereas the original creators are both 'Caucasian' (which is only slightly less meaningless than "White").

xerxex

Cool...

Rubix

I'm completely happy with the decisions made for this movie so far. Acting talent > look alikes. Anyday. People don't seem to realize that.

avoidz

Manoj should use the Alan Smithee name on his future movies, since the "Shyamalan" brand stinks of shit now.

Cory

Im fine with all the casting choices. Ive never seen anything with patel in it so i really cant judge his acting skills, but looking at him does seem to soft. Buuuut i was totally skeptical when they announced heath ledger as the joker so you can never be to sure. If they could turn back time and get Dante Basco (voice actor in the series) when he was Rufio that would be excellent, but now hes too told.

Darren

Here's another negative entry so feel free to skip it or add it to the ongoing collection: I personally have chosen not to pay money to see this film. It makes me sad to not see this in the big screen but I don't support the studios choice in this matter. I think that the cast chosen for the job most likely will do the best job they can, given the story, script, and direction given by producers, writers, design, and directors of the film. HOWEVER I do not agree with the casting choice. I wouldn't agree with casting Robin Williams to play the role of Malcom X either. I loved the cartoon as did my son. What i'm upset about is that the ethnicities of the cartoon are not represented as they were in the cartoon. They are major players in the series and to get rid of that in my opinion snubs those ethnicities into the money making machine that the Hollywood is. Movies exist to make money as far as i'm aware. Writers and Directors exist to tell stories, and profit as well. So I understand the that it may not be as interested as some of us are in keeping to the original story. Were I making the movie I would make it my main concern to cast it accordingly or at least failing that make it known that it was my intent to do so. I think Hollywood needs to understand that the races/ethnicity/cultures should be cast in the roles that they are written for. I'm sure that there is at least one asian actor that is very capable in the martial arts style as depicted in the cartoon. And the only way the studios will get this message is if the bottom line is cut out....money.

Meatcarnage

OMG HE'S NOT AZN LOOKING >< WTF!? seriously. Who cares? The kid is a great actor for his age. No one ever outright said that these fictional people are oriental. Their world map does not even look like earth. The movie is not ruined. There have been a total of three pictures to my knowledge. Wait for at least a trailer. You fools are jumping the gun.

http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/4120/sppunx06oa5.jpg Crapola

Either way I'll watch this film, the story is great. Dev Patel is a great actor too

Kuhan

you know what the funniest part is? Dev Patel IS technically Asian. Also, there are no ethnicities explicitly stated in the show. It's a different universe/world/whatever. It means nothing.

jeff

AVATAR The word is Indian. Has anybody given a thought about that ? It means reincarnation in sanskrit.

danielle

wow there is alot of Shyamalan haters

squeakypants

This comment thread is so fucking funny! #38 "I personally have chosen not to pay money to see this film." I know I always decide whether or not to see movies based on 3 promo images before it's even done filming. #24 "not to mention Dev being cast as Zuko when he's obviously a perfect choice for Sokka." I've never seen Dev in anything, but from a visual standpoint I have to agree with you. Let's just hope they casted someone who can pull off Sokka's jokes without being annoying.

Doxxy

I don't care if the actor is white, black or purple, asian or not... but this guy doesn't look like Zuko! Maybe he is a good actor and so on, but I can't see Zuko in this picture. Why not cast the Puppetbenders? XD

Naomi

@ #35 You can't completely say that acting skill is greater than lookalikes. An old man may be the best actor in the world, but he can't fit into the role of, say, a child. Anatomy just doesn't work that way. Therefore, I'll just leave at saying this: I'll probably go see the movie, trying not to be skeptical, but I'll probably have some bias, coming from an "I like Zuko in the series" point of view.

RegalBryant35

i guess dev didn't want to shave his head

Nugget

I can't believe they changed to dev! Personly i think Jesse looks better and was a better person to play zuko! He had the right look for him, i don't think it was racist having him as jesse and i'm disapointed they've changed it. Also you can hardly see the burn, whilst in the tv series that burn was a HUGE part of him, they should've made it more visable in the film.. Shouldn't Azula be in the first series aswell? As her and Zuko fight :S

Nugget

P.S; It does say why he got his scar! He go it after he spoke out of turn at a Fire Nation war meeting upon hearing of a general's plan to sacrifice an entire division composed of young recruits in battle and by doing so was forced by his father to participate in an Agni Kai. At first he thought he would duel against the general he disrespected but it turned out to be his father, Fire Lord Ozai. Not wanting to fight him he surrendered immediately. His father called him a coward for doing so and burned his face thus giving him that scar.

Nugget

Aaaaand, it says in the books, Azula has pale white skin, but if her brother's played by Dev, logicaly they can't have Azula looking how she was ment to. I think they should've stuck to the origional cast as this is all not going to work ¬¬

zakula

His hair isn't right! Zuko has 3 different hair styles one in each series, and if Dev wants the part he should've copied Zuko's hairstyle, Jackson's had his shaved for Sokka

http://www.google.com =[

UGHH I AM SOOO MAD!!! the director just messed this movie up FIRE BENDERS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE WHITE!!!! WATER BENDERS ARE TAN!!! but they did the friggin OPPOSITE!! come on!! zuko is NOT tan he's WHITE for cryin out loud and where is the scar on patels stupid face?? can't even see it!!! zuko is my favorite character and YAYY THE MESSED THE WHOLE DARN MOVIE UP!!!! i am not rascist or anything but..even if patel does an AWESOME job playin the role(i doubt it) it still won't be good for the zuko fans. PATEL IS SOOOOOOOOOOOO DAMN UGLY!!!! and doesn't katara have dark skin and blue eyes??? TT^TT i hate those stupid directors i am not a fan of jesse but i think he would have done a WAAAAAAY better job than Patel. and zuko is kinda chinese-asianish and a tiny bit caucasianISH. HE"S NOT AN INDIAN ISN'T THERE ANY WAY OF TELLING PARAMOUNT ABOUT THIS MIX UP???

northerner

I've never seen a movie cast look soooo far away from the original characters on which they were based. Maybe they're all great actors, I don't know yet, but I hope they're good enough to detour me from thinking 'they're all wrong for this part, he/she looks nothing like the character' throughout the entire film. Ignoring the cultural and symbolic details may take some of the charm away from the characters - Zuko & Iroh having topknots was cultural, cutting them off was symbolic.... being pale as h*ll was characteristic of royalty in their culture. Zuko's scar is a burden for him, it was also a little symbolic of his character - a good side and a bad side (that's the way I saw it, anyway). If not much is mentioned about it, an important element would be missing from the character. Yeah, I probably sound pretty whiny, but I really love these characters and seeing them portrayed so differently with key elements missing or overlooked takes away from who they are and why they are such great and unique characters. Maybe M. Night should have come up with his own original story and characters and not changed what was great the way it was.

Erika

What the hell?? He doesn't look like Zuko at all!! I'd rather have Jesse McCartney play him, because he just looks like a whiter version of Zuko with blonde hair. Especially with longer hair. Plus, I think he's cute. Anyways, this guy is ugly! His acting better be good or something because its already a disappointment that he's playing Zuko. He should play Sokka, instead. They could of did a better job at picking someone.

Dev-gina

Dev can go eat a dick. so can m. night; he prolly hooked dev up with this role. what a doucher. they should've kept dante basco as zuko. i went to go see transformers 2 and i was really pumped for this movie until i found out the dev patel asshole fukin ruined the whole damm movie for me. shyamalan needs to b hung by his balls and beaten over the head with bats. screw him; screw the movie. they should've gotten the same ppl who made crouching tiger hidden dragon cast and direct this film; and also fuck nickelodeon for letting this happen u push over bastards. i outta kik dev right in the nose

treehugger

All I can say is that I'm looking forward to the movie. I have full faith that they'll pull it off- I mean how can we rly judge anything when only a single trailer and a few photos are out? Personally, i like what they did with Dev Patel... toning down the scar and all... and, I mean, c'mon, he's a great actor, didn't Slumdog Millionaire prove that?!? P.S. I don't see the big deal with 'racial insensitivity' here. M. Night is obv. trying to make up for it, at least a little... and aren't Indians technically asian anyway? -_-

Wali

I am also looking forward to the move and btw about dev patel being zuko...well if u notice carefully the firebenders are supposed to be indians for facts like the term agni kai (which is an indian term for fire duel). A lot of forms of martial arts originate from india......i dont know how you can expect avatar to be a bad movie i mean you have all seen the anime and you know that it was an awsome anime and not one episode was boring. it was really nicely writen and was nicely narrated so i dont have any doubts that this movie will be one to remember.

Rose

You guys are really crazy. So what if they have the"wrong" races? If the actors are talented, it shouldent matter. You should not judge a book by is cover…or in this case a movie by its screenshots. M. Night is a great director and yes..it requires THOUGHT to unerstand his films, but I have confidence in him ad this movie. Don't agree with me? Tell me and I will personally engage you in a little spat.

confused

1st of all, i agree about the "so what about the races" viewpoint. i mean seriously guys? does it rly matter? As long as they portray the essence of the character, it'll be fine. 2nd, i just read an article that said that theyre stripping out some of aang's humor for the movie... Exact sentences: Other than the conversion to live-action, Shyamalan said the only significant change he made to the original story was to strip away the cartoon's more slapstick humor — "fart jokes," he laughed — that had been written into the TV show for the very youngest viewers. The director noted that his "Airbender" has similarities to franchises like "The Lord of the Rings," "Harry Potter" and "The Matrix" and link: http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1614497/story.jhtml anyway, i just hope this doesnt mean that theyre going to go too far with "stripping away" aang's humor, becasue it was his humor that made him so lovable, right? idk, but if anyone has an update on this, id be great if you could post it

KataraUzumaki

So what if the actors don't look exactly like the characters. And by the way I think Noah Ringer looks amazing as Aang. What matters is how the actors portray the characters themselves and the actual storyline. Dev Patel is an awesome actor and I think he will do a great job showing the inner torment within Zuko. Zuko is my favorite character too but i'm not going to automatically write off Patel because he's not white enough or asian enough. And if the creators themselves have had nothing but great things to say about how M. Night is making there vision into this movie than the fans should be happy.

What do you write here again?

Alright whats with you guys and your "racism" I mean so what if Dev Patel play Zuko? (Zuko being the extremely quit animated guy) He is stil la good actor. How would you "racists" like it if americans that look exactly like the characters in the cartoon had played this and have sloppy acting?

Dev-gina

wrong "treehugger" if your going to do a movie about an epic adventure like Avatar the last Airbender, at least do it right. I don't care what they tries to do to his scar and shit. keep it original; the only role i would accept dev patel as is sakka. Find ppl who CAN act and LOOK like the character; its not that hard.

Dev-gina

of course race matters; what if i got a black guy played captain america? and if the fire benders are supposed to be indian then why didn't the cartoon portray it? instead they gave them an indian word "fire duel" and gave them asain clothes, symbols, and fighting styles. i'm not saying dev can't act, i'm saying that he shouldn't have been picked for zuko. If you have seen the show and have seen zuko the first thing to pop in your mind isnt "hey that guy looks indian"

Dev-gina

Dont get me wrong i saw Slumdog Millionaire and i liked it. But Dev Patel asshole should not have been picked for Zuko. If anyone here believes that Patel will play a good Zuko you're in for a disappointment. If they showed this trailer and Zuko was played by a black guy you can't tell me everyone wouldn't be flipping all kinds of shit. M Night needs to go back to directing school and learn how to cast the right characters for the right movies. You can't pick an Indian guy to portray an Asian guy in a movie that a shitload of ppl are going to see. Especially if 95% percent of that shitload are fans. And what the hell were they thinking when they toned down the scar on his face. That is complete bullshit. The one symbol that defines Zuko is that scar that his father gave him on his eye. That symbol is supposed to remind him of how he was embarrassed by his own kin. That scar symbolizes his inner turmoil and we can't see it because they chose bad casting. Fuck Dev Patel, fuck M. Night, and screw this movie.

themrais

I think the casting for Zuko is just wrong. Whether or not Zuko should be portrayed with a Chinese or Indian look isn't the matter- the matter is Dev Patel just doesn't have the fervent anger and passionate drive that needs to be reflected in Zuko's character. I'm just not getting this vibe from him- sorry Shyamalan, but Dev is just not working out for me. It's a disappointment really, I was looking forward to this movie until Zuko was being played by Patel. It just takes out entire movie chemistry.

hm...

have you ever really seen Dev Patel in more than one movie? how would you know if he can play that or not? actors do just that; ACT. do you think they would have casted him if he couldn't bring out zuko? you shouldnt NOT see it just because of a casting choice. that you have no idea if its going to work doesnt "take out entire movie chemistry" im just saying, im sick of people judging the actors they picked. They picked them, and its over. Now all thats left is actually SEEING if they did it right with our own eyes in the movie. and btw, this is a MADE UP WORLD. there is no 'asian' or any kind of ethnicity in avatar that exists IN THE REAL WORLD. The cultures represented in avatar are a complete mix of already existing cultures. SO RACE SHOULDNT REALLY MATTER IN THIS MOVIE. and would everyone stop making those comparasins where they say "would it be alright if they chose a white guy to play Martin Luther King Jr.?" becasue this is so not the same at all and they know it.

Dallas

It's not being racist. It's about being true to the show and how the characters are portrayed. In the show they were portrayed as oriental. Who cares if Dev Patel is a good actor. In my opinion, he doesn't look the part. Are you telling me that in all the world they couldn't find a cast of orientals that look the part and can act good? I find that hard to believe. This movie is sinking fast.

Dallas

Scratch oriental. I mean Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese etc.

Muhammad Moosa

No. Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.

the truth

Wow - a lot of you guys are really quite racist whether you're aware of it or not. What you're doing is judging Dev in this role based ENTIRELY on his appearance. Criticising his acting is one thing but I don't see why ethnicity should come into it at all. I wouldn't have minded if Zuko was black or white or even green as long as the characterization and acting are good. Bear in mind that an 'adaptation' from a source to a movie hopefully has greater aims than just reproducing the original source with lookalike actors. Keep an open mind people and judge it when you've seen it! I am a little disappointed about the subtlety of the scar, though, but hopefully that's just in this shot.

GUTZ THE TRUTH

WTF is with the character casting!? It's not just Dav Patel, it's almost all of them. Avatar the last airbender was about uniting the different races and cultures. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not a racist or anything, but personally, I think that if a character is meant to be ASIAN then shouldn't the person who will play them be ASIAN??? I think that Dav Patel isn't meant to play the role, he doesn't necessarily fit the serious, angry qualitites for the role. He'd be better for Sokka because Sokka is more comedic like himself. Rathbone on the otherhand plays, serious and innerturmoil characters well and would be suited for Zuko. Along with his Scar being more visible, Zuko's scar defines his harsh past and his personality and for it to be toned down because of something as silly as skin colour is crazy. I know nothing about the person playing Katara but I would rather pick someone who looks like her and has some 'actor security' so that we know from some amount of proof she is good enough for the role. She may be a good actress but I wouldn't jepordize a lead role to someone who I know nothing about. Aang may have the moves but his scar looks like some skin disorder...and he just isn't cute enough for the role ;( I am not one to normally judge a book by it's cover but from this movie's cover I was not expecting it to seem so hopeless. I know we can never compare the movie to the original anime, but hopefully the movie will atleast be able to proudly represent the show in a good light.

GRIMMJOW & ulquiorra

THIS CAST SUXS MONKEY ASS SRSLY THEY SUCK when i look at these ppl, my eyes start to bleed. THEY BURN my heart shatters along with aang's cuteness. and pudgeness ): my blood runs cold of fiery passion, the passion that was once the non=deficient anger from zuko-baby. my tears run freely when i think of rath bone as sokka my stomach quivers with anticipation for the moment when spectators throw tomatoes at the screen. my ears will explode from the curtailment of humor. my pulse quickens when the credits will roll. PARAMOUNT HEAR OUR PLEAS. AND DAV PATEL, U ARE NOT ORIENTAL )<

Ehh...

Do people have a fetish for movies that show Asian culture without Asians? (I mean I would like to see an Asian that's the main character of something that's not a kung fu movie) Also, I'm kinda glad they put Dev in there but yeah I think he would be better as Sokka he has the right skin complextion and he can probably pull of Sokka's humor.

Indian By Blood

I wonder... How many of you are patriotic? Do you stand and cheer for your country? Do you feel proud when it does something right? Do you feel angry and upset when people put down your fellow country-men and women? How do you think Indians feel about this hate towards one of their own actors? True, he may not be the best look-alike, but how can you trash this guy just because he's "the wrong color?" For those who think Dev got the role because M. Night "hooked him up," I beg you to consider this: If the director was American and hired an American actor to play a main character, would people consider this to be favoritism? No. Now think about why. Because our minds have been corrupted with racial thoughts, yes even mine, and most of us can't seem to see past skin. I thank all the people here who stood up for Patel and are judging him on his abilities rather than his ethnicity. For those who haven't, try to open your mind. And, one more thing, beauty is opinion-based. What one person might think is cute, another might think is ugly, and vice-versa. Okay, I'm done ranting, sorry for taking up space.

me

okay, they picked a terrible guy to b zuko. he was hotter in the cartoon.

LaurenMarieEE

i have nothing against the dude but he seriously DOES NOT look like zuko.....AT ALL

wally

why is the pale as powder zuko being played by dav patel they look so different i am shocked dav should sokka because of the ears and skin coler i just dont knoe what they are thinking imight get it on bootleg but will not go to a theatre

Roxanne

So my standpoint has been voiced several times before, but I'd just like to put in my two-cents anyway... Alright, if you have not seen Dev in anything, you don't have rights to say he doesn't have potential for anything, because you haven't seen the diversity of his acting. Color shouldn't matter either, if it did I'm sure Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko would have said something to M. Night Shyamalan about it. Want it your way? Make your own movie.

http://community.livejournal.com/racebending/ Eaver

The show was based entirely on Asian culture. Basically, what most pro-casters are saying is to accept this: Asian names = Check! Asian mythology = Check! Asian architecture = Check! Asian clothes = Check! Asian food = Check! Asian artistic style = Check! Asian appearances = Check! Creators directly stating that it is Asian-based = Check! Cultural and martial-arts consultants to make sure the Asian origins were as accurate as possible = Check! Asian main characters = Not check. Then they expect people to be fine with three white heroes and one Indian villain, who was originally supposed to be white as well. Then there are Asian extras, which they expect us to be excited about. The Asian extras that have speaking parts have character names like "Earthbending Father" and "Earthbending Son". That's what everyone's so pissed about. And please read "Asian" as "East Asian and Inuit." Typing that all in would stretch this post even further.

beetooth

wats wrong wit u guys?? i prefer dev patel as prince zuko.. if jesse also i accept.. it is not about racist.. i watch the cartoon also.. u all think too much..

Miriun

i am quite disturbed about the whole casting thing too...and i don't think it's racist to want people who are not white to play at least Kotara and Sokka. Aang, i understand. cuz he was pretty much a white-looking mofo in the show. but Kotara and Sokka were *evidently* amerindianish and i think that could have been paid more attention to. i mean, it does give it a sort of ugly-hollywood-tinge to have three white main characters and the evil indian guy, whereas it was 1 whitish kid, 2 brownies and 1 chinese guy. and i speak as an indian who also has white in her so i think i'm fairly unbiased. and normally i would say, 'oh come on. if the actor is good then how does colour matter' but there also has to be some sort of visual continuity! the cultures should look like what they were supposed to look like! not white. white. white. indian. white. AND i agree that dev patel couldv'e been an excellent Sokka. i mean, they were thinking of casting jesse mccartney for christsakes! not even a second-rate actor, but a second-rate MUSICIAN who acts sometimes!!! how is that 'choosing the good actor regardless of colour'? THAT is choosing an awful actor whose skin colour makes NO sense. really.

Meghan

I think they should have made Dev Patel Sokka and the Jasper Hale guy Zuko. They should have picked another Katara too. By the looks of it this movie will suck :/

1DARBY1

#1 the scar is week it dosnt even stand out (its supposed to be a burn from his dad) #2 dev patil is only playing zuko because m nite is indian too there is no indians in avater #3 fire nation are japanese and patil is there and they have a white guy next to him from the same nation WTF #4 water nation is inuit/chinese #5 wind nation is tibetan #6 and earth is chinese #7 all of there fighting styles are from china,japan and tibet i am whit i dont want to see any white/black/indian/ or any other races in the movie other than what they are supposed to be. its like when they made the harry potter movies you wouldnt make Harry chinese just because the director is or Ron blonde! I WILL NOT WATCH IT AT THE MOVIES EVEN IF PATIL IS A GOOD ACTOR THE CASTING HAS F..KED THE MOVIE RIGHT UP M NITE GO F..K YOURSELF

1DARBY1

by the way fire nation is Japanese not interatial

Maire

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0496932/ Would be a way better actor for Zuko He looks like him Great actor does Martial arts And can be scary Patel I don't see as scary he's not that great of an actor I love Bollywood I know how casting goes it's tough...but I do know Night purposefully did this forpeople to change their minds There are multiple races in the film No excuse for switching it I care about the character roles being played..I have Indian..Pakistani and Bengali friends and other friends from around the world So don't say I'm racist I just hate the choices Hopefully it will be good

http://www.hisgoldeneyes.com kANDI KI

OMG I'M GOING TO WRITE IN CAPS JUST SO U ALL CAN UNDERSTAND THIS. ARE YOU ALL FANS OF AVATAR THE LAST AIRBENDER? OK THEN WELL THIS IS THE MOVIE ITS BASED ON THE CARTOOON BUT DOESN'T MEAN IT HAS TO BE THE SAME. IF YOU WANTED TO SEE AVATAR THE LAST AIRBENDER GO REWATCH THE SEASONS BECAUSE THIS IS A MOVIE. YOU ALL SHOULD BE GLAD THAT THEY'VE DECIDED TO MAKE IT A MOVIE. THE CARTOON HAS BEEN OVER FOR AWHILE NOW AND THEY'VE GIVEN US AS FANS, IF THATS WAT U CALL URSELF, MORE OF THE SHOW THAT WE ALL LIKE. WHO CARES IF DEV PATELL DOESN'T REALLY LOOK LIKE ZUKO WE KNOH THAT IS WHO HE IS PORTRAYING SO SUCK IT UP. IF THE CAST COULD SEE HOW U PEOPLE BASH THEM SO MUCH I'M SURE THEY WOULDN'T EVEN BOTHER TRYING TO DO THEIR BEST TO DO THE MOVIE FOR ALL OF U. YOU ARE ALWAYS COMPLAINING AND NOTHING SATISFIES U. THIS IS THE REAL WORLD AND NOT A CARTOON SO IT WOULD BE HARD TRYING TO MAKE EVERYTHING AS IT LOOKED ON THE SHOW. IT JUST REALLY GETS ME SICK HOW U ALL JUST WHINE AND B**** ABOUT THIS. GEEZE. I'M VERY HAPPY FOR THIS MOVIE BECAUSE I'M A FAN AND EVEN IF THEY CASTED SHAMALAN HIMSELF AS ZUKO I WOULD STILL WATCH IT. IF U DONT LIKE WHAT U SEE THEN JUST SUCK IT UP BECAUSE NOTHING WILL CHANGE BECAUSE U VENT ONLINE.I'M NOT EXPECTING MY OPINION TO MATTER BUT I INPUT IT BECAUSE ITS ANNOYING TO ALWAYS READ RACE COMMENTS OR WHO U THINK DOESN'T BELONG. OH AND THE CREATURES OF THE CARTOON SAY THAT IT WASN'T JAPANESE OR ANYTHING ASIAN TO DO WITH THEIR CHARACTERS. YES, THEY HAVE CULTURE FROM DIFF COUNTRIES AND WAT NOT BUT THE CHARACTERS RACES WERE NEVER DISCLOSED. AANGS EYES ARE NOT WALNUT LIKE AND HIS EYES ARE EVEN BLUE. KATARA AND SOKKA ARE A BIT DARKER BUT ONCE AGAIN THE CREATURES ARE AMERICAN AND THEY SAY THAT NOTHING IN THE MESSAGE OF THE STORY HAS ANYTHING TO DO WITH RACES, SO DONT PLAY THE RACE BENDING CARD...ITS PREDICTABLE. WELL THATS ALL I HAVE TO SAY U CAN AGREE OR NOT I REALLY DONT CARE. I JUST WANTED TO GET A POINT ACROSS THAT IT REALLY DOESN'T MATTER, THEY ARE MAKING THIS A MOVIE WHETHER UR ABBORD OR NOT. TOUGH COOKIE.

Ashamed The Last Airbender is on my Birthday

Yo #6 I hope you understand the creators can't say anything bad about the film becuase the signed a contract. Even if they hated the cast and though M. Night was killing the series the have to grin and bare it

ihatedevpatelaszuko

ok, i have no issues with him being like indian...i just do not think the movie will be great!! i mean first of all, he doesnt even have a pony tail, second u can barely see his scar, third he has a second eyebrow!! i dont like the whole picture of the movie!! the characters are all messed and i bet the storyline is too. i love the avatar series on nicktoons. they are amazing!! but i think this movie is going to just stink...if you have seen the series you probably think its gonna stink too. if u havent i suggest you do!! avatar is awesome as a show. not a movie.

John

I am a huge fan of the show so I am gonna see this when it comes out. However I do agree that the scar is barely noticeable. Plus his uncle Iroh looks like a Lord of the Rings character. I'm hoping that the movie will be good. With movies like this based off a long series, it's gonna be like one of those movies that you don't want to end because you want them to keep going further in. Looking forward to that scene where Aang goes in the avatar state.

Jenny

I am a huge fan of the Nicktoon series and I'm not complaining about what the races are in the movie or the series. The actors just don't look like the characters that they are supposed to portray. Zuko's family is not dark nor indian. Sokka and Katara at least should have a tan look to them to match. The hairstyles match 'okay' and Zuko's scar is not large enough nor is his eyebrow gone. This movie better be good because I love the series. I'm glad that at least something is being made but still.

Zuzu Fangirl

anyone else realize that Dev Patel (Zuko) doesn't have a top knot? idk that really bugs me 'cause that's also a big part of his character in season 1. Oh and for the whole "he's Indian" i agree with you guys that he should be of oriental descent, but the director casting Dev just because he is Indian is so out there, and I'm Indian so from my point of view Dev Patel is more European than Indian according to me. But still, better him than Jesse McCartney, what was he thinking?

yosu

the character is so ugly but its my fav show the best ever

yosu

animation zuko is so hot even with that big ass scar on his eye dante patel is ugly not what i expected

akosidudepare

i so agree that dante basco should have been casted as zuko...he might not have an oscar and a black belt, but i've seen dante basco in other movies and yes...he's good at brooding characters...which zuko does best

akosidudepare

@cory though dante basco's 34 years old, he's still being casted as a high school student...in take the lead, dante basco was a high school student.

James

First of all, in regards to the scar on Dev Patel (Zuko)'s face, go to this website: http://www.shockya.com/news/2009/10/09/new-photos-from-the-last-airbender-surface/ and look at the first image on the page. I can't speak with authority on this, but in my opinion, that scar looks fairly prominent. They were just trying to make it seem realistic. To have a scar on a human's face in a live action movie as large and disfiguring as it was on the CARTOON television show, would be completely ridiculous and distracting from the complex character that Zuko is. On cartoons, it's expected to exaggerate things to an extent. Extent being the key word here. And that fact that "Avatar: The Last Airbender" wasn't overly exaggerated to the point that it became silly is one of the things that drew me to the show. It gave viewers the opportunity to focus on the characters and the complex lifestyles that made the show so amazing. The Human Element. This is also a very good thing for children who are watching the show, as it shows them how complicated and "real" life can be. And i'm sure this same concept will hold true in the upcoming movie. I don't know about you, but teaching people through entertainment seems a far greater value than making sure the actors look EXACTLY like the original characters. If the movie was exactly like the t.v. show, it would loose it's appeal. Thank you M. Night for changing it up a bit and making it fun. I'm pretty sure that in the original t.v. series people weren't labelled as Indian, Caucasian, Chinese, Japanese, Inuit or anything of the sort. Do they even have those groups of people in the Avatar universe? I. Don't. Think. So. So, cease your bickering. You absolutely can not judge a piece of art- be it film, music, fashion- till you experience it for yourself. So, nobody on this website has room to judge unless they have already seen the film. Which I'm sure is a precious few. The movie could be terrible, it could be great, but none of us no that. Anyway, all I'm saying is: Stop judging and just wait to see the movie. Also, don't believe critics. Because we all have our own oppinions, and nobody can choose yours for you. Thank you.

Aimi

ok, im pissed. he made the scar more realistic?! realistically if you were hit with a fireball to the face the scar would be bigger then that, and you wouldn't have an eye brow. Has M. Night even seen the show? Zuko's hair is all wrong too...damn it. I was excited about this movie till i saw the cast and what was done to them. Everyone can argue all they want about acting skill and how people shouldn't judge based on trailers and screen clips, but what the characters look like is important. plus judging is what these teasers are for, if its not supposed to affect my opinion then why show me? Also, Zuko was pale, Azula was pale, the fire nation itself is full of aggressive pale faces. it's symbolic. As is everything else thats been striped from the film. The sad part is despite my bitching im going to go see this movie and hope for the best. but ill be damned if im going to see the squeal if this one sucks, so M. Night might wanna keep that in mind for the future cause i know im not the only one

Star

Zomg I cant believe they made Zuko a Indian!! Dev Patel doesn't look like Zuko at all hes so ugly!! Who ever did casting for this movie, did a very bad job .Dev Patel is too dark to play Zuko and katara is waaay to light.

POPO

I really hope this movie does not suck! Dev Patel just doesn't look like Zuko at all. =P

Pete

This sucks my g/f is a huge fan of this kids show and we have seen them all. Best america cartoon ever BTW - better then alot of anime that inspired it.. But sadly M. Shamalan (however you spell it) is the worst 'big time" director working today - by far. Zuko is clearly handsome according to the cartoon - and to be played by an ugly guy is a big mistake. I know its the new age thing to be like - oh looks don't matter - its only acting.. Blah blah.. But its not true. Looks effect the audience and influence the story.. In the cartoon Katara has kind of a secret crush on Zuko - as does Toph later on.. Now when you watch this - and if they potray that you think "why would any girl crush on that guy.." The problem really is that the indian director probably thought this guy was very attractive.. Also none of the characters have that lovable look they do in the cartoon. Too much credit is being given to "talent" on this board. PLENTY of good looking people are GREAT actors.. That's how life goes.. That's why movies are chock full of good looking people. Its a strategy that works in the real world. This movie will fail and honestly it SHOULD have been a super blockbuster. Its backstory from the cartoon is 10x richer then alot of the crap that's out there now.. I am reminded of that dorky guy that director cast as Superman. This is even worse a blunder then that..Superman shouldn't be a dork - and Zuko shouldn't be an ugly dude.

Rika

Zuko in the Series = Win Zuko in the Movie (well the actor playing him) = Epic FAIL -_- Like wtf? seriously..im such a huge fan of the series... why??? WHY did they have to ruin it like this???? Grrrr... i should avoid the movie -_- Wouldnt want the series to be spoiled in my view.

TomJom

First Hollywood had The Last Samurai with Tom Cruise and then The Mexican with Brad Pitt What next? The Last Black Man on Earth starring Tom Hanks? Or White American Boy starring Will Smith?

Anna

I'm pretty certain the voice actor for Sokka could have played him as well.. I'm just disappointed in the choices for this movie in general. Katara doesn't even have her hair loopies! And Zuko is completely beyond being ruined. It's all these small things that just destroyed the chances of success for this. I wish they would have taken their time on making a great movie rather than a rushed money-making movie. Effects aren't everything.

Veronica

Okay, I for one am happy that they picked this guy! He's a great actor! (And he wasn't chosen because M. Night is Indian as welll... What kind of crap is that!?) I agree with the original creators. This looks fantastic! Have you ever stopped to think that some stuff would look stupid on a live actor, even if it looked great as a cartoon? Geez, people. Just enjoy the fact that they've made a movie, and get over yourselves. You haven't even seen it yet... D:

Anna

Fine. I'll wait and see. But so help me, if they don't have the Cabbage Merchant/Foaming Mouth Guy I will have lost hope in the movies.

Sarah

I don't think people are being racist when they say someone doesn't look like a character. They're just being blunt and truthful. And I know most people don't like the truth but it's real. Look i'm black and i think they should've have gotten people who looked remotely closer to the characters. NOW am i racist. Hell no. You know why b/c i'm black(Now that's racist). So stop throwing the "Oooh ur racist cause u don't like this actor to play this person"card... it's tired.

http://tightdelights.com Chicken Nugget

First off the scarring is on his left side not the right as is stated in this article. Secondly, everyone should know his father kindly gave him that scar. Third, the movie does look lame and after watching The Last Airbender revealed on Nick today I think I'll just wait to watch it online. The cast does suck, and everyone SHOULD be oriental because that's how it is in the series, not because of any racism; It does look odd when you have white people playing Sokka and Katara just because of the fact that everyone has grown to ? the characters and get to know them completely. Finally, I want to ask anyone who might be wondering about this same question: in the last episode of Avatar, in the last scene, Zuko visits his father in prison and asks what happened to his mother. Does anyone really know what happened? Please no speculation, as we all can do that very well. Thank you ?

jobo

I was rather disappointed with the Zuko casting. I always thought Zuko was the deepest character, a mixture of your average brooding teenager trying to find his place in life and approval from his father and an individual slowly driven to evil to find redemption. Just looking at the picture and the commercials tells me that Dev Patel does not have the quiet intensity that is expected.

Can't think of one

His scar is part of his character... I am guessing M. Night only just watched the show briefly, but not seeing any depth to it.. I was disappointed at this scar, M. Night created. Zuko is known for that scar and how or why he got it!

Can't think of one

Chicken Nugget, there was something about a mother bear and her cub, and how she looks after her cub, no matter what (Zuko's mom is named Ursa.. if you kinda see where I am getting at.) People are guessing there is gonna be another Book, but the Books follows Aang's training to become an Avatar.. and Aang already mastered Air in the beginning. So, I don't think it would be pointless, but it would be confusing to make another Book... I am guessing she sacrificed her life, to spare Zuko's.

Anna

I'm pretty sure that Ursa wasn't killed, just banished. The show says that a few times. Also, the movie was a disgrace to this beautiful show. I was so disappointed..

chapa

dev patel is a pretty good actor, which is good news since zuko is a very complex and well developed character. but yeah, his scar is barely noticable... (and he wasnt bald with a ponytail like in the show either). i still think he did a better job portraying his character than anyone else. i wish they would have kept the characters true to the series. if they were going to make each nation a different race, they should have made the fire nation white, not the water nation. its backwards to the show o_O. the water nation all darker skin and the fire nation are all pale. (wtf were they thinking making monk gyatso black he looked nothing like him?!) the characters showed barely any emotion, especially Aang (not Ong) who is supposed to be a silly and fun character. he was depressed the whole movie. sokka was actin too serious too, he barely cracked any jokes. and Katara acted pretty helpless, she lacked her fighting spirit and mother-like nature. i dont know what the hell they did to uncle Iroh, he looked nothing like him at all. i didnt even know it was him until they said his name (which was also pronounced wrong) still the movie could have been worse (dragon ball Z and speed racer-worse) i think it was decent, considering i already had very low hopes for it.

FIRST LOOK

Another Photo of Dev Patel as Zuko in The Last Airbender