Brand new pictures from "The Last Airbender" have been unraveled and this time, they bring forth Sokka and Katara, the two key characters beside Aang and Zuko. Found via The Examiner, each of the images gives out a close-up shot of Jackson Rathbone and Nicola Peltz in their characters' costume. In addition to those two, other captures at Noah Ringer's Aang and Dev Patel's Zuko are also included.
Weeks earlier, producer Frank Marshall has opened up to Starlog that the planned trilogy of "The Last Airbender" won't be filmed back-to-back, instead they will be handled one by one and may take as long as six years to complete. "We're shooting them one at a time, because they're being written one at a time," he stated. "[M.] Night [Shyamalan] will finish this movie, then the script and then we'll prepare for the next one. I think it'll probably happen over six years."
Slated for July 2, 2010 U.S. release, "The Last Airbender" is a live-action film version of Nickelodeon's animated series of the same name. To be differentiated from James Cameron's "Avatar", it has dropped "Avatar" from its title. The film follows Aang and is set in a world where human civilization is divided into four nations: Water, Earth, Air and Fire.
With the help of a protective teenage Waterbender named Katara and her bull-headed brother Sokka, Aang proceeds on a perilous journey to restore balance to their war-torn world. But, his goal will meet a tough challenge from exiled Fire Nation's evil prince Zuko who is sent to capture the Avatar in order to restore his honor and right to the throne.
Images are removed by request of Paramount Pictures.
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i can handle the whole Indian Fire Nation and aang being asin, im okay with it. It's Sokka looking pastie and Uncle Iroh being skinny, i know im being judgmental but iroh has to be hefty and sokka shouldn't be played by a vampire.
The Cartoon will Remain the best! And No Movie Can top it! i don't like any of the movie's characters! they all don't look anywhere Near the Cartoon characters! im not talking about color or Race, they aren't like the cartoon ones! The Cartoon/Anime is the best!!! GRRRRR
I can understand questioning Aang's race but anyone can clearly see that Katara and Sokka are not white, there skin is two shades darker than Aangs, in the light with no light, skin tones, next to grass or water what have you. I really think that they should have taken the time to respect the characters as they are seen. Why are all of the other people such as Zuko, Iroh and Zhoa all ethnic? Could it be because they are not the heroes? But Sokka and Katara the good guys are cast white? Hmmm looks pretty cut and dry to me "WHITEWASHING"
did u guys know a different person plays the back of aang's head ya i know that guy
The great Bruce lee lost the lead role to David Carradine in "kung fu" back in the 70's. (on what was allegedly his idea no less) Seems things haven't changed much since then. :)
The whole 'whitewashing' topic is totally stupid and unnessiary. Isn't a character supposed to be about their personalities and choices? I don't care about their color or eye shape so long as Nicole stays true to Katara and Jackson acts like Sokka. . . etc. This movie will be amazing simply because it has a moving plot, a new setting, and some serious kung fu (bending?). So as for those people who are obsessed with the characters being asian: 1) YOU are being the raisist ones, and 2) get a life. Seriously don't you have something better to do than put down this movie? I bet there's only a small handful of people like you, and you just don't know when to stop posting. Know this: America and Hollywood are melting pots. Get used to it. AVATAR THE LAST AIRBENDER FOREVER!
I think plainly, it would be a bit weird to watch because those of you who have watched the cartoons and read the books already know exactly what they look like. I will try it out. Just as long as the storyline is the same, I'm fine. And people it's not about being racist as some people think on here, that's just stupid. Maybe the director wanted these people for a reason. Sorry if I offended anyone didn't mean to, I just don't like where this topic is going anymore. You have people say that they're racist and that's not right, actors are actors. Just don't go see the movie if you have a problem with it so much.
I'm not gonna sit here and cry racism 'cause I don't think it's racism or whitewashing or whatever else everyone's saying. The reason this casting bothers me is that it's just not true to the original cartoon. Yes - it can't be the exact same. I'm not naive enough to think it could be, and I still think this movie is going to rock. But Sokka and Katara are very blatantly NOT WHITE. It's not racism or reverse racism, it's a FACT. I think the casting of Noah Rider as Aang was brilliant, and Dev Patel is going to be kickass as the Fire Prince. And I'm still extremely looking forward to this movie; I hope that these two can be true to the character, you know? I'd rather have an actor who externally does not resemble the original character, but internally does. Yes, it bothers me at this moment because it kind of changes the flow of Avatar to me - also, couldn't they get a tan or SOMETHING? They look like they're just trying to resemble their whitest, when obviously that will not make fans of the original series happy. This isn't a matter of whitewashing or racism, it's a matter of the director taking a risk. This is a director who likes risks, he likes twists. And while at the moment I'm a bit skeptical, I still know that this movie is going to be great, and visually stunning.
Why must it come down to race? You people who cry racism and white washing really have to think of something better to do than put down this movie. Although the show has some asain culture it doesn't mean you need an asain actor. Maybe they tried but couldn't find what they needed. To me sokka and katara look like eskimos but maybe they couldn't find some excellent inuit or eskimo actors. Personally ang zukko and a few others don't look asain to me in the show. Their race could be open to interpretation. Just cause there is some asain writting and culture doesn't mean they can't be white. Hell my sister lives in japan and speaks, writes, and reads fluent japanese. Let's just get off the race issue and enjoy the awesome movie this will be.
.. oh man i really wanted to see the pics... not being racist or anything, but it's hard to imagine jackson rathbone as sokka =]
@Kahjmer and everyone else yelling "racism". Where in Avatar does Aang go "I'm Asian"? No where. Avatar takes place in a different world where there is no asia, no africa, no race. Only fire, earth, water, and air. Several of the people in Avatar look white. My friend has made the argument that Katara and Sokka are mexican. My point is that in a world where their is no race any race that we cast these characters in would be wrong and thus race is completely irrelavent. Most obviously is that in the Avatar world naming might not quite work the same just because his name is Zuko may not mean anything about where he's from. Sokka and Katara may just as much be black as Native American. Despite coloring and what that might imply to us, it may have a completely different implication in the Avatar world. Since these characters remmain unidentified, i maintain that no race has any claim over any specific character.
getreal, to answer your question. the creators of the nicktoon said that the characters in avatar were based on east asian and inuit people! the nicktoon also has actual readable chinese characters! i also remember uncle iroh talk to zuko and tell him to eat jook, which is chinese for poridge. they are obviously asian, dont try to argue that they arent because your argument will just fall flat with no evidence. cant beleive they casted white people as the leads asians as the extras. thats not only racist but an insult to the original show.
omg. this is actually a controversy? makes no sense. people should really shut up about how they thik the movie will suck. everyone knows that people who go to movies know little of what it takes to make a full-length live-action film. (based on a cartoon, no less!--stop comparing it to Twilight, which is based on a book!) -and what they do know, they usually underappreciate. this movie is going to be amazing. sure the actors are different-looking, but this is live-action. you can't make cartoons look as real as real people, nor can you (or should you) make real people look exactly like cartoons. i love what was mentioned about Katara and Sokka having light skin because they have little sunlight, although it is possible to get a snow-tan. -and by the way, the cartoon characters did not have specific skin colors because they were 'asian' or 'inuit'. they had them so viewers could more easily recognize characters from the four nations of the Avatar world...which by the way, is obviously not the same as our earth. that would be stupid. as far as the infamous scar goes, it was darker looking on the show because they used set color palettes. they needed to use almost the same hue in every frame, so they picked a color that contrasted with Zuko's skin tone and stuck pretty close to it so the scar would be recognizable. thats really not necessary in real life, because lighting, weather effects, etc. will constantly change the way the scar looks, just like in...get this: REAL LIFE! haha thats why they call this a "live-action film." cuz they don't animate the characters. and stop talking about whitewashing. nobody is being whitewashed. race in Avatar, just like in the real world, is overblown. its significance is cultural and personal, rather than visual and identifying. the completely disproportionate attention this issue is getting is extremely annoying. please just chill out and if u don't want to see the movie, don't. i, for one, will definitely be shelling out the 35 bucks to take my little brothers and sister to see this in a decent theater on opening night, and i will certainly enjoy it too!
@Wrathchild: That would be an art style, my friend. These are real people, so there's no excuse for casting white actors in Asian and Inuit roles. And aside from that, that just gives our side more credibility, no one can even use the argument "well they look white!!!!" because it's an anime art style and anime characters look white. It doesn't mean they are. The reason it's racist isn't because the cast is white, because yeah, they might have been idiots and not realized that the characters were Asian. And honestly, I don't blame them, I have just as many friends who see the characters as white as I do who see them as Asian (although I would like to point out that my own mother, who got into the show after hearing about the controversy, took one look at Sokka and Katara at the very beginning of the pilot and was shocked that they were cast with white actors). It's the fact that we very explicitly told them in a massive letter writing campaign that they were Asian. They very obviously got the message, since they're trying with the minor characters, but not enough to really care since they didn't bother replacing the main cast with more fitting actors. That is the blatant racism.
@ AsianPerson It isn't whitewashing to have original characters that happen to be white. It's whitewashing when you take characters that are pretty clearly not white and cast white people as them. @ Lazyness Yes, because this kind of thing happens all the time, it should be ignored. That's a great argument there. The characters are from copies of real life cultures, but they showed preference to casting white people instead of the respective races of the areas they would hail from. It's like saying, "We love your culture, but we certain don't want you onscreen as the characters in these cultures. We'll leave that to these people that look nothing like them."
have you looked at the cast list on imbd there was like not one white cast member on there or japanese! it was all indian which is a disappointment cause jackson looks more like sokka than the other dude personally
So...people are complaining that Sokka and Katara and Aang are supposed to be Asian.,,but before you call out the movie for "white-washing," call out ALL cartoons and animes for not having Asian-looking characters.
I wish the idiots of the world would stop screaming racism for ever single thing that comes out! Hey, ever noticed how REAL anime characters look?! They look WHITE, and they are drawn by JAPANESE people. What do you have to say for that, morons? Next you're going to say that ThunderCats was racist because the voice actors were white instead of real cat humanoids. This is based on a cartoon. The characters in the movie look a lot like the actual cartoon characters. So get over it. It looks like its going to be a pretty cool fantasy movie.
Unfortunately, hollywood whitewashes EVERYTHING. and Asian culture is just something for white heroes to wear and look cool. This could've been and should've been a chance to put asian heroes in a mainstream movie. I love the Avatar series. but the whitewashing of the movie is a disgrace and a disappointment.
To all of you who are complaining about white-washing the cast, This film is being made for an American market, what do you expect is going to happen?! Personally, I don't care what race the actors are. As long as they can act properly, that is all I care about. Seriously, for this film I don't think changing the characters' skin colour will affect the way the character's are portrayed. I don't hear any of you complaining about how the voice actors for the animation were white. It sounded all wrong. Clearly, they should have chosen people from different ethnic backgrounds. XP I'm anxious to see what they're going to do with Appa and Momo. What if they change their fur colour...?! Oh God, the horror!!! That would just completely ruin the movie for me!
In the cartoon, their is no exact race. They look similar to native americans, or asians, but it is not the real world,therefore there is no real ethnic backgrounds and stuff. It is just a movie. Their is no racism here, just people cast to portray characters in a pretty cool story.
I agree. Whitewashing the movie may not be exactly good, and I agree it is somewhat racist (though they may not be trying to be racist, you gotta cut them some slack!) and I am a hardcore Avatar fan, so I do care about this movie! I have been tailing the news ever since the rumor of there BEING a movie to come! But people, even if they whitewash the movie, it wont COMPLETELY ruin it. It'll just mess up the ideas (like what was said about the african movie example. the idea is there but it is ruined). But, if the acting is good enough (I hope it is) then there may yet be some hope for our whitewashed heroes. It all depends, though, on M. Night's choices (let's hope he does it right!)
mike and bryan wrote the story for the movie... and seriously this movie looks BA!
I don't think it is racist. First Avatar has anime like drawings. And anime characters look all the same, you know their nationality or race bacause of their name. For example, I can't tell if a anime character is a dark skinned japanese, a latino, indian or native american. I have to hear his/her name and story to know. Is true the tale is inspired in asian cultures and Ice Nation in Native Americans and Skimo culture. But is not acurate so they can be anything. Also Zuko have yellow ayes, which human race has gold or yellow eyes? Katara have blue eyes and tanned skin. There is not a race with that exact characteristics. Also, I think is cool the movie had so many diferent races, is more diverse.
This movie looks better and better every time I see an update! At first, I thought that some these people looked nothing like the originals, but now I realize that this is MUCH more realistic, and they can really pull this off (ie Sokka and Katara not tan...hello, they rarely get sun, and I don't think their indian....but FYI RACE DOESE NOT MATTER ANYWAY!!! lol I get sooooo irritated with those fans that think this movie is "racist"). Now, aside from the actual full length trailer, the last thing I HAVE to see before the movie is APPA!!!!!! OMG that would be sooooo cool!!!! and MOMO!!!!
Way to not quote your source. That's top notch journalism there.
ok... personally i think katara, sokka, and aang look great... but zuko... oh god! instead of this disgusting, huge, red scar... we get this little tinted thing that is almost pink! also, zuko is supposed to have a shaved ponytail and a really good (almost taylor lautner like) six pack... one more thing... he's supposed 2 be pale! i think they swiched up the skin color cuz katara and sokka are pale and zuko is tan... oh and what happened to his awesome amber eyes?!?!?! they're just a normal brown! =(... it makes me sad everythime i look at that dude who is supposed to be zuko....
I admit I WANT to like this - miss avatar like a good band broken up; white actors = don't care; The story is already told and done so perfectly. If this retelling is respectful to the quality and maturity of plot, character development, and action then great. m. night writing scares me, but slumdog actor and trilogy planned showes respect: still hopeful.
it's "racist" because the animated series is based on an all-Asian world heavily steeped in Asian culture It's the equivalent of making "Roots" during the Africa parts, with white actors dressed in traditional african cultural dress...then acting surprised when people complain.
Wow... this is just made of fail. I'm beginning to wonder if the people making the movie are at all familiar with the source material. It's like if someone made Macbeth into a Romantic Comedy... Just does not compute.
Whitewash = Epic Fail
f@ck this movie. the original series is and will be better.
Zuko is way better in animation. They should've chosen somebody else for him. Like Joe Jonas, haha.
This is apalling. Aang and Zuko should be light-skinned East Asians. Katara and Sokka should be darker-skinned Inuit/Native Americans. Why would they make this movie if they were just going to whitewash all of the heroes?
Don't even bother guys. These fangirls/boys will lap it up and ignore any rational explanations why this is discrimnatory. Mike & Bryan had nothing to do with this movie so hopefully no one will give them a hard time at comic con.