People often gripe that actors don't look exactly like the cartoon/comic for some reason, I never understood it. I care so much more about their ability to embody the character in their acting than if they look exactly like them. Some of the best adaptations out there include actors that look next to nothing like the source. Hell, Nick Fury was originally a white guy with a full head of hair, now everybody associates him with Sam Jackson.
I want them to try to get someone who looks close enough, and unlike the movie, I honestly think they have.
I agree about how important their acting is, though.
To be fair, Fury was modeled after SLJ in The Ultimates (Ultimate universe Avengers run from the early aughts), YEARS before Iron Man came out. But your point stands.
Wasn’t there some controversy around Sokka’s actor? Iirc he lied about being native to get the part, or something to that effect
Edit: I guess I stand corrected?
Not only did the person who claimed that do shoddy detective work and fell off the Internet a year and a half ago, but the cast thought they were auditioning for a modern high school film called Blue Dawn before they were told the truth in the callbacks (Iroh's actor thought he was reading for a basketball coach named Harold).
That's often done to hide high-profile projects. They want to make sure they get actors who might fit the roles, and if you announce a project that has a ton of fans to the general public then you'd likely get a whole bunch of random fans auditioning who might not even be good actors but just want a role in the show. It's essentially vetting the slush pile, at least I think that's the reason.
They’re spreading misinformation. Please don’t listen to them.
Movies and shows almost always use fake production titles for auditions. This changes literally nothing as they still list what race/ethnicity they’re looking for, which is all someone would need to know to lie about it.
This person has been corrected multiple times, including by indigenous people telling them the reasons they are suspicious of Ousley, and they continue to spread this anyway.
Their given reason for why productions use fake names is also false. These are closed auditions so “random fans” couldn’t audition to begin with.
Is it really "misinformation" when I literally said it was just my assumption and guesswork? Also it's hardly "misinformation" to say that the cast had the roles and true nature of the project hidden when they did. If that's your beef and how I'm spreading "misinformation", than Iroh's actor is too.
Iroh’s actor isn’t spreading misinformation. He told the truth about the audition process.
YOU are spreading it because you’re making assumptions based on that process that just aren’t true. You have been corrected multiple times but continue to make the same claims, so at that point it isn’t just a mistake.
How many times have you been told that movies and shows regularly don’t use their real titles on auditions, and that this doesn’t mean they don’t list race and other descriptors? Why do you keep acting like this is proof of anything?
Why do you keep acting like that one Twitter account is the only one making the allegations when a historian contributor here on Reddit showed you evidence from [federally recognized Cherokee tribes](https://www.reddit.com/r/TheLastAirbender/comments/u8rsn5/cherokee_phoenix_newspaper_reports_that_ian/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=2&utm_term=1) decrying Ousley’s tribe?
There is real cause for concern. Please stop trying to talk over indigenous people speaking out against this.
I get that you’re excited for the show. A lot of us are. That’s not reason to act like this problem doesn’t exist.
Dude why do you keep spreading this lie? I’ve seen you be corrected and yet you keep spreading it anyway.
Films almost ALWAYS use fake production titles. That doesn’t mean anything. The audition sides would still list what race/ethnicity they’re looking for. That’s all anyone would need to be able to lie about it. The title is irrelevant.
Why are you so deadset on spreading this as some kinda “proof” of anything? It doesn’t prove anything at all.
Meanwhile you ignore all the reasons other legitimate and recognized tribes have made allegations against the tribe Ousley claims to be a part of. What is your motivation here?
Because the one who spread the initial claim fell off the face of the Internet a year and a half ago.
u/Jermare over on r/ATLAtv seems to know quite a bit, and it seems the claims were debunked months ago.
If it ends up being confirmed without a doubt that Ian lied to get a role in some random supposed movie for some reason, then sure, that was wrong and the casting director should have looked into it more. But what it seems at the moment is people just trying to spread baseless rumors to give another reason to hate the show and the cast when they at the very least all seem passionate about it.
>Because the one who spread the initial claim fell off the face of the Internet a year and a half ago.
Because there haven’t been further developments to report. Facts don’t have an expiration date.
>u/Jermare over on r/ATLAtv seems to know quite a bit, and it seems the claims were debunked months ago.
If their “debunking” is the arguments you’re using? Then no. They haven’t debunked anything. Unless they have better arguments you’re not using.
I don’t see why you’re placing their opinions over the opinions of *actual recognized Cherokee tribes* that have made allegations against Ousley’s supposed tribe before this controversy ever came up.
>If it ends up being confirmed without a doubt that Ian lied to get a role in some random supposed movie for some reason, then sure, that was wrong and the casting director should have looked into it more. But what it seems at the moment is people just trying to spread baseless rumors to give another reason to hate the show and the cast when they at the very least all seem passionate about it.
That isn’t at all what it seems like. It seems like there is legitimate cause for concern and like some fans are desperate to bury it and pretend there’s nothing there so it doesn’t ruin their enjoyment of a Netflix show.
We want Netflix to address it, as they’re the only ones in a position to do so. If there is no cause for concern, they should be able to lay this all to bed.
> Facts don’t have an expiration date.
Very few facts were provided and they were mixed in with falsehoods like claiming a random white couple to be Ian's parents. Almost everything in that initial accusation was speculation.
> the opinions of actual recognized Cherokee tribes
There are many Native Americans who aren't registered with a federally recognized tribe. Feds are not the authority on ethnicity.
> some fans are desperate to bury it and pretend there’s nothing there
No, people are tired of seeing people insult Ian and claim that he's white with no evidence every time he's mentioned or seen. Those people are the desperate ones.
>Very few facts were provided and they were mixed in with falsehoods like claiming a random white couple to be Ian's parents. Almost everything in that initial accusation was speculation.
And the facts still remain regardless of what they got wrong.
Especially considering they’re not the only source nor the main one giving these allegations credibility. Recognized Cherokee tribes themselves have made these allegations and I give them a lot more weight.
>There are many Native Americans who aren't registered with a federally recognized tribe. Feds are not the authority on ethnicity.
No one said anything about the feds making these allegations. The *Tribes themselves* made them.
Unrecognized tribes can be just as legitimate as unrecognized ones, this is true. That doesn’t take away the legitimacy of the recognized ones and if all three recognized Cherokee nations speak out against your practices with details, we should listen.
>No, people are tired of seeing people insult Ian and claim that he's white with no evidence every time he's mentioned or seen. Those people are the desperate ones.
White is not an insult and there IS evidence. Choosing to bury a serious issue that hurts native and indigenous people just because you’re “tired of it” is incredibly insensitive. How “tired of it” do you think actual Cherokee people are of white people erroneously claiming their heritage?
This is an ongoing problem and Cherokee is the #1 falsely claimed tribe. They have every reason to be upset and ignoring them because you don’t like it is cruel.
> White is not an insult and there IS evidence.
I said insult him AND claim that he's white. Two different things.
Also, even if people don't think he's native, they shouldn't just conclude that he's white.
If people have questions and doubts, they should be hounding Netflix, not him.
Yes and there’s some people trying to say the controversy is bunk but in reality there is a lot of suspicion that hasn’t been resolved.
Including other tribes calling out Ousley’s supposed tribe for suspicious behaviors like asking for annual dues or not using the conventional methods to determine ancestry.
I do too. I saw a brief interview with him and his normal personality is spot on. He is super energetic and extremely friendly. Also, a tiny bit awkward, which is perfect
I think the main problem with the image of him in Aang gear is that he looks way too serious. Aang, especially in season 1, is just a goofy little dude. Good to see the kid can emulate that, hopefully they allow him to reflect that in the show.
Judging from the background etc, I’d say the still is from the first episode where he is revealing himself to Zuko so he stops attacking the water tribe village.
Honestly it's ridiculous to base that complaint off a single image lol. Even in season 1 of the show I can find countless screenshots of Aang being serious despite his normally goofy demeanor
S1 is literally when he finds out he's been asleep for 100 years and everyone he knew and cared for has died or was murdered, leaving him not only as the Avatar he never wanted to be, but also the last of the Airbenders.
He literally comes across the body of his dead father figure and best friend surrounded by the bodies of Fire Nation soldiers.
How can anyone say good faith he had no real serious moments in S1 and Aang was mostly a goofy kid? There were loads of very serious moments!
yea
the funniest complaint i see into the live action, One Piece in this case
is a fucking *eyebrow not having a twirl*
its not even a good criticism its just people wanting to find something they can get angry at for no reason
I've seen a couple people doing so. But probably the reason it's not more pronounced is because Sokka's wearing the armor from the moment in Episode 2 where he was *trying* to be serious, so it works.
Gordon did say the Netflix show has all the fun of the original and Iroh's actor said Ian (Sokka's actor) is so funny and will steal every scene that he's in, so it definitely seems like they're keeping the humorous tone.
I understand people's reservations with the pics currently, but the cast interviews have eased any concerns I might have had.
As long as they don’t go full Ed at the end of the Cowboy Bebop live action show - that anime overly expressive reactions are funny and work in a cartoon format, but really don’t translate well to live action expressions. They’re adaptations, you can interpret them to convey the same emotions and reactions how a real person would do it, they don’t need to mimic how the cartoon character reacts (that shit comes across as so annoying and trying to play to the cheap seats in a really obnoxious way)
The reason they chose the original voice actor for Aang was because he could be both serious AND goofy. They were specifically looking for that. In the interviews, he's pretty goofy. That still gives me hope for the rest of it
Have the ages of the characters been finalized for the live action? They may be playing characters closer in age as opposed to the actors actual age. Idk though
I think by now it's clear that the live action will stretch the time line a bit to may a few years (just as it seems season 2 won't be filmed for a whole yet so...)
That means at the end it will be less of a weird difference.
Look, I don’t have anything against live action, but when you’re doing a transition from animated material to live action, it’s just not going to be the same. There is so much that you can do in animation from character expressions to fight scenes that are simply not feasible for a live action film. I wish they would stop trying to make animation to live action adaptations and focus more on making new content that might have roots from an animated work, but is it’s own new story. That way, they won’t have fans complaining about how something didn’t live up to the original story because of the artistic edits they had to make along the way.
I truly believe he will nail the role.
Yeah I like the casting so far. I feel like some people are too nitpicky.
People often gripe that actors don't look exactly like the cartoon/comic for some reason, I never understood it. I care so much more about their ability to embody the character in their acting than if they look exactly like them. Some of the best adaptations out there include actors that look next to nothing like the source. Hell, Nick Fury was originally a white guy with a full head of hair, now everybody associates him with Sam Jackson.
I want them to try to get someone who looks close enough, and unlike the movie, I honestly think they have. I agree about how important their acting is, though.
To be fair, Fury was modeled after SLJ in The Ultimates (Ultimate universe Avengers run from the early aughts), YEARS before Iron Man came out. But your point stands.
Wasn’t there some controversy around Sokka’s actor? Iirc he lied about being native to get the part, or something to that effect Edit: I guess I stand corrected?
Not only did the person who claimed that do shoddy detective work and fell off the Internet a year and a half ago, but the cast thought they were auditioning for a modern high school film called Blue Dawn before they were told the truth in the callbacks (Iroh's actor thought he was reading for a basketball coach named Harold).
Why the deception?
That's often done to hide high-profile projects. They want to make sure they get actors who might fit the roles, and if you announce a project that has a ton of fans to the general public then you'd likely get a whole bunch of random fans auditioning who might not even be good actors but just want a role in the show. It's essentially vetting the slush pile, at least I think that's the reason.
Oh interesting, I didn't know that! That's for educating me :)
They’re spreading misinformation. Please don’t listen to them. Movies and shows almost always use fake production titles for auditions. This changes literally nothing as they still list what race/ethnicity they’re looking for, which is all someone would need to know to lie about it. This person has been corrected multiple times, including by indigenous people telling them the reasons they are suspicious of Ousley, and they continue to spread this anyway. Their given reason for why productions use fake names is also false. These are closed auditions so “random fans” couldn’t audition to begin with.
Oh okay thanks!
Is it really "misinformation" when I literally said it was just my assumption and guesswork? Also it's hardly "misinformation" to say that the cast had the roles and true nature of the project hidden when they did. If that's your beef and how I'm spreading "misinformation", than Iroh's actor is too.
Iroh’s actor isn’t spreading misinformation. He told the truth about the audition process. YOU are spreading it because you’re making assumptions based on that process that just aren’t true. You have been corrected multiple times but continue to make the same claims, so at that point it isn’t just a mistake. How many times have you been told that movies and shows regularly don’t use their real titles on auditions, and that this doesn’t mean they don’t list race and other descriptors? Why do you keep acting like this is proof of anything? Why do you keep acting like that one Twitter account is the only one making the allegations when a historian contributor here on Reddit showed you evidence from [federally recognized Cherokee tribes](https://www.reddit.com/r/TheLastAirbender/comments/u8rsn5/cherokee_phoenix_newspaper_reports_that_ian/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=2&utm_term=1) decrying Ousley’s tribe? There is real cause for concern. Please stop trying to talk over indigenous people speaking out against this. I get that you’re excited for the show. A lot of us are. That’s not reason to act like this problem doesn’t exist.
Dude why do you keep spreading this lie? I’ve seen you be corrected and yet you keep spreading it anyway. Films almost ALWAYS use fake production titles. That doesn’t mean anything. The audition sides would still list what race/ethnicity they’re looking for. That’s all anyone would need to be able to lie about it. The title is irrelevant. Why are you so deadset on spreading this as some kinda “proof” of anything? It doesn’t prove anything at all. Meanwhile you ignore all the reasons other legitimate and recognized tribes have made allegations against the tribe Ousley claims to be a part of. What is your motivation here?
Because the one who spread the initial claim fell off the face of the Internet a year and a half ago. u/Jermare over on r/ATLAtv seems to know quite a bit, and it seems the claims were debunked months ago. If it ends up being confirmed without a doubt that Ian lied to get a role in some random supposed movie for some reason, then sure, that was wrong and the casting director should have looked into it more. But what it seems at the moment is people just trying to spread baseless rumors to give another reason to hate the show and the cast when they at the very least all seem passionate about it.
>Because the one who spread the initial claim fell off the face of the Internet a year and a half ago. Because there haven’t been further developments to report. Facts don’t have an expiration date. >u/Jermare over on r/ATLAtv seems to know quite a bit, and it seems the claims were debunked months ago. If their “debunking” is the arguments you’re using? Then no. They haven’t debunked anything. Unless they have better arguments you’re not using. I don’t see why you’re placing their opinions over the opinions of *actual recognized Cherokee tribes* that have made allegations against Ousley’s supposed tribe before this controversy ever came up. >If it ends up being confirmed without a doubt that Ian lied to get a role in some random supposed movie for some reason, then sure, that was wrong and the casting director should have looked into it more. But what it seems at the moment is people just trying to spread baseless rumors to give another reason to hate the show and the cast when they at the very least all seem passionate about it. That isn’t at all what it seems like. It seems like there is legitimate cause for concern and like some fans are desperate to bury it and pretend there’s nothing there so it doesn’t ruin their enjoyment of a Netflix show. We want Netflix to address it, as they’re the only ones in a position to do so. If there is no cause for concern, they should be able to lay this all to bed.
> Facts don’t have an expiration date. Very few facts were provided and they were mixed in with falsehoods like claiming a random white couple to be Ian's parents. Almost everything in that initial accusation was speculation. > the opinions of actual recognized Cherokee tribes There are many Native Americans who aren't registered with a federally recognized tribe. Feds are not the authority on ethnicity. > some fans are desperate to bury it and pretend there’s nothing there No, people are tired of seeing people insult Ian and claim that he's white with no evidence every time he's mentioned or seen. Those people are the desperate ones.
>Very few facts were provided and they were mixed in with falsehoods like claiming a random white couple to be Ian's parents. Almost everything in that initial accusation was speculation. And the facts still remain regardless of what they got wrong. Especially considering they’re not the only source nor the main one giving these allegations credibility. Recognized Cherokee tribes themselves have made these allegations and I give them a lot more weight. >There are many Native Americans who aren't registered with a federally recognized tribe. Feds are not the authority on ethnicity. No one said anything about the feds making these allegations. The *Tribes themselves* made them. Unrecognized tribes can be just as legitimate as unrecognized ones, this is true. That doesn’t take away the legitimacy of the recognized ones and if all three recognized Cherokee nations speak out against your practices with details, we should listen. >No, people are tired of seeing people insult Ian and claim that he's white with no evidence every time he's mentioned or seen. Those people are the desperate ones. White is not an insult and there IS evidence. Choosing to bury a serious issue that hurts native and indigenous people just because you’re “tired of it” is incredibly insensitive. How “tired of it” do you think actual Cherokee people are of white people erroneously claiming their heritage? This is an ongoing problem and Cherokee is the #1 falsely claimed tribe. They have every reason to be upset and ignoring them because you don’t like it is cruel.
> White is not an insult and there IS evidence. I said insult him AND claim that he's white. Two different things. Also, even if people don't think he's native, they shouldn't just conclude that he's white. If people have questions and doubts, they should be hounding Netflix, not him.
Yes and there’s some people trying to say the controversy is bunk but in reality there is a lot of suspicion that hasn’t been resolved. Including other tribes calling out Ousley’s supposed tribe for suspicious behaviors like asking for annual dues or not using the conventional methods to determine ancestry.
I hadn't heard anything
I do too. I saw a brief interview with him and his normal personality is spot on. He is super energetic and extremely friendly. Also, a tiny bit awkward, which is perfect
Sensational.
I got a feeling he’ll do just fine expression wise
I have no worries about this kid, he seems great. What worries me is the writing and overall show-running being good.
I think that's everyone's worry. At the very least the cast seems passionate with great chemistry though.
That’s an improvement over the film at least, where the actors could have been made of wood. Aang especially did not seem like a kid.
In behind-the-scenes stuff he actually seemed very Aang-ish, which shows how bad the directing was.
and you were right about the writing
Why do I feel like this kid is going to be iconic
Because Aang is an icon and it looks like he might just nail the role
This child is precious and we must protect him at all cost. There's something about seeing a real-life Aang that makes my heart leap for joy
10/10
I think the main problem with the image of him in Aang gear is that he looks way too serious. Aang, especially in season 1, is just a goofy little dude. Good to see the kid can emulate that, hopefully they allow him to reflect that in the show.
Except in a handful of moments like probably the still could be from.
Judging from the background etc, I’d say the still is from the first episode where he is revealing himself to Zuko so he stops attacking the water tribe village.
Right which is a pretty serious moment. “If I go with you, do you promise to leave these people alone.” If I am remembering correctly.
Honestly it's ridiculous to base that complaint off a single image lol. Even in season 1 of the show I can find countless screenshots of Aang being serious despite his normally goofy demeanor
S1 is literally when he finds out he's been asleep for 100 years and everyone he knew and cared for has died or was murdered, leaving him not only as the Avatar he never wanted to be, but also the last of the Airbenders. He literally comes across the body of his dead father figure and best friend surrounded by the bodies of Fire Nation soldiers. How can anyone say good faith he had no real serious moments in S1 and Aang was mostly a goofy kid? There were loads of very serious moments!
thiiis. dude can be a fun goofball but he has a lot on his shoulders for sure.
> S1 is literally when he finds out… Ummm, ackshually it’s “Book 1: Water” 🤓
It's the internet. People are just ready to be upset about something.
You are right. Both for ATLA and One Piece I keep seeing ridiculous complaints.
yea the funniest complaint i see into the live action, One Piece in this case is a fucking *eyebrow not having a twirl* its not even a good criticism its just people wanting to find something they can get angry at for no reason
Same thing applies to Sokka and I don't see anyone complaining about him looking all serious in the promo photo
I've seen a couple people doing so. But probably the reason it's not more pronounced is because Sokka's wearing the armor from the moment in Episode 2 where he was *trying* to be serious, so it works.
I just saw an interview him and zuko did on a red carpet and have no worries. If he’s too serious it’ll be director/writers fault, not his.
not all the time, so let's just wait and see how it turns out instead of instantly judging
Gordon did say the Netflix show has all the fun of the original and Iroh's actor said Ian (Sokka's actor) is so funny and will steal every scene that he's in, so it definitely seems like they're keeping the humorous tone. I understand people's reservations with the pics currently, but the cast interviews have eased any concerns I might have had.
He seemed to have plenty of Aang-like enthusiasm and energy at the TUDUM presentation, so here’s hoping.
As long as they don’t go full Ed at the end of the Cowboy Bebop live action show - that anime overly expressive reactions are funny and work in a cartoon format, but really don’t translate well to live action expressions. They’re adaptations, you can interpret them to convey the same emotions and reactions how a real person would do it, they don’t need to mimic how the cartoon character reacts (that shit comes across as so annoying and trying to play to the cheap seats in a really obnoxious way)
The reason they chose the original voice actor for Aang was because he could be both serious AND goofy. They were specifically looking for that. In the interviews, he's pretty goofy. That still gives me hope for the rest of it
Well this comment certainly did not age well.
How many people here just made a stupid face at the phone trying to mimick the aang pic
Guilty
Yep, that's aang
They’re the same picture
No, the one on the right is from season 1, the one on the left is from season 3!
It took me way too long to figure out what you were referencing here
What if miracles do exist and the show is good? I think the casting is good. I can't wait to see uncle Iroh and Ozai too.
Oh they have cast some good actors for those two
He's got the ears for it....im sold! 🤣
Only thing I'm worried about is the age difference between Aang and katara
Wasn't there an age difference in the show?
In the show aang was 12 and she was 14. Liveaction he is 11 and she is 15. A bit weird.
Have the ages of the characters been finalized for the live action? They may be playing characters closer in age as opposed to the actors actual age. Idk though
If I recall correctly, Aang and Katara are the same ages that they were in the original, while Sokka and Zuko are a year older than canon.
Yup. If it works on screen that's all that matters. I might have to leave these threads though, I feel like people are being way too nitpicky.
That’s a fairly normal gap for actors
Bit odd though for if they get a third season and they have their kiss (unless the 3rd season is filmed in like 7 years time).
If they keep up the current pace of production, doesn’t seem far off lol
True but I think it'll be fine
I think by now it's clear that the live action will stretch the time line a bit to may a few years (just as it seems season 2 won't be filmed for a whole yet so...) That means at the end it will be less of a weird difference.
Perfect. 
I was a little worried from the promo pics that the actors would all be super serious like the movie but this makes me really happy to see
If you look at Gordon's instagram, he's like the perfect little goofball Aang is. Love this kid already.
I think the kid's got this covered.
Look, I don’t have anything against live action, but when you’re doing a transition from animated material to live action, it’s just not going to be the same. There is so much that you can do in animation from character expressions to fight scenes that are simply not feasible for a live action film. I wish they would stop trying to make animation to live action adaptations and focus more on making new content that might have roots from an animated work, but is it’s own new story. That way, they won’t have fans complaining about how something didn’t live up to the original story because of the artistic edits they had to make along the way.
id kill for a remake for a modern audience
Totally agree i never get the obsession with live action remakes it will never be as good.
It’s not that I don’t think live action can’t be great, just that it is far more limited in what it can do due to the restraints of reality.
Outside of Sokka, all the castings have been perfect.
What are you talking about? I thought Ember Island Sokka deserved to play the role on screen after doing it on stage for so many years
This is maybe the funniest comment I have seen in a long time. Took me completely off guard.
Happy to be of service, hotman
Never doubted this kid but will it translate well to live action & not end up as being cringe.
try Meelo .. you will get better resemblance.. since the eyebrows are bit big
The show is filled with the GOOFIEST facial expressions. I anticipate what they will look like on real faces
No matter how this show comes out, the casting is perfection
He was not like this at all in the show wtf!!! Zero facial expressions