No, Patel's casting doesn't mean squat. He's Indian not East Asian! What the hell?The fact is that "The Last Airbender" is set in an Asian/Inuit world but there are no Asian in the cast.

There are millions of English-speaking Asians and Eurasians who could have been cast in leading roles. Hollywood was able to find Korean-Americans for roles on "Lost," but the idiot/racist producers of "The Last Airbender" couldn't find one, just one, Asian for any of the lead roles?

It's pathetic when people make ignorant excuses that because the movie is a fantasy that it's acceptable or because Michael Clarke Duncan was cast as Kingpin or some other crap about this being a post-racial world (it isn't; just because Obama got elected doesn't mean racism has gone poof. Just go to YouTube and you'll find plenty examples of racist idiots making comments about Obama).

On what planet do the idiot producers think Daniel Dae Kim or Sandra Oh or Lucy Liu or Tamlyn Tomita, or John Cho, or Rick Yune or George Takei live? Certainly not this planet. Not one Asian in the lead cast?

How exactly do the producers plan to try to market this film in any Asian country? Japan, Korea, and China are huge markets. Why would a parent take their child to see a movie that operates like this?

Thirty years ago, Bruce Lee developed the concept for the TV show "Kung-Fu." The studio and TV network didn't think an Asian shouldn't play the lead character. Instead they hired a white guy for the role. It's sad how little things have changed in Hollywood when the rest of the world has changed.

The producers of this film are far more racist than they believe white Americans are. Everyone should feel insulted and disgusted at the producers of this film.

I hope this movie fails, and fails horribly.

What's really sad is when people don't see that SETTING OUT to hire a certain race is racist. Being angry because there are "too many" white people in a movie is racist. When you feel that a certain race "deserves" a role more than another, that is racist. You're no better than a KKK member when you start preaching your bigotry like that.

Contrary to popular belief, and no matter how trendy it is, being anti-white is no better than being anti any other race.

There are a few points I like to address:
--- Jesse McCartney didn’t drop form the movie his other career got in the way, this new guy is the second choices because has a hit movie the same happen with Jackson Rathbone he has a hit movie (Twilight) therefore he was cast to play Zokka
--- I want to adress something to the User Wow, telling that we are racist because we don’t a White cast let’s say is wrong log on to www.en.wikipedia.org type avatar the last airbender, and you see that the entire premises of the series are base on asian /inuit/ Indian cultures, the name avatar comes from Indian mitholgy so stop saying that people is angry because we are racist is it not the truth.
Another Point, look at the names the main characters their names are aang no Andrew, katara no Kate, zokka no zack, Zuki no Susi
Either way this movie is gonna Suck big time
--- Here is another comment that I posted before read carefully especially user Wow
By FantasyFan at 1:25 PM ON 01/20/09
I’m not a hardcore fan of avatar but I watched from time to time and like it, in order to tell a story base of a comic book, TV show, book Etc. You have to be the most close to the original material as you can get, if not the story lose its appeal
Watch closely and you see that in avatar the different countries are base in the next cultures
The 4 Mains Factions:
Airs Nomads: Tibetan & Shaolin monks
Water Tribes: Inuit
Earth Kingdom: Korean
Fire Nation: Japanese & Chínese
Also:
Kioshi Island : Japanese
The spirit Library: is a pyramid
If you watch You see there is not any influence of Anglo-Saxon culture in avatar, but You can say that the characters are white because you see them with light skin , there are asian people with light skin, but everything is happening in an Asian world, there are no White people and they can be White as snow everyone even aang but they still are Asian
And those who justify this kind of casting saying that there aren’t talented Asia actors you are wrong they are but most of the Hollywood cinema only sees not Anglo-American actors as villains, minions or sidekicks. And let’s make example let’s put Denzel Washington (In my opinion one of the best actors of this generation) as a Samurai in feudal Japan. Also let’s do World War II movie and the Japanese part will be play by African American, Latin or better yet Anglo Saxon actors just because there are not talented Asia actors it’s just plain stupid . if you still don’t believe it listen to this in 1956 Jonh Wayne stars in the film The Conqueror base on the life of mongol leader genghis khan , and what about Will Smith in Wild Wild West
And those who say that the voice actor are white, that just saying stupid things, you are a voice actor that is lending your voices to a characters that doesn’t have anything in common with you, for example if you remember (anime Film )Ninja Scroll from director Yoshiaki Kawajiri the main character is Japanese, the voice in the dubbed version is a white actor , also black and white characters in Japanese anime are voices by Japanese seiyu (seiyu is the equivalent of voice actor in japan), but with a live action film the rules of the game change completely .
To quote Fez (from that’s 70 show )So you are telling that in country with a population over 200 millions habitants there are not talented Asian actors, boy I don’t believe you
Frankly I like the series it was good and have a regular ending, the creators did their homework very well whoever see this series won’t believe is a North American TV show but it is, but I don’t see the need to make a movie the way I see it, is just to continue make money from this franchise
But here is the kicker if you don’t like it just don’t buy a ticket to see it tell your friends to no see it, don’t buy the merchandise, I know I wont
I apologized if I offended anybody with my opinion but is the truth and sometimes the truth hurt, another thing forgive my English if there are mistake, English is no my first language

Wow it is not racist to set out to fill already DEFINED roles with the appropriate actors that not only catch the attitude of the character but the look. If Avatar the Last Airbender was not already a popular franchise no one would really give a rats arse if the characters were all white or all green or all blue. The fact of the matter is this is alienation to long time fans and in the long run those that go to see it will end up Panning the film since quite obviously the actors themselves DO NOT fit into the Asian cultured world that the Movie is based in.

The movie's setting is NOT in a multicultural setting its quite frankly Asian and always HAS been. You dont' go to Asia and see a ton of white peopel wandering around now do you? IF the setting was in the US or the UK it'd be perfectly fine since we DO see plenty of other cultures.

Saying that its racist is like saying the Harry Potter movies would still be awsome even if they cast a fantastic black actor to play harry. Its simply NOT the case. Fans of series identify Harry as being a pale boy with dark hair. Same thing goes to Avatar.

The characters are seen as Asian and yes there are some Indian characters NOT white kids from down the street. Atleast Zuko's casting is semi more appropriate.

There are a few points I like to address:
--- Jesse McCartney didn’t drop form the movie his other career got in the way, this new guy is the second choices because has a hit movie the same happen with Jackson Rathbone he has a hit movie (Twilight) therefore he was cast to play Zokka
--- I want to adress something to the User Wow, telling that we are racist because we don’t a White cast let’s say is wrong log on to www.en.wikipedia.org type avatar the last airbender, and you see that the entire premises of the series are base on asian /inuit/ Indian cultures, the name avatar comes from Indian mitholgy so stop saying that people is angry because we are racist is it not the truth.
Another Point, look at the names the main characters their names are aang no Andrew, katara no Kate, zokka no zack, Zuki no Susi
Either way this movie is gonna Suck big time
--- Here is another comment that I posted before read carefully especially user Wow
By FantasyFan at 1:25 PM ON 01/20/09
I’m not a hardcore fan of avatar but I watched from time to time and like it, in order to tell a story base of a comic book, TV show, book Etc. You have to be the most close to the original material as you can get, if not the story lose its appeal
Watch closely and you see that in avatar the different countries are base in the next cultures
The 4 Mains Factions:
Airs Nomads: Tibetan & Shaolin monks
Water Tribes: Inuit
Earth Kingdom: Korean
Fire Nation: Japanese & Chínese
Also:
Kioshi Island : Japanese
The spirit Library: is a pyramid
If you watch You see there is not any influence of Anglo-Saxon culture in avatar, but You can say that the characters are white because you see them with light skin , there are asian people with light skin, but everything is happening in an Asian world, there are no White people and they can be White as snow everyone even aang but they still are Asian
And those who justify this kind of casting saying that there aren’t talented Asia actors you are wrong they are but most of the Hollywood cinema only sees not Anglo-American actors as villains, minions or sidekicks. And let’s make example let’s put Denzel Washington (In my opinion one of the best actors of this generation) as a Samurai in feudal Japan. Also let’s do World War II movie and the Japanese part will be play by African American, Latin or better yet Anglo Saxon actors just because there are not talented Asia actors it’s just plain stupid . if you still don’t believe it listen to this in 1956 Jonh Wayne stars in the film The Conqueror base on the life of mongol leader genghis khan , and what about Will Smith in Wild Wild West
And those who say that the voice actor are white, that just saying stupid things, you are a voice actor that is lending your voices to a characters that doesn’t have anything in common with you, for example if you remember (anime Film )Ninja Scroll from director Yoshiaki Kawajiri the main character is Japanese, the voice in the dubbed version is a white actor , also black and white characters in Japanese anime are voices by Japanese seiyu (seiyu is the equivalent of voice actor in japan), but with a live action film the rules of the game change completely .
To quote Fez (from that’s 70 show )So you are telling that in country with a population over 200 millions habitants there are not talented Asian actors, boy I don’t believe you
Frankly I like the series it was good and have a regular ending, the creators did their homework very well whoever see this series won’t believe is a North American TV show but it is, but I don’t see the need to make a movie the way I see it, is just to continue make money from this franchise
But here is the kicker if you don’t like it just don’t buy a ticket to see it tell your friends to no see it, don’t buy the merchandise, I know I wont
I apologized if I offended anybody with my opinion but is the truth and sometimes the truth hurt, another thing forgive my English if there are mistake, English is no my first language

Wow,

Either you are very ignorant or extremely cynical. Hollywood has a long history of replacing people of color with white actors, thus the terms yellowface and blackface. Read a book.

Again, it is not racist to cast a movie set in an Asian world with Asian people! As others have explained, the producers of the cartoon deliberately created an Asian-based world. The cultures, the philosophy, dress, and architecture are all from Asian/Inuit socities.

It's ridiculous and insulting to say that it's okay th no Asian person has a lead role. Not one person? You are honestly saying that it makes sense the producer could not find a single person of Korean, Chinese, Japanese, etc.?

Again, I hope this movie fails big time. It's an insult to all people.

What about all those Asian and mixed-Asian children who would go to this movie and see elements of their culture but not one person who looks remotely like them or families? What does that say to them?

M. Night Hackmaylan should be ashamed of himself.

This is all completely irrelevant to my point. I realize that the movie is set to an Asian/Inuit cultural backdrop. I'm not saying M. Night Shyamalan is right by doing this, at all. What I'm saying is that this focus on race is in itself, racist.

The way movies were made 50-80 years ago with blackface and Hispanics/Caucasians playing Native Americans in westerns is all a horrible fact of the way society in general was then. Do you honestly believe we have not progressed at all since then?

My only point here, which I knew would be missed completely, is that this whole movie's focus has been thrown in the trash because of MNS's decision to use a few white actors, and that hard-edged focus on race is shameful in this day and age. I imagine the guy is scratching his head over this controversy, but who knows.

Singling out a certain race for anything is discriminating against those whose chance is denied. This multi-cultural cast (no, they're not all white, but we seem to focus on the white actors more... which proves my point) is representing a larger slice of the movie's demographic. I can't say that was MNS's purpose, but putting out a casting call for only Asian actors is just as wrong as doing the same thing for only white actors, or black actors, or whatever. There would be OUTRAGE if a casting agent put out the call for "only white actors". They'd be shut down in a minute. Calling for "only Asian actors" is the same thing. I hope my point came across more clearly this time.

You people seem to love to get on M. Knight's case about this, but you are totally forgetting two very important people who have the power to accept or deny anything to do with this movie, namely: Bryan and Mike, aka the creators of Avatar.

Bryan and Mike probably allowed M. Knight to do as he pleased in this case because there is another thing you are missing, this film series will be BASED ON THE TV SHOW...that means that just because the characters of the show are of an Asian influence, the films don't have to be tied to that restrictive constraint. I am trusting M. Knight and the Creators on this. I don't really care about the race. I care about how it will turn out, because I know that this film will be great.

Oh, and Rafe (and others), just a piece of advice, maybe you should actually wait to see if these people can actually do it before writing them off as not good. You don't know what is in store for these people. You should have faith in them, at least if you really are a fan of the show...

this comment is for Wow and tenebrusmke79 I think that you are missing the point here
--First Wow is no about using a few White actors is about the main characters of the movie are Asian, aang is tibetan/chinese , Toph is korean , Zuko is Chinese/japanese also sokka and katara are Inuit the bending abilities are chinese martial arts , the influence of the show is heavily asian and Inuit culture, there can’t be a White actor becausse in the story they don’t exist, is no being racist is just common sense… please Understand
tenebrusmke79 I think you are wrong, I believe If I no mistaken that I read somewhere that the show creators since the casting have severe any link with the movie that this paramount y nickelodeon decision , even in interviews they ‘ve said that the show is base in asian and native american culture so please stop saying that is something personal againts Mr M. Knight's is it not
again pardon my english

Get a grip people. Aang is not Tibetan/Chinese. He is an Air Nomad. The show has it's own geography; influenced by many elements of our world. It's a fantasy. This amounts to complaining about the cabbage cart that has not tipped over yet.

If what you are saying is correct James Earl Jones, Sidney Poitier or Danny Glover coulda play Gandal the grey in the Lord of the Rings trilogy , Aragon could be denzel whashinton or will Smith

Wow, You're wrong. I am white and I want these Characters to reflect what was in the Animation and in the mythology that was established in the show. I do not want White characters playing Asian roles. It's a simple as that. Our society has to get beyond that and has to be able to to use the appropriate actors for the appropriate roles.

NOT, what will sell to the audience. I think, that's what is going on here. Previously, I was looking forward to The Last Airbender. Now? I am not going to see it, until the casting is fixed appropriately.