FAQ for
The Last Airbender (2010) More at IMDbPro »

==Original Main Cast Casting Call==

[ AANG ] 12-15 years-old, Male, ''Caucasian or any other ethnicity''. We are looking for a young man to play the lead role in a motion picture franchise. He must be athletic and graceful with an ability in Martial Arts (not necessarily extensive experience, but at least an aptitude for it). Kids with experience in gymnastics, dance, or sports could also be good. He is a young adventurer and should seem like the type of young man who will grow up to be heroic.

[ KATARA ] 14-17 years-old, Female, ''Caucasian or any other ethnicity.'' She is Sokkas younger sister. She is a headstrong and determined girl with a real sense of idealism. She believes in herself and feels that she can play on the same team as the boys. She is beautiful, intelligent, passionate, feisty, and has a real sense of adventure.

[ SOKKA ] 16-20 years-old, Male, ''Caucasian or any other ethnicity''. He is Katara¹s older brother. He is intelligent but awkward, and very funny (although not necessarily intentionally so). He aspires to greatness, but he tends to doubt himself. He is always one to be swayed by a pretty girl.

[ ZUKO ] 16-20 years-old, Male, ''Caucasian or any other ethnicity''. He is a brooding, intense young man who wrestles - not always successfully - with being good. Regaining his honor is a driving impetus for him. He is extremely handsome and is the type of dangerous boy every girl falls in love with. Athletic and/or martial arts experience is a plus. <br />

This was posted on a website which lists upcoming auditions. It's not on the site anymore since the roles are long cast and its cycled out as time passed, but racebender.com posted screenshots of it on their site. Scroll down to the bottom of the page. http://racebending.com/raceinavatar.php

Here's the site where it was originally listed. http://www.myentertainmentworld.com/mew/audition_film-tv.html

==Casting Call For Extras== The Last Airbender, the new M. Night Shyamalan movie, has quite a list of requirements as it searched for extras: http://www.phillyasianfilmfest.org/about/press/

CRAFTSMEN, ARTISTS, DANCERS, PUPPETIERS, GYMNASTS, ATHLETES, SOLDIERS & GRANDPARENTS Basket weaving, Candle making, Painting, Ceramics, Needle Point, Whittling, Silk Screening, Jewelry making, Cooking & Fishing Searching for..<br /> Physically fit MEN & WOMEN 18-85 yr. Old - Boys & Girls 6-16 yr. Old. ''NEAR EASTERN, MIDDLE EASTERN, FAR EASTERN,ASIAN, MEDITERRANEAN & LATINO Ethnic groups.''

Oh, and if you have martial arts and/or military training, it's a plus.

The open call was on Feb. 7 2009.

http://media.www.dailypennsylvanian.com/media/storage/paper882/news/2009/01/23/News/Try-Out.For.A.Role.For.M.Night.Shyamalan-3594896.shtml

Deedee Rickets, the casting director for the film, said she is looking to cast men and women ages 18 to 65 and children ages six to 15. Casting officials are seeking candidates with military or martial arts experience, athletes, gymnasts and people of various races and cultures. ''"We want you to dress in traditional cultural ethnic attire," she said. "If you're Korean, wear a kimono. If you're from Belgium, wear lederhosen."''

Another way to stand out is to demonstrate skills such as basket weaving, hair braiding, making clay pots, puppeteering, knitting, looming - "any artisan craft," Rickets said.

There are several terrific sources of information about the live-action Avatar movie. LastAirbenderFans.com and LastAirbenderFilm.com are two of the only sites dedicated to news and information about the live-action movie. Most other sites are dedicated to news and info about the television series. MNightFans.com is also a good source of information about the film and its director; M. Night Shyamalan.

The official site is www.thelastairbendermovie.com.

To know more about the Racebending controversy, please visit http://www.racebending.com/

Shyamalan originally offered the roles of Aang to karate-trained Texan Noah Ringer; Sokka to Jackson Rathbone (Twilight); Katara to Nicola Peltz (Deck the Halls); and Zuko to Jesse McCartney.

The casting of white actors triggered negative fan reaction marked by accusations of racism, a letter-writing campaign, and a protest outside of a Philadelphia casting call for movie extras.

Rathbone dismissed the complaints, saying "I think it's one of those things where I pull my hair up, shave the sides, and I definitely need a tan. It's one of those things where, hopefully, the audience will suspend disbelief a little bit."

Jesse McCartney dropped out due to scheduling conflicts and Zuko will now be played by Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire/Skins).

Media Action Network for Asian Americans letter to the Producers: http://www.manaa.org/lastairbender.html

References to races in Avatar The Last Airbender: http://aang-aint-white.livejournal.com/646.html

The Language of Casting: http://vejiicakes.livejournal.com/255699.html

To know more about the Racebending controversy, please visit http://www.racebending.com/