Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire) has been cast as Zuko in the M. Night Shyamalan-directed live-action adaptation of the Nick TV series The Last Airbender, according to Variety. The actor steps into a role initially set for actor-singer Jesse McCartney, who backed away due to conflicts with his tour schedule. Patel joins newcomer Noah Ringer, who landed the lead role of Aang off of an Internet audition, as well as Nicola Peltz (Deck the Halls), Jackson Rathbone (Twilight), and Jessica Jade Andres, who had a small part in The Women and on Gossip Girl. Production begins in mid-March in Greenland for a July 2010 release.
Feb 2
2009
12:03 PM ET
'Slumdog Millionaire' star Dev Patel joins M. Night Shyamalan's 'Airbender'
- Comments 6
- Add comment
Dev run! Don’t get involved with M. Night!! Were you not aware of the debacle that was “The Happening”? Or “Lady in the Water”?
LOL — my thoughts exactly…about M. Night…what I want to see is Frieda get a great model contract with an international cosmetic comp.
Oh, can’t wait to see Zuko pout and look mildly sad for two hours.
You guys are never satisfied. M Night hands over a very crucial role to a person of eastern descent who is recognized as a very good actor coming off an Oscar hit. It’s the right move. Stop baggin on M Night when you probably watched The Sixth Sense or Unbreakable a million times. Stop it!
Anyone who criticizes Dev has never seen him on “Skins”. The kid has got talent.
Frank Marshall and “Muhnight” Shyamalan (in the words of Janitor from Scrubs) have made a big mistake casting white actors for every role but one on a show that is Asian-themed, populated by Asian characters, and premised on Asian cultural traditions.
The running controversy will hurt the movie commercially. But more importantly, his choices and the studio’s will affect children who will take away powerful impressions from seeing one set of actors instead of another on hundreds of screens worldwide.
PBS just ran a documentary, “Chinese Hollywood”, on the long history of yellowface in movies, from silent films to the 70s – er, the 00s. A timely reminder of the irrefutable cultural history and racist baggage of today’s industry.
“Muhnight” is either chillingly indifferent or blatently ignorant of this baggage. Even if we’re charitable and assume he’s an ahistorical ignoramus, this is difficult to excuse, given his prominence as an Asian American director. IMHO: “Sell-ooout”