Avatar: The Last Airbender petition

[elaby]

I haven't posted about this before, but I think it's high time, and there's something you can do about it that only takes a couple of seconds. The majority of people on my f'list may have heard about this and may have acted already, but in any case.

The backstory: Avatar: The Last Airbender, for those unfamiliar, is an animated series set in an Asian-inspired fantasy world. I haven't seen it yet, but I've heard from various respected quarters that it's one of the best animated series (or series at all) there is. Paramount and M. Night Shyamalan are currently working on a live-action film based on it. The problem is that they've cast white actors to play the Asian protagonists, and they've cast actors of color to play extras and villains. I've written letters to the studio, but they're starting a petition, and it only takes a second to sign it. Here's the link:

Sign the Petition

Even if you're not a fan of the show, I think this is important because the casting of white actors to play Asian characters is not only insulting, removes the chances of talented actors of color, and is unfaithful to the original series, it undermines the self-image of children of color who are fans of the series or who see the movie. The casting process itself has also been made of fail when it comes to cultural awareness.

More information can be found at aang_aint_white if you're interested.

I know my f'list is full of awesome people who would be interested in taking steps against this appalling crap.

Comments

[border-count.livejournal.com]

I'd be more concerned if I thought the movie was going to be anything more than crap. They did the same thing with the recent Street Fighter abomination, and the upcoming DBZ abomination. If I were an actor of Asian descent, I'd probably stay away form this project out of self-respect.

[elaby.livejournal.com]

I think it's the principle rather than a matter of how crap the movie is going to be. They obviously don't intend it to be crap (or at least they don't intend it to be a failure) and they're still casting white actors to play characters who aren't white. It's badness.