Following the news Netflix had cast the four main roles in its planned live-action series adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender, a handful of new casting calls has been revealed.
It was reported by The Illuminerdi that six additional roles are in the process of being cast, starting with a call for an East Asian male actor in his 50s or 60s who is believed to be Fire Prince Zuko's uncle, Iroh. According to the character description, the character in question is a former top athletics coach who is now retired and "takes the time to smell the roses and taste the pleasures in life."
The next character allegedly in the process of being cast is believed to be the role of Firelord Ozai. The description for the series regular character says it's fitting for an East Asian man in his 40s, who is described as the intense CEO of a major corporation with perfectionist standards that he believes everyone around him should live up to. He is also known for being willing to sacrifice everything for power, including his marriage, while grooming his children to adopt his ruthless personality and views on the world.
Meanwhile, Netflix is also looking to cast a 15 to 16-year-old actress of East Asian heritage who is believed to be Princess Azula, the character originally voiced by Grey Griffin in the animated version of The Last Airbender. The character description taps her as a single-minded and ambitious young woman, who has been training her entire life to live up to her father's legacy. The character is also known for exerting her ruthlessness toward anyone she sees as competition, including members of her own family.
Additional roles in the process of being cast include a role meant for an East Asian man in his 60s, who will serve as a recurring guest star and might be the character Gyatso; an East Asian man in his 40s who will portray a recurring guest star; and a series regular character that is appropriate for a man in his 30s of East Asian heritage and is described as having first enlisted in the Navy when he was a teenager. It's being speculated that the recurring guest star or the series regular character could be the Fire Nation Navy officer Admiral Zhao.
It was previously announced by Netflix that the live-action series adaptation will star Gordon Cormier as Aang, Kiawentiio as Katara, Ian Ousley as Sokka and Dallas Liu as Zuko. After news of the castings broke, Liu admitted "there's some pressure to do a great job." He also revealed at the time that the upcoming series is "the biggest project and the biggest role that I've been able to take part in now, especially leading with a character like Zuko, who's so complex and one of, if not the favorite, one of the favorites of the show with his fire bending and his history."
Netflix's live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender doesn't yet have a release date.
Source: The Illuminerdi