Netflix's upcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender adaptation has cast a number of major characters that helped shape Book 1 of the animated series. The most recent casting news reveals those characters include Sokka's Northern Water Tribe rival.
According to Avatar News, Netflix's live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender will feature Indigenous Cree and Métis actor Joel Oulette as the Water Tribe warrior Hahn. Fans will recognize the character as the arrogant teenage warrior who was betrothed to Princess Yue and attempted to take on Admiral Zhao during the Fire Nation's assault on the Northern Water Tribe.
It was previously reported Princess Yue will be played by Prey star and Sioux actor Amber Midthunder. In Nickelodeon's animated series, Yue aided Aang and Katara in protecting the Moon Spirit, with the young princess ultimately giving her life to restore the spirit after Zhao attempts to slay its mortal form. Yue made several subsequent appearances throughout Avatar: The Last Airbender's three seasons as an avatar of the Moon Spirit.
When it comes to the Northern Water Tribe, Oulette and Midthunder join actor A. Martinez, who plays Master Pakku. The three will appear alongside Gordon Cormier, who plays Avatar Aang; Kiawentiio Tarbell as Katara, Ian Ousley as Sokka and Dallas Liu as Zuko, Paul Sun-Hyung as Iroh and Daniel Dae Kim as series villain Fire Lord Ozai.
What Do We Know About Netflix's Avatar?
Details concerning the live-action show are scarce. However, Sun-Hyung previously teased the mature tone of the adaptation. He explained, "Let's be frank: the first season of the animated series was geared toward little kids, but as the books went on, the themes became way more mature... And you still have that whimsical quality, but the themes were so much deeper and the character arcs were so much more mature. That quality is what they're trying to bring into the first season."
On top of that, it has been speculated the roles of certain characters will be expanded, such as Avatar Kuruk, who was only briefly alluded to in Book 1 of the animated series and didn't make a full appearance in the series until Book 3. This expanded role has not yet been confirmed by Netflix or the show's creators.
Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender will have a first season comprised of eight hour-long episodes. No release date has yet been announced.
Source: Avatar News