It’s a long, long way to Ba Sing Se, but at least the cast is looking pretty (good)! The Netflix live-action adaptation of the critically acclaimed animation series, Avatar: The Last Airbender, has found its Uncle Iroh, Gyatso, and Commander Zhao.
According to Variety, Paul Sun-Hyung Lee from Kim’s Convenience and The Mandalorian has been cast as the fandom’s beloved Uncle Iroh. Uncle Iroh is the ex-crown prince of the Fire Nation and a retired General (he is also known as the Dragon of the West). It will be exciting to see Lee play the wise and nurturing mentor and father figure to Prince Zuko; he accompanies the young prince in his exile to assist him in finding the long-lost Avatar.
Additionally, Lim Kay Siu from Anna and the King and Nightwatch is cast as Gyatso, and Ken Leung from Star Wars: The Force Awakens is cast as Commander Zhao. Gyatso is an Air Nomad, acting as Aang’s caring guardian, mentor, and friend while Commander Zhao is a dangerously ambitious Fire Nation officer who will do whatever it takes to accomplish his goals.
Early this year, it was announced that Netflix had cast Gordon Cormier as Aang, Kiawentiio as Katara, Ian Ousley as Sokka, and Dallas Liu as Zuko. And early this month, Netflix revealed Daniel Dae Kim as Fire Lord Ozai. The live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender will use a “new virtual production volume designed and operated by Pixomondo (PXO) Virtual Production.” It is the same technology used by other hit series like The Mandalorian.
The more information that Netflix releases on the live-action adaptation gets me more excited about Avatar: The Last Airbender. With new technology used for production and a perfect cast, this Netflix production sounds very promising!