"I'm writing today in regards to the cast of the upcoming Nickelodeon Film, "The Last Airbender." On December 9th, Entertainment Weekly published an article revealing director M. Night Shyamalan's hoped-for cast for the film, and I am offended by the decisions he and Paramount Pictures have made.

The Nickelodeon show "Avatar: The Last Airbender," on which this film is based, featured Asian and Inuit characters in a fantasy setting inspired and informed by a variety of Asian and Inuit cultures. The characters fight with East Asian martial arts, have Asian or Inuit features, dress in Asian or Inuit clothing, and write with Chinese characters. The cast and setting were a refreshing departure from predominantly white American media, and were a large part of the show's appeal as well as an inspiration to many Asian American children.

I am disappointed to read that the four actors selected to play the lead roles are all white. While the casting is not final, the statement has already been made: this film will take a culturally Asian and Inuit world and populate it with white actors. Orientalism this obvious and this dramatic is inexcusable, and I would urge Shyamalan and Paramount Pictures to reconsider their casting choices. Asian characters in a world built from Asian cultures should be played by Asian actors.

We love Avatar, and have for a long time. But we're pretty disappointed about this casting decision, and we know we're not alone in that. This post is about what we can do.

Petitions are largely pointless. Emails are easily ignored. What we need to do is send real, paper letters to Paramount Pictures and the Kennedy/Marshall company -- specifically, the two produces, Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall, and Mark Bakshi, Paramount's president of features production -- telling them why we're offended by their casting choices and what we want them to do about it.

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Always remember what Jesus said "Once you've worn chilled boxers you never go back..."
Saint Oniisan

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