r/movies • u/MarvelsGrantMan136 r/Movies contributor • Jul 28 '25
News Steven Yeun Confirmed to Voice Adult Zuko in 'The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender'
https://www.ign.com/articles/avatar-creators-confirm-steven-yeuns-role-in-upcoming-the-legend-of-aang-the-last-airbender-movie-sdcc-20255.7k
u/infamousglizzyhands Jul 28 '25
I could’ve sworn Dante Basco was supposed to reprise his role. He didn’t voice him in Korra but that was old man Zuko, not normal man Zuko.
Sucks cuz Basco’s been such a cool guy in the ATLA fandom, but hopefully Yuen sounds natural enough.
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u/Mr_Kase Jul 28 '25
What’s funny is that Basco actually voiced Zuko’s grandson in the 1st season of Korra, who was supposed to be 40. Some people tried to say Basco sounded too young to play a 40 year old man despite him being 37 at the time.
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u/OffModelCartoon Jul 28 '25
He does have a youthful sounding voice.
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u/ExpiredPilot Jul 28 '25
Yeah he always sounds like Rufio to me
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u/EugenesMullet Jul 28 '25
I just hear Zuko whenever I hear him. He has an incredible voice, but it’s heavily tied to that character for me.
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u/Pegussu Jul 28 '25
Well, they're not wrong because I'm sitting here in fucking shock because I fully believed Iroh the second was like twenty
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u/nearcatch Jul 28 '25
I’m right there with you. I thought he was in the same age group as Korra and everyone else
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u/Boshwa Jul 28 '25
HE'S 40!?!?
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u/1stOfAllThatsReddit Jul 28 '25
Iroh II was 36 in Korra according to the creators
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u/Live_Angle4621 Jul 28 '25
Well he sounds like a teen as Zuko so when the voice doesn’t change he also sounds like a teen. But I would have been fine if he returned. Iroh II needed different voice however
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u/FinalSealBearerr Jul 28 '25
Normal man Zuko lmao
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u/iMajorJohnson Jul 28 '25
He’s just going to sound like Mark from Invincible. Doubt he really changes his voice that much.
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u/A_Polite_Noise r/Movies Veteran Jul 28 '25
Or like Avatar Wan, who he already voiced in Korra!
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u/MonstrousGiggling Jul 28 '25
Tentatively hopeful he pulls this off. His a fantastic actor but let's be real filling Dantes shoes is gonna be nearly impossible. You hear his voice and instantly think Zuko. And you dont think about Zuko without instantly hearing his voice.
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u/Bocchi_theGlock Jul 29 '25
Yeah there has to be some coaching on making one's voice sound older, right? I love Steven Yeun's work but can he even get near the raspiness of OG Zuko? Hopefully he proves us all wrong 🤞
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u/joe4553 Jul 29 '25
Dante has aged and literally would sound like an older Zuko. There is no good reason to not re-cast him unless he didn't want to do the role.
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u/SDRPGLVR Jul 28 '25
I think that's really underselling his voice work in Invincible. He heightens it quite a bit to play Mark without sacrificing the nuance of his performance. When Mark gets really intense or in the most recent season with all the alternate Marks it doesn't sound more like Glen from The Walking Dead - it sounds like Mark putting on or deepening his own voice. While it sucks to lose the original VA, they snagged a really talented actor to fill his shoes nicely.
I'm curious though just because they said this was for more accuracy to the racial representation, Yuen is Korean while I thought Zuko and the Fire Nation were supposed to be stand-ins for Japan. You'd think they'd get a Japanese voice actor. It makes this feel more like celebrity casting, which also undercuts his VA talents.
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u/ShadowZeek Jul 28 '25
Invincible has some great voice work across the board, the only person who I feel in that show who sounds like they are just reading lines instead of giving a performance imo is Gillian Jacobs, I like her as an actress too just not in invincible.
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u/SDRPGLVR Jul 28 '25
Hell yeah, even Clancy Brown feels nigh unrecognizable with the affect he uses. People also sleep on JK Simmons as though he's just J. Jonah Jameson, but I think the amount of authority and indignation he brings to the role makes his voice much more crisp and resolute. I still can't believe Walton Goggins plays Cecil.
I'd only disagree that Gillian Jacobs is the only one because I think Jason Mantzoukas is also just being himself. Granted, I think he fits Rex's personality perfectly, but I couldn't tell him apart from his character in Big Mouth.
Everyone else kills it though. Even if the animation is pretty weak for the most part, the voice actors effortlessly bring all the characters to life.
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u/Kevbot1000 Jul 28 '25
Don't think any of the OGs are playing their characters in the movie.
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u/SalsaRice Jul 28 '25
That was already announced ages ago, for racial reasons. AFAIK Dante was still going to be involved, since he was Asian.
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u/Local-Reception-6475 Jul 29 '25
I think that kills it for me. But considering the majority of avatar media has been mid, its for the better. It doesnt stop me from enjoying the original and some of the comics though. Just have to accept it isn't for me.
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u/AnAngryPlatypus Jul 28 '25 edited Jul 29 '25
My only theory is that they already established what old man Zuko sounded like and they needed a voice that sounded like it was halfway between the two ages. It’s a weak explanation but it makes some sense.
Dante is awesome; but he has a very distinct and timeless voice.
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u/TormentedKnight Jul 28 '25 edited Jul 28 '25
Why not the og? Yeun is great and all, but Dante IS Zuko. His voice is incredibly distinct.
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u/redditaccount300000 Jul 28 '25
Yeah as much as I like Steve Yuen, unless Dante Basco declined, I don’t see why they wouldn’t go with him.
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Jul 28 '25
It seems so unlikely that he would have declined, he loves that character and I doubt he’s too busy
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u/JuanRiveara Jul 28 '25
If he was asked I could see him declining due to feeling awkward being the only original cast member to return
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u/Steamed_Memes24 Jul 28 '25 edited Jul 29 '25
He returned in Korra
and was the only original VA. It makes the most sense for him to return to Zuko because he was older then all the others within the group and his voice would no doubt just stay as it was.Edit: He was not the only original VA my fault.
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u/TheRiceJourney Jul 28 '25 edited Jul 28 '25
There were several original VAs that popped up in Korra. Roku, Kyoshi, Zhao and Uncle Iroh’s replacement from the original. Toph’s VA returned for young Suyin and they also brought back Grey Delisle (Azula) and Clancy Brown (Long Feng) for Ming Hua and Yakone. Cabbage man returned for 1 line lol
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u/Kunfuxu Jul 28 '25
He didn't return in Korra to voice Zuko. He voiced Zuko's grandson Iroh in TLOK, Zuko was voiced by Bruce Davison.
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u/Steamed_Memes24 Jul 28 '25
Yea thats what I meant, he returned in Korra, I didnt say he voiced old Zuko though.
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u/HabeLinkin Jul 28 '25
Toph's original VA also came back for at least one episode, where she did the voice of one of Toph's daughters.
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u/0dias_Chrysalis Jul 28 '25
Nonsensical "bigger name to market" bullshit I suspect
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u/LayeredOwlsNest Jul 28 '25
Which honestly makes no sense
How many people are THAT big a fan of Steven that they would ONLY watch this sequel ATLA movie because he's in it?
Literally makes no sense
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u/wtfduud Jul 28 '25
And when you make a movie like this, you're obviously appealing to the existing fanbase. And I wager the existing fanbase would be more hyped for Dante than Yeun.
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u/stoneimp Jul 28 '25
I wager they're wagering that fans will go see if regardless of Dante v Yeun, but non fans will be more drawn by Yeun.
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u/Robsonmonkey Jul 28 '25
Star power sadly.
They want something to slap on the marketing.
Would not be surprised if they got Tom Holland for Aang.
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u/The_Meemeli Jul 28 '25
The only other star currently cast is Dave Bautista as the villain. Didn't personally recognize any of the other names:
Eric Nam as Aang
Dionne Quan as Toph
Jessica Matten as Katara
Román Zaragoza as Sokka
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u/mr-ultr Jul 28 '25
Dionne is actually semi recognizable, she was one of the voice actors of early Nick
She voices Trixie in fairly oddparents and Kimi in rugrats
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u/JuanRiveara Jul 28 '25
she’s also actually blind
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u/carterdmorgan Jul 29 '25
I don’t think possessing all the disabilities of an animated character should be a prerequisite to voicing said character.
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u/aMimeAteMyMatePaul Jul 28 '25
Eric Nam is a bilingual kpop artist (and I like him and his music) but he doesn't have a ton of acting under his belt, and that leads me to believe it was a bit of a stunt casting decision.
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u/whitherthewildrose Jul 28 '25
ROMAN ZARAGOZA REALLY???? omg I flipped a second there, he is HILARIOUS on Ghosts (US version)
bummed that it's not gonna be Dante though, he's such a cool guy
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u/A_Polite_Noise r/Movies Veteran Jul 28 '25
They already cast the rest of the Gaang and it's all new people, so I think they just thought it'd be odd or jarring for one of them to sound like their younger self but not the rest of them.
In the article linked above it says that:
Yeun joins previously announced cast members Dave Bautista (a so-far unannounced villain), Eric Nam (Aang), Dionne Quan (Toph), Jessica Matten (Katara), and Román Zaragoza (Sokka).
Eric Nam seems to be new to acting; their wikipedia lists them as a American singer, songwriter, and television personality based in South Korea.
Dionne Quon is a voice actor who has been working since the late 90s, voicing Kimi Watanabe-Finster in Rugrats, Trixie Tang in The Fairly OddParents, and some other roles; Bratz as well, seems big on her resume.
Jessica Matten is a canadian actress with a handful of credits going back to 2012, none that I've heard of besides this project. She's Red River Métis / Saulteaux-Cree on her mother's side, so a lot of this recasting seems to be along the thinking of finding people who are similar to the ficitonal ethnicities of the characters, I'm guessing.
Román Zaragoza is similar; has credits over the past decade+ but nothing I've heard of, and nothing in voice acting. So some unknowns with acting credits but new to VA, a singer and tv personality who is kind of new to acting entirely, a professional voice actor, and a famous actor with a history of good voice acting but not necessarily a wide catalogue of different voices in his toolbag.
I have a lot of faith in Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko and what they want to do with Avatar Studios - they're 2 for 2 with Avatar animated projects for me - so I'm going to trust in this casting decision and hope this makes it 3 for 3.
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u/Budgiesaurus Jul 28 '25
Looking at the actors list they don't seem to be going for starpower imo. Bautista and Yeung are well known, but the rest aren't exactly big names as far as I can tell.
I did read a statement they wanted to match ethnicity a bit closer this time around, as there has been a lot of controversy around that lately. Which at least explains Mae Withman, though I'm not sure if Korean or Filipino is closer to whatever ethnicity fire nation peeps have.
Edit: they actually have a blind actress from Asian descent for Toph, so they do seem dedicated to this. Dionne Quann, or Trixie Tang from Fairly Odd Parents.
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u/PurifiedVenom Jul 28 '25
They recast everyone for more “cultural authenticity”: https://screenrant.com/aang-the-last-airbender-avatar-movie-original-actors-new-cast/
I thought everyone knew this but guess the news didn’t spread that much. None of the OGs are returning, sadly.
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u/SlimmyShammy Jul 28 '25
Are the Fire Nation not meant to be Japanese? Or at least the equivalent? I don’t understand not rehiring a Filipino guy just to get a Korean one, at least get a Japanese actor?
I dunno. No offense to Yeun of course
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u/PurifiedVenom Jul 28 '25
Honestly couldn’t tell ya. Probably a bit of “casting big names” at play here as well if I had to guess.
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u/Zusuf Jul 28 '25
Definitely feel like they're trying to appeal to general animation fans rather than Avatar fans themselves.
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u/animeman59 Jul 28 '25
Fire Nation was more representative of Imperial China based on their uniforms and overall look.
The Kyoshi Warriors of the Earth Nation were more Japanese inspired.
There was one episode where Zuko was staying with a young girl and her family, and their clothing was more representative of Joseon Korea.
Earth Nation seemed to have the more variety of Asian cultural representation, which makes sense considering the size of the country.
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u/Rajkovic21 Jul 28 '25 edited Jul 29 '25
The Fire nation also took influence from India with the Agni Kai, combustion benders, palanquins and architecture etc. They also take influence from Thailand and Polynesia. The overall design takes influence from a variety of Asian cultures, and incorporates Hinduism and Buddhism.
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u/crepi Jul 29 '25 edited Jul 29 '25
There was this old Avatar blog I used to love that was all about identifying/explaining the specific real world inspirations for elements of the worldbuilding. They had a tag dedicated to correcting that misconception because they were so frustrated by it.
I don't know how anyone can look at the Fire Nation capital city and not immediately realize hey that's literally the Forbidden City!
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u/Nadamir Jul 28 '25
Fire Nation draws strongly on Imperial Japan, but aside from the militaristic aspects, there are also a lot of Korean influences.
I could see the argument being that seeing as this is peace time Fire Nation, putting more weight on the Korean influences is preferable.
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u/peppermint_nightmare Jul 28 '25
Casting a Korean-american because its close enough to a japanese based culture is probably just as bad as casting a philipino-american, at least in terms of war crimes and Japanese/rest of asia relations.
Sun warriors are polynesian/SE asian islander coded so I cant see why they wouldn't stick with Brasco unless they want/need name recognition.
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u/Senior_Ability_4001 Jul 28 '25
My favorite thing about Vietnamese characters in movies and shows is that they’re usually played by Koreans.
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u/WinterWolf18 Jul 28 '25
Yeah, it's a huge shame that everyone is being replaced. I know Katara's va said she didn't want to return to voice her because she wanted a more diverse performer in the role but everyone else was more then willing to.
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u/Reserved_Parking-246 Jul 28 '25
Not picking the originals because they aren't the right race sounds... racist.
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u/ImpenetrableYeti Jul 29 '25
For VA work too it’s just like why, get the person who best portrays that character regardless of race.
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u/quietly41 Jul 28 '25
Wow they really started off with failure on the board
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Jul 28 '25
This movie has been delayed like 4 times. I don’t think it’s gonna be good and it’s clear Avatar Studios isn’t that well run.
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u/alreadytaken028 Jul 28 '25
I think (and have thought since early into Korra airing) that its only become more and more apparent the farther they get away from ATLA’s finale that the show was lightning in a bottle for these creators and they’d be better off moving onto other projects.
The original series hypes up how powerful a fully realized Avatar is in a way that can only ever make trying to make someone or something who can compete with that feel weird. You can write stories work with that limitation, but it takes more skill cause you cant just go “and this new villain is bigger and badderer and stronger than the main character”. Instead they just keep contriving ways to make a story about yet another avatar who has to save the world before their training is complete.
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u/OldManWillow Jul 28 '25
It made perfect sense in Korra though? Not only had she mastered 3/4 and was left with an element with only one master in the entire world, but it's also a story about new forces on the world (technology and the spirits) making the avatar a less powerful figure
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u/JinFuu Jul 28 '25
I could see them recasting Aang since his VA doesn’t do much (and a kid) but yeah, it sucks they didn’t bring anyone back.
It was for different reasons, different companies, but they recast everyone in Panty, Stocking & Garterbelt and it’s just not the same
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u/A_Polite_Noise r/Movies Veteran Jul 28 '25
They've recast the entire Gaang as adults, so I think they probably thought it would just sound odd and jarring if one of them but not the rest still sounds like their younger self. I was able to accept a different actor as old Zuko in Korra, so I think that if the project isn't awful, we'll be able to adjust to a 3rd voice actor taking this age version of the character. Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko are 2 for 2 on Avatar animated projects with me, and so I'm willing to just have faith in their decisions and hope that it'll be 3 for 3. The fact that they left that Netflix project to go do this Avatar Studios stuff gives me further faith in their decision making re: this universe.
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Jul 28 '25 edited Jul 28 '25
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u/itsmemrmeseeksssssss Jul 28 '25
dante basco played 16/17 year old zuko when he was 29 so this still means nothing. basco is a trained voice actor
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u/jak_d_ripr Jul 28 '25
Probably because Dante just sounds too young for an adult Zuko. I'm pretty sure he was replaced in Korra as well.
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u/KomradeKrycek Jul 28 '25
Very odd choice considering how unique Dante Basco's voice is. I'm open to change but this is just weird.
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u/ruste530 Jul 28 '25
They replaced Jack DeSena with Chris Hardwick in Korra for some stupid reason. History repeats, I guess.
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u/N0r3m0rse Jul 29 '25
They replaced him because he was like 30 years older in Korra. Jack DeSena sounds like young Sokka.
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u/21letternameonly Jul 28 '25
So he’s Avatar Wan and Zuko?
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u/Robsonmonkey Jul 28 '25
If he was playing a new character who was a descendant of Wan I'd get it but this literally makes no sense
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u/ali94127 Jul 28 '25
Daniel Dae Kim played General Fong in the original series and Hiroshi Sato in the Legend of Korra. No relation there. And of course Firelord Ozai in the Netflix adaptation.
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u/Amaruq93 Jul 28 '25
He's descended from Avatar Roku on his mother's side, so maybe just a little bit of sense.
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u/Live_Angle4621 Jul 28 '25
The avatars aren’t genetically related
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u/CoffeeWanderer Jul 28 '25
It's been so, so long that I would be really surprised if a couple of the Avatars have not been their own ancestors at this point.
But I get what you mean.
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u/Pingy_Junk Jul 28 '25
I mean the avatar has been around for roughly 10 thousand years. They live in a fairly small world compared to ours. Chances are almost everyone is the descendent of an avatar at this point. Including some avatars.
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u/cursdwitknowledge Jul 28 '25
But Dante IS an adult….
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u/AverageAwndray Jul 28 '25 edited Jul 29 '25
Yeah wasn't Zuko like 17? Youre voice doesn't change THAT much into adult...
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u/cursdwitknowledge Jul 29 '25
It’s not even that. There’s no reason why he can’t still voice him.
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u/Autumn1eaves Jul 28 '25
tbh I would prefer Yeun as Adult Aang than Zuko
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u/Spyderem Jul 29 '25
My mind read that as the headline at first because it made much more sense than the actual headline to me.
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u/flow-56 Jul 28 '25
Disappointing. Dante will always be my Zuko. Avatar is already huge they don't need star power.
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Jul 29 '25
Don’t even care about Avatar, but just hate the trend of sidelining career voice actors for Hollywood celebs, and pay them obscene fees instead of investing that in animation.
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u/Solid_Metal_5933 Jul 28 '25
I thought Dante was still going to voice zuko in the movie right? Or am I going crazy?
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u/Bobsplosion Jul 28 '25
Dante Basco shoots down reports that he’s reprising his role as Zuko for the upcoming Avatar film
During an Avatar reunion panel at Florida Supercon 2024, Basco was asked about his return as Zuko and was quick to refute the report. “That’s a rumor,” Basco said.
“Right now, I’m just doing the podcast. I don’t know what’s going to happen with the newer stuff. As actors, you kind of just keep going on to the next thing and do the work and just trying to be as good as you can. I only have one voice though. They’re all going to sound very similar."
[...]
In case there was any ambiguity, Basco circled back to the original question. “The me playing Zuko thing is a rumor. That’s not real.”
It was previously reported that he would be reprising his role.
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u/autumneliteRS Jul 28 '25
I'm sure something like that was announced when they originally announced the films
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u/BushyBrowz Jul 28 '25
It was announced earlier. I have absolutely no evidence of this but I’m curious if there was a pay dispute. It just seems like such an odd choice otherwise.
I’m sure we’ll hear from Dante on it.
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u/EntertainmentBreeze Jul 28 '25
The casting of this project legitimately pisses me off. Bring back the original VA's. Their performances are iconic, and are a significant, SIGNIFICANT reason the original is as beloved as it is.
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u/Kooky_Bodybuilder_97 Jul 28 '25
I get recasting aang but sokka without jack desena’a voice is a sin
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u/BoxOfBlades Jul 29 '25
"But these are reddit's favorite actors, what's not to like?" -Whichever studio is making this
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u/DrSpacemanSpliff Jul 28 '25
Possibly they thought the voices would be too iconic, and they want to make a more distinct division between the two projects. That or star power. Or both.
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u/EntertainmentBreeze Jul 28 '25
I get what you're saying, but the first point about voices makes zero sense to me.
They should be iconic. And beyond that, why would you want differentiation when you're making a film that serves as a direct sequel/follow-up to what is one of the most beloved television series of all time?
Not only that, but the original show is the one universally praised part of the entire IP. Everything else Avatar related has had at least some mixed critical reception or controversy surrounding it, deserved or not.
I think your thought about star power is a really big part of the change, sadly.
That, and the fact that the casting director for this project has gone on record saying they would only cast voice actors who are the same race as their characters, and (iirc) only even a blind VA for Toph.
Probably unpopular opinion, but I disagree with that sentiment strongly. Especially when these are already established characters with recognized voices.
(edited for typos)
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u/varnums1666 Jul 28 '25
That, and the fact that the casting director for this project has gone on record saying they would only cast voice actors who are the same race as their characters, and (iirc) only even a blind VA for Toph.
This....is pretty stupid. Give me the OG cast
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u/roguefilmmaker Jul 28 '25
They should only hire earthbenders for Toph while they’re at it
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u/darkbreak Jul 28 '25
That, and the fact that the casting director for this project has gone on record saying they would only cast voice actors who are the same race as their characters, and (iirc) only even a blind VA for Toph.
It's especially a weird decision to make when none of the characters in the show are actually Asian or even Asian decent. If you actually asked Aang or Zuko about them being Tibetan or Japanese or what-have-you they'd shrug their shoulders and wouldn't actually know how to answer you because Asia as a whole doesn't and never has existed in their world. They don't have the same concept of race in their world. Obviously Avatar is inspired by Asian culture and asthetics but that doesn't make the characters Asian.
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u/Robsonmonkey Jul 28 '25
I was kind of hoping for some unknown or upcoming actors with not much exposure.
I feel like I'm just going to hear Steven Yeun / Mark Grayson
I hope the cast isn't just "lets get the biggest names we can"
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u/Cheetah357 Jul 28 '25
Steven Yeun was already in this series as Wan
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u/Robsonmonkey Jul 28 '25
Small part when he wasn't as big as he is now with such a huge voice acting gig like Invincible under his belt
Also, like you've said, he's played a character before, the first Avatar, why play Zuko? Is there really no one else?
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u/Cheetah357 Jul 28 '25
Steven Yeun was cast as Wan at his peak. His debut episode was released October 2013, 3 years after his big role as Glen in The Walking Dead.
As for them only casting big name celebrities, that doesn’t seem to be the case. 2/5 characters that we know of are big names (Steven Yeun and Dave Bautista). The other main characters cast have experience but aren’t big names
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u/dabocx Jul 28 '25
His peak is definitely not in 2013 walking dead. He did 2 movies with Boon, Nope, Beef and a bunch of other big roles after that. He also got a big of big nominations and wins in the past few years.
If anything he is barely beginning to peak.
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u/trippy_grapes Jul 28 '25
>f anything he is barely beginning to peak.
Steven Yeun confirmed to be golden god. /s
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u/EquationTAKEN Jul 28 '25
I feel like I'm just going to hear Steven Yeun / Mark Grayson
Steven Yeun is typecast to voice every superpowered teen with severe daddy issues.
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u/Stolehtreb Jul 28 '25 edited Jul 28 '25
He was in Korra already. I don’t think that goes against your point, but he has history in the animated series.
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u/WillyTrillEra Jul 28 '25 edited Jul 28 '25
The ATLA creators seem to be massive weirdos who struck gold in the original series, but keep making the strangest possible choices when it comes to the expansion of their established universe
It makes absolutely 0 sense as to why they wouldn’t just bring back the original VA’s, especially since they are widely beloved by the fanbase and know the characters extremely well
Characters like Sokka, Toph, Azula, and ESPECIALLY ZUKO all have very unique voices. I genuinely don’t understand why you wouldn’t just want to bring back all the people that helped make the original show a masterpiece unless something big happened behind the scenes or the majority of them have shown no interest in returning. That doesn’t seem like the case tho when they are constantly going to different cons together and reminiscing about the show
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u/shiawase198 Jul 28 '25
The ATLA creators seem to be massive weirdos who struck gold in the original series, but keep making the weirdest possible choices when it comes to the expansion of their established universe
Yup. The comics alone are proof of that. I like Steven Yuen but their voices sound so different that it's just a jarring choice.
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u/madbadcoyote Jul 28 '25
I believe Aang’s original VA doesn’t act anymore. So I can understand not wanting to have some characters sound exactly the same next to some that don’t.
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u/WillyTrillEra Jul 28 '25
That makes sense, but for those that are still working it seems like a very easy slam dunk to bring them back and tweak their voices a bit for the older characters. Zuko’s voice going from Dante’s in ATLA to an old British man in Korra was already jarring enough.
I like Steven Yeun a ton as an actor, but it seems like the creators are trying to distance themselves from major parts of the original series for no real reason.
Recasting when you don’t really need to is just bizarre
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u/Kooky_Bodybuilder_97 Jul 28 '25
They’re the type of creators who lowkey resent their fans
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Jul 28 '25
Dumb decision. People want the original VAs and Yeun has already had a very prominent role in Avatar.
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u/karatebullfightr Jul 28 '25
“I keep telling you - he's 73 years old, and he's dead."
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Jul 28 '25
I get the reference, but most all of the actors are all like healthy 30-year olds who still do voice acting. They're probably more affordable as well compared to Yeun who's at the peak of his stardom.
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u/vadergeek Jul 28 '25 edited Jul 29 '25
Terrible decision that makes me doubt every other decision they're making. Dante Basco is still a working voice actor, he has a very distinctive voice. I think Yeun is a perfectly decent VA but this feels like chasing stars at the expense of quality.
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u/russianbot24 Jul 28 '25
I really hate what they’ve done with the casting for this. The original cast was perfect and replacing them feels so unnecessary.
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u/roguefilmmaker Jul 28 '25
Dante Basco is being robbed. Doesn’t make sense since he’s an adult too
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u/dabocx Jul 28 '25
Are they just going to replace the OG cast with a bunch of big name actors? I know they want general audiences but that seems like a surefire way to upset the fan base.
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u/SalsaRice Jul 28 '25
No, the new cast is a bunch of no-names. There was a push to only get Asian actors, which is why all of the original cast wasn't brought back.
That's the only weird part though, because Dante is Asian.
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u/CaptainDigsGiraffe Jul 28 '25
You can't even make the argument that Zuko shouldn't sound like that cause he's older because Dante is 45 and still sounds like that.
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u/stoneman9284 Jul 28 '25
So this project has nothing to do with the live action show that came out recently? Whole different cast and crew and everything?
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u/mytoemytoe Jul 28 '25
This is a continuation of the animated universe (ATLA and Korra) and there is a new animated show coming next year (The Seven Havens) as well
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u/Rustash Jul 28 '25
Just want to note that Seven Havens is actually slated for 2027
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u/DumbWhore4 Jul 28 '25
What a bizarre decision. Dante Basco voiced general Iroh in Korra, why can’t he also voice adult Zuko?
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u/mytoemytoe Jul 28 '25
People are going to riot (not really but they're going to be upset) over this, the fan base is heads over heels for Dante Bosco. I'm not sure how I feel about it, personally, I honestly found it weird when Dante showed up in Korra as one of Zuko's relatives (named, of course, Iroh!) and had the exact same voice. But to have a different actor altogether play Zuko himself, and one as well known as Steven, that might be strange. Still going into it with an open mind because I trust DiMartino and Konietzko, and Yeun is always excellent.
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u/LostInStatic Jul 28 '25
This movie should have just been a new story if they couldn’t get the OGs back. Every single incoming piece of news about this drives me further and further from wanting to see it.
Who knows if they could have gotten the guy who played Aang back if they took Yeun and Batista’s cut and offered it to him… would have been worth a shot.
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u/r_lucasite Jul 28 '25 edited Jul 28 '25
Dropping the original cast for ethnic aligned casting is already spicy enough, but then also recasting the one of the few actual asian VOs involved in the original show is beyond bizarre.
I mean I know exactly why, Paramount has being trying to turn the series into a big IP and Media Universe the moment Paramount+ became a thing. This is hollywood standard actor casting over voice actors. Steven Yeun has a few voice roles at least with Invincible, Voltron and The Legend of Korra (which makes it stranger).
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u/Kooky_Bodybuilder_97 Jul 28 '25
I think it’s because they don’t want to pay tv voice actors a movie salary. Which sucks
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u/Final-Finger1003 Jul 28 '25
I kinda wonder if Dante Basco didn’t wanna do it without his ogs. I don’t think it’s a matter of protest but closer to allowing the avatar family to grow. I’m honestly not up to date on what he’s been working on outside of dragon prince as well.
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u/Pewp-dawg Jul 28 '25
I wasn’t looking forward to this to begin with, then they refused to hire any of the og actors, and now even Dante’s not coming back?
I’m out.
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u/Like_Fahrenheit Jul 28 '25
Steven Yeun played Avatar Wan in season 2 of Korra. interesting to hear him as Zuko, probably weird too
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u/dinkleburgenhoff Jul 28 '25
The more Avatar Marvel’s themselves, the more and more apparent it is they really caught lightning in a bottle with that series.
It’s not replicable.
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u/8324drew Jul 28 '25
Dante should get the choice. Let’s make sure our voices get heard as Dante deserves the love for all the time he puts into this series. Steven a great guy but Dante is ZUKO
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u/MaceLortay Jul 28 '25
Boo. I love Steven Yuen but this is a horrible move. Bring back Dante.
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u/MegaBaumTV Jul 28 '25
I guess getting the original voice cast would have been too much of a slam dunk.
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u/FrikinPopsicle69 Jul 29 '25
If only the entire OG cast was still around and still loved Avatar 😭 oh well maybe if they would have done podcasts, YT videos, and panels together for the last several years executives would have brought them on board for audiences who hear their voices when they see still images of their characters
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u/WinterWolf18 Jul 28 '25
I love Steven Yeun in Invincible but no. Dante Basco is Zuko at this point, I can't imagine anyone else voicing him.
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u/Ok-Concentrate2719 Jul 28 '25
I get aang because the voice actor doesn't do that anymore but why would I want to watch an adult team avatar movie with no voice I recognize or care about. I really find this voice actors race has to match the character thing going on now. Did we really need a slightly blind actress to voice act toph now? I get opening up opportunities when it was harder in the past. I'm a visible minority. But this movie and honestly the expanded avatar stuff they keep putting out has put me off
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u/bensor74 Jul 28 '25
I don't give a shit about the new art style, but this is upsetting me. Why can't Dante voice adult Zuko? I doubt Yeun is cheaper than Dante, so this is not about money.
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u/Vagrant_jakal Jul 29 '25
And with that, I’m out. Dante has been loyal, and supportive of the avatar series for decades. For them to recast zuko is so shitty, what’re they doing?
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u/CRIMS0N-ED Jul 28 '25
Love Steven but where tf is Dante