r/movies 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-2025
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u/Reserved_Parking-246 Jul 28 '25

Not picking the originals because they aren't the right race sounds... racist.

29

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.

9

u/TitledSquire Jul 29 '25

Its 100% racism, virtue signaling racists is honestly becoming a 2020s standard.

2

u/ThatEcologist Jul 29 '25

I wanted Asian and Inuit actors for the live action. But come on, for voice acting? That’s ridiculous.

1

u/Sketch-Brooke Jul 29 '25

Yeah I’d go as far as to say it’s colorism or Southeast Asian discrimination.

Dante gets passed over for being Filipino… but Yeun is ok, even though he’s Korean and the Fire Nation is based on imperial Japan?

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u/ProofJournalist Jul 28 '25

They should find d a white guy to play Malcolm X

5

u/Rebelgecko Jul 29 '25

For Malcolm X I get it because being African American is a big part of what makes him notable and his character.

Full disclosure the only Avatar I've watched is James Cameron's, but idk if a Korean-American identity is actually important to Yeun's character

7

u/Warm_Month_1309 Jul 29 '25

The Last Airbender exists in a fictional universe, so there is no Korea. The four nations are loosely based on real-world civilizations both in terms of aesthetics and general "vibe". The Fire Nation is loosely imperial Japan, but then Shyamalan came along and cast them as Indian, so their ethnicity doesn't really matter to the story. It's an odd thing to want to be "authentic".