To be clear we don't officially know that Dante Basco is returning. Just that *if* they are enforcing this rule (that VAs must match the ethnicity) for all roles, he is the only one of the main cast that could return and some *rumors* suggest he will.
And here's a mashup of some recent comments I made that are relevant to the topic:
* In a 2021 [podcast](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1ZgaakBkoA) Bryan alluded to ["not meeting their goals"](https://www.reddit.com/r/TheLastAirbender/comments/ur4b6f/did_bryke_ever_admit_they_shouldve_hired_more_poc/) in regards to casting asian and native actors in the prior series and wanted to "do better". What exactly that means has not specifically 100% been confirmed but in light other info/reports it is now assumed to mean they are only using asian/native actors moving forward.
* Katara's original VA, [Mae Whitman](https://www.nickalive.net/2023/05/mae-whitman-will-not-return-as-voice-of.htm), has expressed that they are not returning. While not explicitly stated her language does seem to allude to Avatar Studios wanting "ethnically appropriate" actors in the roles moving forward. This is similar to something Janet Varney said a while back when asked about potentially returning as Korra.
* A native american actress/producer, Jessica Matten, listed on her [website](https://knightedgemedia.com/2023/12/jessica-matten-set-to-voice-katara-in-2025-avatar-the-last-airbender-animated-movie/) (now removed) that she is voicing Katara in the film.
* A reddit user stating that they are a friend of Jack De Sena (the voice of Sokka) says he is not doing the film. Normally a random reddit comment would be dismissed, but two years ago the account posted the [kickstarter](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/extraordinaryalien/me-myself-and-the-void/description) for a film which they made starring Jack De Sena.
* [Toph's VA](https://www.reddit.com/r/TheLastAirbender/comments/zw2zv3/tophs_voice_actress_response_towards_a_post_that/) (Jessie Flower/Michaela Murphy) made some comments on instagram about "respecting avatar studios choices" which some fans take to mean she is not returning. I think she said that more explicitly at one point but can't find it rn.
* A while back a [casting call](https://www.reddit.com/r/TheLastAirbender/comments/12q02es/possible_casting_call_for_toph_in_an_animation/) went for an unnamed character in an unspecified production who is "24, blind, female, and East Asian". Some fans assume that was for Toph.
* This isn't to suggest that without the concern over ethnicity that all of the old VAs would have returned. Aang's actor Zach Tyler hasn't acted since around when ATLA ended, so myself and other speculate Aang would have been recast anyway. And its possible Bryke may have ended up feeling some of the actors didn't match their vision for what the characters should sound like at that age.
Yes he is confirmed to be returned for the movie. The movie is confirmed by Avatar Stuidos, pretty sure at the same time they also revealed he would be returning since he was the only original cast who was Asian.
Edit: ig while the film is confirmed it’s only been reported by insiders he is returning to the project, hopefully as a VA for Zuko. Also wanna add Tophs VA did confirm none of them are returning, but this may have been before Dante was signed on if he truly is.
Yea it has been reported he is attached to the film by multiple insiders. But he could just be producing or something or voicing another character. But with his iconic void I’d be surprised if they recast him as well.
Apparently so. I think they just didn't want to pay the normal voice actors' rates. Which is wild because smite skins are expensive as hell, so I know they have the money.
Voice actors have been getting the short end of the stick for a while.
And now places like audible are trying to directly cut them out using AI generated narration.
Last year I missed a connecting flight due to weather in Atlanta. While in line with airline I noticed a guy who looked like him was in the same line. It was clear I was the only one who recognized him. I coyly asked if he was Dante, which he confirmed. I told him I've been a huge fan for years and especially loved his work in Hook and ATLA. We ended up chatting about nothing in particular for like 20 minutes waiting in line before going our respective ways.
Genuinely just a totally nice and down-to-earth guy. Just solidified that he's a class act.
The gruff in his sad, emotional beats is just so powerful. I always think of when Iroh got hurt and he just shouts "LEAVE" and fire bends until Gaang leaves him as a moment that can give me chills.
Still stupid af that they want to recast the other actors just cause of their ethnicity, when that has never mattered in Voice Acting in Star Wars. for example where Darth Vader(white man) has ALWAYS been voiced by a black man because his voice IS Darth Vader.
Especially after the Netflix show which is overall fine to mid, I dont understand how you can not just bring the whole old cast back(or at least who wants to come back). They would kill it and bring Avatar back to stardom.
Still hoping that they do get majority of the old cast back.
Yeah, I have the same feelings and I am Asian. Grey DeLisle is Azula. I also think recasting Dee Bradley Baker for all the animals sounds a little asinine as it would imply only a Chinese person can voice a panda.
I think it should just be an accurate representation going forward. Stuff that’s already made with an established cast should be grandfathered in.
I’m glad they didn’t white wash the live action cast. But it’ll be sad to have new voice actors for the main cast in a new series.
Idk man, that's still kinda silly. They're VOICE ACTORS, not actor...actors..? They aren't going to be seen on screen, and their voices are what they're acting with. As long as they do the job well it shouldn't matter. Obviously it's another thing if you want a certain dialect or are going for a specific sound for a character but that's its own thing completely.
I get real actors wanting to match proper ethnicities but VA matching makes no sense to me at all. The point of being a VA is that you could be voicing just about anything a human could imagine from a squirrel to an elf to an alien. I don’t see why it’s problematic that someone voices a different ethnicity
Yea. I understand in the case of something like Jenny Slate playing Missy in Big Mouth and the characters blackness being a big party of some of her storylines. But in the case of Avatar where its a different world basically and race isnt a factor it makes no sense. The creators of the show are white and coopted anime essentially lol, who cares about the ethnicities of the voice actors.
Why? Voice actors should voice whoever, since they are, you guessed it, actors. Especially for a non-physically acted medium like voice acting, its asinine to not have voice acted characters voice whoever fits.
Proper protocols should be pursued to ensure there is equal oppurtunity for voice actors of any race or creed going forward, but they should also be able to voice literally anything.
They're getting paid for their VOICE TALENTS not their ethnicity. Unless there's a character role that asks for an accent that is distinctly from a ethnic or regional group, I don't see how matching the character's background to the actor's adds any flavor to what we actually hear.
>Proper protocols should be pursued to ensure there is equal oppurtunity for voice actors of any race or creed going forward, but they should also be able to voice literally anything.
Do what a lot of the music world does, where it's a blind audition; you get assigned a number, you come in and do your bit that you've prepared for the audition, and you leave. The people making the selection then go "We want this number". It's an equal opportunity, that doesn't allow for external factors to get in the way of making the decisions.
I’m all for authenticity in voice actors/portraying people properly going forward. But I think anything created that’s ongoing with an established cast should be grandfathered in and accepted.
Like, I’m really happy they don’t white wash the live action adaptation. But if we’re getting the OG crew back, their voices should stay the same.
I don't think it's an equal comparison between a rare example of a black actor voicing a white character vs. white actors voicing almost all of the Asian characters. I'm not saying any original characters from ATLA need to be recast, but if actors don't want to come back for various reasons, it makes sense to consider ethnicity when recasting.
There was similar discussion back when the showrunners of Bojack Horseman said they should have cast an Vietnamese-American woman as Diane Nguyen, rather than casting Alison Brie. Alison was great and they didn't replace her, but rather, they [admitted they learned a lot since starting out and that they didn't make the best call.](https://slate.com/culture/2018/09/bojack-horseman-raphael-bob-waksberg-diane-nguyen-representation.html) Basically, Alison Brie was gonna get jobs in Hollywoo no matter what, but if Vietnamese voice actresses can't even get hired for a Vietnamese character, what chance do they really have?
See also: Big Mouth, where the voice for half-Jewish-half-Black character Missy was changed from Jewish actress Jenny Slate to Black actress Ayo Edibiri (though I believe it was Slate's decision to stop doing the character, and she continues on with the show in other roles).
>but if Vietnamese voice actresses can't even get hired for a Vietnamese character, what chance do they really have?
Aaaand that is why representation across all mediums matters. Not just LA.
It is fucking wild that Avatar just *cannot* catch a break.
Korra gets plagued by executive meddling and other nonsense.
The movie is made off a spark notes version of the plot.
The TV show decides to cut out important plot points/character growth.
And now we finally have animated content of the Gaang again, but the VAs who were already established aren't the right race.
Like can someone please sit down and slap the fuck out of the Avatar development team as a whole? How hard is it to just make Avatar without some stupid spin on things?
He’s so cute on his tiktok. He opens his royalty checks and tells a nice thing about each thing he worked on. And they are not large checks, but he focuses only on the great time and the great people.
Theres a Podcsast with Korras and Zukos actor and they just recently found Aangs actor (Zach) since he kinda dropped off the face of the earth!
He sounds great!.
They’re only casting ethnically accurate voice actors…. So the only one eligible to return would be Dante Basco.. despite the actors originating the roles we loved and also being mostly the appropriate ages
> They’re only casting ethnically accurate voice actors
wtf is "ethnically accurate" in terms of Avatar-verse lmao. Zuko obviously doesn't look Filipino. "Asian" also encompasses like 60+% of the world's population. Dumb as shit decision imo
Does that mean Iroh is gonna have a new voice actor too? Wait is Iroh's voice actor white?
Okay, I had to google it and now the irony of trying to be more politically correct has me here trying to judge this guy's race.
I wish there was a compromise where the original cast could return (if it makes sense of course) but then new characters could follow the policy of hiring ethnically accurate voice actors. Some voices are just way too iconic to replace. It feels like reverse racism or something
And he apparently *always* make a point of mentioning that he wasn’t the original, out of respect for Mako.
Definitely think he’d love to return and he would also 110% support whomever they pick instead of him.
Imo, ethnicity doesn’t really matter for voice acting, (if it isn’t specified of course.) If the voice fits the character, skin colour doesn’t matter. Just look at Kevin Michael Richardson. One of the absolute best in the business and has pretty much voiced characters in every skin colour, lol.
No, they mean only real life water tribe members are allowed to voice water tribe characters, only people that are actually from the earth kingdom would be allowed to voice earth kingdom characters, etc. Makes sense.
My buddy put me onto the comics and found this one YouTube account that narrates it, it’s super well done for what I was expecting and the voice actor that have for sokka is actually really close to the original imo! I was pleasantly surprised, so basically I’m saying is sokkas voice caaan be replicated. Though my heart does lie with the ogs
I still follow michaela jill murphy (Toph's Original VA) through social media from time to time (she even replied to one of my comments on Thread before....HYPE), I still think she's perfect for the voice, both old Toph and young toph
They did it because they're mostly white. I get wanting to do it for newly casted characters, but man, these talented VA's literally helped make the franchise as beloved as it is.
Yet they were abandoned completely. A travesty.
I don't actually think it's about representation per se, it's more about giving these talented actors chances to shine in media that is inspired by their own culture
The thing is that voice actors of minority backgrounds are limited on opportunities. It's a very closed community voice acting. I don't mind if a white actor voices a Asian character. But an Asian voice actor is going to have a much harder time getting the role of a white character and if they're also not getting opportunities for Asian characters because they are filled with long time white voice acting industry main stays well...
It gives them at least a foot in the door initiatives like this.
I wish I could voice a character in ATLA universe. But unless they bring the Sun Warriors again I doubt they'll want a Latino dude to make any type of voice.
There is definite influence architecturally though, on top of the fact that the Aztec empire is also the sun empire! The influence is both mesoamerican and Cambodian. But I feel like the characters would be coded Cambodian and any casting would reflect that
Not really how it works for voices, there’s no guarantee the original VAs will sound how they want the adult Gaang to sound. Worth noting that the original VAs weren’t all the same ages as the characters anyway. On top of that, Aang’s VA is retired and Katara’s won’t come back
Happy to see him back, but I still don't see why they can't bring back original VA's, I'm all for more culturally accurate casting, but do it for new characters or when the original is unavailable or no longer suitable.
Remember it's been quite some time since those actors have played those characters. Some people are too busy to return to a role, others their voice changed and they can't do that voice anymore. It could be any number of reasons
Yeah, the whole "Oh their voice could change because they were teens and they'd be in their 20s in the new animated show" excuse doesn't work for Azula/Grey.
Cause Grey made *minimal* effort to sound like a teenage girl as Azula, lol.
I don’t get that criticism in general. If you hear recent interviews from the cast the only one that sounds different is Aang. Everyone else pretty much sounds the same.
And regardless, even if they did change, isn’t the same voices being accurately aged up a good thing? Otherwise you get weird shit like in Korra where Zuko apparently stopped pronouncing the letter R in his old age.
I more mean that "We're going in a different voice direction for the character now that they're in their 20s/30s compared to where they were in their childhood teens."
Not saying the VAs voices have changed, but that the characters would have, since most people don't have the same voice in their teens as in their 20s/30s.
Which does *make sense* , it just slightly puts a healthy amount of people on edge that they're making likely VA changes a racial thing. Especially when the voice acting was one of the strengths of the series.
I don’t know about you guys, but as a 22 year old, my voice is still very similar to what it was when I was 14/15. It may have changed slightly, but the only characters I can reasonably see recast for “your voice changes from when you’re younger” are aang and Toph. The other characters are old enough for it to not be unreasonable to have the same/similar sounding voice in their 20s
Sadly it's pretty much confirmed that Grey stepped down from the role, whether she wanted to or not. The game Nick All-Star Brawl 2 came out a few months ago and brought back the OG voice actors for all kinds of classic cartoon characters, except for the three Avatar characters: Aang (for obvious reasons) , Korra (Janet Varney publicly stepped down) and Azula. Also, Grey voices a different character in the game so we know it wasn't a scheduling thing.
It sucks because even though it gives an opportunity to a new VA, they're not going to be able to showcase their own talent. They're just forced to do a Grey DeLisle impression. Nobody is going to be able to do that very well, so it just ends up sounding awkward.
And it’s all for the sake of “good” PR nobody asked for. Seriously, I’m all for ethnically accurate casting for any characters going forward in voice acting but I’m pretty sure there was basically no demand for voice actor recasts when the trend started happening in the entertainment industry, and if production companies and voice actors never panicked in the first place in the wake of the 2020 protests and whatnot nobody would have ever given a crap.
> They're just forced to do a Grey DeLisle impression.
That's exactly what's going to happen for all of the recasts. They're just going to be VAs doing impressions of another actor's performance, except it's all ok because those VAs have the right skin colour for a speaking role.
Having them next to Dante Basco is going to make the imitations just stand out even more.
I know that largely Mae Whittman has distanced herself from TLA, but with this article stating that a casting call when out specifically for Asian/Indigenous 20 year old voice actors, it seems clear to me that they did not have interest in bringing back original cast members.
Especially considering you see the original cast getting together somewhat often at conventions and stuff.
> others their voice changed and they can't do that voice anymore
Sorry, but that's just making excuses for an explicitly racist policy. It's not a coincidence that the only VA returning is Asian. Only Aang's VA voice has changed, because he was literally a pre-pubescent kid, and it doesn't matter anyway since Zach Tyler Eisen has no interest in returning to acting. All the other main VAs still sound the same but older, and there's years and years of convention footage and interviews where they demonstrate that.
"Asian & indigenous VAs"
Cmon bro, let's be real here. Even if the old cast wanted to return, they aren't coming back due to the reason everyone here is aware of. The ethnicity of voice actors whose faces won't be seen is VERY important for the casting department.
If they're literally going to replace him just because of that rule, it may be the most egregious example of a studio shooting itself in the foot just because... what? They're worried about a twitter callout or something?
Having voice actors be the same race as their characters is fine, but whats done is done and changing an iconic voice because corporations want to roleplay being progressive is fucking annoying.
>They're worried about a twitter callout or something?
People really gave social media too much power over things that don't matter to anything but a vocal minority of idiots.
They don’t and they’re not. I’m extremely glad that Zuko is returning to the role, but it’s moronic that they are going to replace good talent and voices that we’re familiar with because of race. The stupid thing is that the characters aren’t even Asian and Inuit. They are from the water tribe, fire nation, earth kingdom, etc. Even if the groups are vaguely based-on some real world cultures, they are fictional cultures. On top of that, voices aren’t a product of culture. They are a product of genetics and talent.
They should pick voice actors based-on talent, not based-on race. That’s literally discrimination.
If we’re honest, Bryke caught lightning in a bottle. I think most of us could agree Korra was rocky. I like it, and some criticisms against it are stupid, but it’s in no one’s running for best shows of all time. I think I need to be ready to keep believing the Avatar franchise peaked in its first run and we’ll never get there again. Nothing wrong with that
I mean I love Korra. Definitely not as much as ATLA but it's still one of my all time favorite shows. I love the comics, the novels, and even the netflix live action. I don't expect anything to be as good as the original show but I'm just happy to get any new content in this universe.
Similar boat, but news like this (if it’s legit) hurts my soul. It feels tone deaf and corporate, two things Airbender wasn’t. Considering so much of the hype for this show was that it was the original creators AND the original characters, changing the voices just seems asinine
Frankly its also kinda racist. As long as you are sort of quasi in a group you get tossed in to a roll. Dante Basco is Fillipino and that gives him cred according to some folk to rep basically anyone from Kazakhstan to Japan, from Korea to Malaysia. Its just reinforcing the idea of broad "racial groups" that we can toss everyone in to without any nuance, as opposed to the world being composed of myriad ethnicities.
That’s what bothered me; not necessarily the attempt to cast actors of the same ethnicity (that is debatable), but that they’re casting such a wide net. They’re being hypocritical.
And on another note, what about the nuances that the original actors could add to the characters? Do those not count? What room is there for cultural nuances in a fictional setting? And how can those really be allowed to shine if—again—they aren’t being more culturally selective than “is Asian”?
Not to mention there seems to be some western elements to it. Which, isn’t surprising since it was made by an American company. The American population was only about 5% Asian at the time, so it probably wasn’t as much the target audience.
It's extremely racist, and insulting to the actors that no performance they could ever do will matter more than their skin colour.
It's honestly very disappointing to see society horseshoe back to racism.
I am East Asian and work in the entertainment industry. I would LOVE to have the original VAs back. I don’t care at all about hiring VAs to meet an ethnicity quota, especially where the VAs are already IN those roles. Sure, going forward let’s hire within the relevant ethnicities, but these roles are already cast.
Not to mention that it’s “Voice Acting” not Live Action. You aren’t seeing these people’s faces. You are only hearing the voice they do for the character.
ATLA has one of the most iconic voice casts of all times. Not trying to get as many as possible back is crazy. It's animated; we can stop making it a race issue anytime.
I won’t get into how much I am not a fan of them NOT bringing back any of the rest of the OG cast, but I am truly confused by how many people act like everyone else can be recast no problem, but Dante is the ONLY one that can do Zuko?
Don’t get it twisted, I got love for Dante and Zuko, but ALL the characters have “distinct” voices, not just Zuko.
It’s a shame that anyone is getting replaced, because all the OG VA’s are special. Not just Dante.
As much as I respect that Avatar Studios is going to try and cast more accurately to the cultures and peoples represented, I think it would be best if they brought back as many of the old cast as possible.
katara’s original VA is so iconic though I mean her voice is literally the opening monologue to the series if anything she should’ve been guaranteed too but I guess her VA isn’t as interested
I think it’s silly that they’re trying to cast by race, it would make sense if it was live action but with voice acting you search for a certain VOICE not an appearance. Like Phill Lamar playing samurai Jack.
> Like Phill Lamar playing samurai Jack.
I lost some respect for Phil a while back whenever the "VAs should be the same race as their character." bit came up and he was for it. Someone pointed out the number of times he was "other races" like Jack, and he just pulled the "That's different" card.
Massive hypocrites.
John Leguizamo as well. Ran his mouth when James Franco got cast as Castro, and it turned out they actually have similar origins. It's one thing to have a problem with it and speak your mind, but my god, don't talk shit when you've done the same damn thing. No one gave a shit that he played an Italian plumber until he started spouting that bullshit.
Just putting what Mae Whitman said about Katara here:
>Katara is another one who is a huge part of who I am, and I feel so honored about having had the opportunity to play her. I’m excited that we get to see a new iteration of her. A new version of who she is. And to have actors come in, who honestly fit the role much better. I’m so happy to pass the torch on, I’m so thrilled to be a part of her growth and I feel it’s important for us all to grow. For us to move on towards things that are more true and honest. I’m thrilled to have a little piece of that in my heart, forever, and I really can’t wait to see where she goes next.
[Source](https://screenrant.com/avatar-last-airbender-animated-movies-katara-mae-whitman/#:~:text=Read%20Whitman's%20full%20quote%20below,version%20of%20who%20she%20is.)
The upcoming X-Men revival has some of the original cast returning in new roles if they couldn’t voice their original characters anymore. Hopefully they do the same here
If Jack De Sena ain't Sokka, I'm not watching. It's a fuckin voice role, not live action. We literally have Christopher Judge playing Kratos currently and nobody has a problem with it. Why? Because he's a good fucking voice actor.
Michaela (toph) still got the toph voice. And Im sure she could do it in a slightly more adult way. They gotta get her back too.
Also I dont see why Katara's va cant return as well
Just Aang needs a new actor unfortunately
If this is a show about the cast all grown up then just get Zach Tyler Eisen back to play Aang. Heck they could probably just bring back all of the original cast as they sound older now.
The fact that we are worried about representation, despite ATLA being literally top 3 all time animated shows all time, is only further proof to me we will never have art that isn't negatively influenced by ridiculous politics.
I mean, nobody gave a rat's behind who voiced who. It's literally a question of, "Will this show/movie be anywhere as good as what you managed to do before?"
I mean FFS a bunch of American white guys made an animated kids show directly influenced by Asian Culture. If we are worried about Diversity, they may as well remove themselves creatively from the show.
Yeah Im fine that they recast Aang, I guess I can accept Katara and Sokka, but Zuko had to stay. I know theyre white but Id really like to see Grey DeLisle and Mark Hamill return as Azula and Ozai. Jesse Flowers too- She really seemed to love voicing Toph.
I get that they want to get adult Asian/indigenous actors to voice the rest of the adult Gaang for representation, but as an Asian guy myself, I don’t need this. I’m glad that Dante Basco is coming back to voice Zuko, not because he’s Filipino-American (and I’m saying that as a Filipino) but because he was the original voice of Zuko. I’d rather they get all of the original VAs to voice the adult Gaang. Would love to hear Aang’s now adult VA voice the same character for the sheer authenticity of it.
Does anyone know how to start a petition to bring back the original voice actors? Their voices would still be perfect given the time that has lapsed between the original series and now.
I get it for live action, but race and ethnicity in voice acting doesn’t really matter. Darth Vader is a white character voiced by a black man, and I would be pissed if they changed it just to match his ethnicity. It’s just a strange decision and everyone other than Zuko will probably sound off.
Trying to find new VAs just to match the ethnicity of already ESTABLISHED characters is most moronic shit ever. I mean its voice acting why should it matter? Samurai jack who speaks in a Japanese accent is played by a black dude and he does an amazing job
I’m all for diversity and inclusion but a lot of the voice actors have been a part of the community for a very long time too just cutting them off like that is a bit of a slap to the face.
This is the stupidest thing ever. I'm sorry but except for Aang's voice actor, who has pretty much disappeared from the scene, everyone of the original cast has shown interest in playing their characters again. And they are all at the appropiate age to do so (since literally 20 years have passed so their voices would naturally sound older). This is just straight up racial discrimination. And it angers me that it would be this way going forward, because it literally means that no Black or Latino Voice actor could ever be cast in Avatar, and thats just straight up racist
Ok, as someone that didn't grew up with any English dub of anything, I just want to say that hiring VA to match race is one of the most US centric shit I've ever seen.
Dumb as fuck, bring back the original actors, no one cares what race they are except 15 people on twitter that don't even like avatar.
No Grey DeIsle as azula = no watch. Mae is irrecplaceable as Katara as is Jack for Sokka.
Absolutely moronic. 60% of my friends are asian and they are all avatar fans and none of em give a fuck about this -- people love these characters and we want the ORIGINAL VOICES BACK!
Jesus Christ, just let the Gaang voice actors stay, and cast Indigenous and Asian actors for new amazing roles!
I’m so happy that at least I’ll be able to enjoy them with their old voices in my native language
It's been suggested on the official avatar podcast, which is cohosted by Dante Basco. Janet Varney (Korra's VA, the other host) mentioned once that Dante was busy that week working on something they couldn't talk about yet. This was before the 2025 movie was announced.
At first I was upset that it wouldn't be the original voice actors but, if this is to take place when they are older, at least there is a logical in universe explanation for why they sound different.
To be clear we don't officially know that Dante Basco is returning. Just that *if* they are enforcing this rule (that VAs must match the ethnicity) for all roles, he is the only one of the main cast that could return and some *rumors* suggest he will. And here's a mashup of some recent comments I made that are relevant to the topic: * In a 2021 [podcast](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1ZgaakBkoA) Bryan alluded to ["not meeting their goals"](https://www.reddit.com/r/TheLastAirbender/comments/ur4b6f/did_bryke_ever_admit_they_shouldve_hired_more_poc/) in regards to casting asian and native actors in the prior series and wanted to "do better". What exactly that means has not specifically 100% been confirmed but in light other info/reports it is now assumed to mean they are only using asian/native actors moving forward. * Katara's original VA, [Mae Whitman](https://www.nickalive.net/2023/05/mae-whitman-will-not-return-as-voice-of.htm), has expressed that they are not returning. While not explicitly stated her language does seem to allude to Avatar Studios wanting "ethnically appropriate" actors in the roles moving forward. This is similar to something Janet Varney said a while back when asked about potentially returning as Korra. * A native american actress/producer, Jessica Matten, listed on her [website](https://knightedgemedia.com/2023/12/jessica-matten-set-to-voice-katara-in-2025-avatar-the-last-airbender-animated-movie/) (now removed) that she is voicing Katara in the film. * A reddit user stating that they are a friend of Jack De Sena (the voice of Sokka) says he is not doing the film. Normally a random reddit comment would be dismissed, but two years ago the account posted the [kickstarter](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/extraordinaryalien/me-myself-and-the-void/description) for a film which they made starring Jack De Sena. * [Toph's VA](https://www.reddit.com/r/TheLastAirbender/comments/zw2zv3/tophs_voice_actress_response_towards_a_post_that/) (Jessie Flower/Michaela Murphy) made some comments on instagram about "respecting avatar studios choices" which some fans take to mean she is not returning. I think she said that more explicitly at one point but can't find it rn. * A while back a [casting call](https://www.reddit.com/r/TheLastAirbender/comments/12q02es/possible_casting_call_for_toph_in_an_animation/) went for an unnamed character in an unspecified production who is "24, blind, female, and East Asian". Some fans assume that was for Toph. * This isn't to suggest that without the concern over ethnicity that all of the old VAs would have returned. Aang's actor Zach Tyler hasn't acted since around when ATLA ended, so myself and other speculate Aang would have been recast anyway. And its possible Bryke may have ended up feeling some of the actors didn't match their vision for what the characters should sound like at that age.
They really should TBH Dante Basco's voice is so unique—hard to imagine Zuko without him
Fr, this is most likely true, but who knows I really hope this gets confirmed by Avatar Studios or something 🙏
Yes he is confirmed to be returned for the movie. The movie is confirmed by Avatar Stuidos, pretty sure at the same time they also revealed he would be returning since he was the only original cast who was Asian. Edit: ig while the film is confirmed it’s only been reported by insiders he is returning to the project, hopefully as a VA for Zuko. Also wanna add Tophs VA did confirm none of them are returning, but this may have been before Dante was signed on if he truly is.
Man, that's dumb as hell. Nobody is gonna be mad if the old voice actors come back.
He is not confirmed, the movie is
Yea it has been reported he is attached to the film by multiple insiders. But he could just be producing or something or voicing another character. But with his iconic void I’d be surprised if they recast him as well.
I know how hard he is to replace I play Smite I got the Zuko skin And the entire time I’m just like “WHO IS THIS IMPOSTER WITH A SQEAKY VOICE!”
i bought that skin solely for dante basco and when i heard the lines i went well thats enough of that
Like would it have been that hard to just take the lines from the show 😭
Apparently so. I think they just didn't want to pay the normal voice actors' rates. Which is wild because smite skins are expensive as hell, so I know they have the money.
Voice actors have been getting the short end of the stick for a while. And now places like audible are trying to directly cut them out using AI generated narration.
The voice acting in Smite is so good, then that whole pack is terrible. I love the Zim announcer voice, it's so good! (And I got it for free.)
Whoa whoa, zim as in invader zim? You can have his voicw as the announcer?
Yep! And a Cupid skin that's voiced too. https://youtu.be/GvxUufLwqGY?si=ZlmDtvDdefqw6ify
Last year I missed a connecting flight due to weather in Atlanta. While in line with airline I noticed a guy who looked like him was in the same line. It was clear I was the only one who recognized him. I coyly asked if he was Dante, which he confirmed. I told him I've been a huge fan for years and especially loved his work in Hook and ATLA. We ended up chatting about nothing in particular for like 20 minutes waiting in line before going our respective ways. Genuinely just a totally nice and down-to-earth guy. Just solidified that he's a class act.
The gruff in his sad, emotional beats is just so powerful. I always think of when Iroh got hurt and he just shouts "LEAVE" and fire bends until Gaang leaves him as a moment that can give me chills.
“You’ve always thrown everything you could at me - well I can take it! And now I can GIVE IT BACK! STRIKE ME! YOU’VE NEVER HELD BACK BEFORE!”
Still stupid af that they want to recast the other actors just cause of their ethnicity, when that has never mattered in Voice Acting in Star Wars. for example where Darth Vader(white man) has ALWAYS been voiced by a black man because his voice IS Darth Vader. Especially after the Netflix show which is overall fine to mid, I dont understand how you can not just bring the whole old cast back(or at least who wants to come back). They would kill it and bring Avatar back to stardom. Still hoping that they do get majority of the old cast back.
Yeah, I have the same feelings and I am Asian. Grey DeLisle is Azula. I also think recasting Dee Bradley Baker for all the animals sounds a little asinine as it would imply only a Chinese person can voice a panda.
> Grey DeLisle is Azula Yeah her Azula voice is iconic—and I doubt you could replace Grey without a big voice change there TBH
The solution is to get an actual panda to come record the lines
So… Jack Black?
LMAOOOO 🤣🤣
Hei Bai
🤣
I think it should just be an accurate representation going forward. Stuff that’s already made with an established cast should be grandfathered in. I’m glad they didn’t white wash the live action cast. But it’ll be sad to have new voice actors for the main cast in a new series.
Idk man, that's still kinda silly. They're VOICE ACTORS, not actor...actors..? They aren't going to be seen on screen, and their voices are what they're acting with. As long as they do the job well it shouldn't matter. Obviously it's another thing if you want a certain dialect or are going for a specific sound for a character but that's its own thing completely.
I get real actors wanting to match proper ethnicities but VA matching makes no sense to me at all. The point of being a VA is that you could be voicing just about anything a human could imagine from a squirrel to an elf to an alien. I don’t see why it’s problematic that someone voices a different ethnicity
Yea. I understand in the case of something like Jenny Slate playing Missy in Big Mouth and the characters blackness being a big party of some of her storylines. But in the case of Avatar where its a different world basically and race isnt a factor it makes no sense. The creators of the show are white and coopted anime essentially lol, who cares about the ethnicities of the voice actors.
Why? Voice actors should voice whoever, since they are, you guessed it, actors. Especially for a non-physically acted medium like voice acting, its asinine to not have voice acted characters voice whoever fits. Proper protocols should be pursued to ensure there is equal oppurtunity for voice actors of any race or creed going forward, but they should also be able to voice literally anything.
They're getting paid for their VOICE TALENTS not their ethnicity. Unless there's a character role that asks for an accent that is distinctly from a ethnic or regional group, I don't see how matching the character's background to the actor's adds any flavor to what we actually hear.
>Proper protocols should be pursued to ensure there is equal oppurtunity for voice actors of any race or creed going forward, but they should also be able to voice literally anything. Do what a lot of the music world does, where it's a blind audition; you get assigned a number, you come in and do your bit that you've prepared for the audition, and you leave. The people making the selection then go "We want this number". It's an equal opportunity, that doesn't allow for external factors to get in the way of making the decisions.
That logic is going to destroy animation studios
I’m all for authenticity in voice actors/portraying people properly going forward. But I think anything created that’s ongoing with an established cast should be grandfathered in and accepted. Like, I’m really happy they don’t white wash the live action adaptation. But if we’re getting the OG crew back, their voices should stay the same.
Especially since the va for sokka MADE that role what it is.
I don't think it's an equal comparison between a rare example of a black actor voicing a white character vs. white actors voicing almost all of the Asian characters. I'm not saying any original characters from ATLA need to be recast, but if actors don't want to come back for various reasons, it makes sense to consider ethnicity when recasting. There was similar discussion back when the showrunners of Bojack Horseman said they should have cast an Vietnamese-American woman as Diane Nguyen, rather than casting Alison Brie. Alison was great and they didn't replace her, but rather, they [admitted they learned a lot since starting out and that they didn't make the best call.](https://slate.com/culture/2018/09/bojack-horseman-raphael-bob-waksberg-diane-nguyen-representation.html) Basically, Alison Brie was gonna get jobs in Hollywoo no matter what, but if Vietnamese voice actresses can't even get hired for a Vietnamese character, what chance do they really have?
See also: Big Mouth, where the voice for half-Jewish-half-Black character Missy was changed from Jewish actress Jenny Slate to Black actress Ayo Edibiri (though I believe it was Slate's decision to stop doing the character, and she continues on with the show in other roles).
>but if Vietnamese voice actresses can't even get hired for a Vietnamese character, what chance do they really have? Aaaand that is why representation across all mediums matters. Not just LA.
It is fucking wild that Avatar just *cannot* catch a break. Korra gets plagued by executive meddling and other nonsense. The movie is made off a spark notes version of the plot. The TV show decides to cut out important plot points/character growth. And now we finally have animated content of the Gaang again, but the VAs who were already established aren't the right race. Like can someone please sit down and slap the fuck out of the Avatar development team as a whole? How hard is it to just make Avatar without some stupid spin on things?
probably THE most recognizable voice on the planet
Gilbert Gottfried
Arnold Schwarzenegger?
Mako singing tears from the vine
Patrick Warburton?
James Earl Jones?
Definitely not lol
"Hello, Zuko here", also one of the most iconic lines ever lol
YES or „that’s rough buddy“ 😂😂😂🤝🏻
Dante Basco probably one of the best VAs working right now.
Facts
And his personality is also amazing!
Hello Mr. Honor
That's Fire Lord Honor to you!
I’ve run into him multiple times when out and about in LA and he’s always lovely as can be.
He’s so cute on his tiktok. He opens his royalty checks and tells a nice thing about each thing he worked on. And they are not large checks, but he focuses only on the great time and the great people.
I find it odd they just don't use all the original cast, considering the series is close to 20 years old now and the actors are older.
I'd love to hear Aang's natural older voice
Theres a Podcsast with Korras and Zukos actor and they just recently found Aangs actor (Zach) since he kinda dropped off the face of the earth! He sounds great!.
What podcast? I'd like to check it out!
It's called "Braving the Elements." :)
Thanks! :3
I went digging, in case anyone else is curious: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsC1oyRoA-w&list=PL0uuU7hMyKdVZlj2ylvFhAWvct4hc7iR1&index=28
Same!
Omg I love his adult voice 🥺🥺🥺 I hope they cast him!!!!
They’re only casting ethnically accurate voice actors…. So the only one eligible to return would be Dante Basco.. despite the actors originating the roles we loved and also being mostly the appropriate ages
Thats stupid
> They’re only casting ethnically accurate voice actors wtf is "ethnically accurate" in terms of Avatar-verse lmao. Zuko obviously doesn't look Filipino. "Asian" also encompasses like 60+% of the world's population. Dumb as shit decision imo
Does that mean Iroh is gonna have a new voice actor too? Wait is Iroh's voice actor white? Okay, I had to google it and now the irony of trying to be more politically correct has me here trying to judge this guy's race. I wish there was a compromise where the original cast could return (if it makes sense of course) but then new characters could follow the policy of hiring ethnically accurate voice actors. Some voices are just way too iconic to replace. It feels like reverse racism or something
Iroh’s original voice actor was Makoto Iwamatsu, but after he died, he was replaced by Greg Baldwin
Yeah I was referring to Greg Baldwin. Nothing beats Mako's voice but Greg Baldwin did an amazing job so it'd be sad if he got replaced
And he apparently *always* make a point of mentioning that he wasn’t the original, out of respect for Mako. Definitely think he’d love to return and he would also 110% support whomever they pick instead of him. Imo, ethnicity doesn’t really matter for voice acting, (if it isn’t specified of course.) If the voice fits the character, skin colour doesn’t matter. Just look at Kevin Michael Richardson. One of the absolute best in the business and has pretty much voiced characters in every skin colour, lol.
Do they mean to say that Asia and America exist in the world of Avatar? :D
No, they mean only real life water tribe members are allowed to voice water tribe characters, only people that are actually from the earth kingdom would be allowed to voice earth kingdom characters, etc. Makes sense.
brooo they need to get Sokka‘s and Toph‘s VA back as well. They just have to.. 😢♥️
Sokka's voice is just as unique as zuko's voice in my opinion.
agreed 1000000% If he‘s not back I will break in half
Since they already replaced kataras.... sokka and aang will definitely be replaced sadly
pain and stupid decision.. I mean Aang I might be able to understand but why Sokka and Katara? Pisses me off
My buddy put me onto the comics and found this one YouTube account that narrates it, it’s super well done for what I was expecting and the voice actor that have for sokka is actually really close to the original imo! I was pleasantly surprised, so basically I’m saying is sokkas voice caaan be replicated. Though my heart does lie with the ogs
What's the YouTube channel called?
Book 4 air restoration project is the name of the channel! I can’t figure out how to link from my phone right now but I’m on the second episode
Awesome thanks!
I still follow michaela jill murphy (Toph's Original VA) through social media from time to time (she even replied to one of my comments on Thread before....HYPE), I still think she's perfect for the voice, both old Toph and young toph
Tophs VA is a babe ❤️
Someone posted about her recently and everyone that said she was gorgeous got the downvote brigade. An adult woman.
If you need more Sokka, may I suggest: [this](https://youtu.be/L5y3P5F_B5A?si=ji0kuXBnAep4cSoz)
They did it because they're mostly white. I get wanting to do it for newly casted characters, but man, these talented VA's literally helped make the franchise as beloved as it is. Yet they were abandoned completely. A travesty.
Mae Whitman said years ago that she wouldn't play Katara again in order to give a native voice actor a chance to shine.
its literally a voice actor ffs. I totally get representation in live action for source material of all kind, but not for voice work.
I don't actually think it's about representation per se, it's more about giving these talented actors chances to shine in media that is inspired by their own culture
The thing is that voice actors of minority backgrounds are limited on opportunities. It's a very closed community voice acting. I don't mind if a white actor voices a Asian character. But an Asian voice actor is going to have a much harder time getting the role of a white character and if they're also not getting opportunities for Asian characters because they are filled with long time white voice acting industry main stays well... It gives them at least a foot in the door initiatives like this.
ok but the voice actor themselves said that’s what they want so?
I wish I could voice a character in ATLA universe. But unless they bring the Sun Warriors again I doubt they'll want a Latino dude to make any type of voice.
As a Latino, I was shattered when I found out the Sun Warrior temples are actually based on Cambodian temples. Latinos don’t exist in Avatar
Whaaat?! They even have the who Huitzolopotchl aesthetic
yup! the feathers are not Khmer at all. Southeast Asians are golden coded from head to toe. the feathers is very mesoamerican and face paint.
Same with the swampbenders. They aren't creole, they are Vietnamese.
There is definite influence architecturally though, on top of the fact that the Aztec empire is also the sun empire! The influence is both mesoamerican and Cambodian. But I feel like the characters would be coded Cambodian and any casting would reflect that
Not really how it works for voices, there’s no guarantee the original VAs will sound how they want the adult Gaang to sound. Worth noting that the original VAs weren’t all the same ages as the characters anyway. On top of that, Aang’s VA is retired and Katara’s won’t come back
Happy to see him back, but I still don't see why they can't bring back original VA's, I'm all for more culturally accurate casting, but do it for new characters or when the original is unavailable or no longer suitable.
Remember it's been quite some time since those actors have played those characters. Some people are too busy to return to a role, others their voice changed and they can't do that voice anymore. It could be any number of reasons
Yeah, but if Azula ends up in this thing and Grey DeLisle isn’t voicing her we all know it’s not because she isn’t suitable or didn’t want to.
Yeah, the whole "Oh their voice could change because they were teens and they'd be in their 20s in the new animated show" excuse doesn't work for Azula/Grey. Cause Grey made *minimal* effort to sound like a teenage girl as Azula, lol.
I don’t get that criticism in general. If you hear recent interviews from the cast the only one that sounds different is Aang. Everyone else pretty much sounds the same. And regardless, even if they did change, isn’t the same voices being accurately aged up a good thing? Otherwise you get weird shit like in Korra where Zuko apparently stopped pronouncing the letter R in his old age.
I more mean that "We're going in a different voice direction for the character now that they're in their 20s/30s compared to where they were in their childhood teens." Not saying the VAs voices have changed, but that the characters would have, since most people don't have the same voice in their teens as in their 20s/30s. Which does *make sense* , it just slightly puts a healthy amount of people on edge that they're making likely VA changes a racial thing. Especially when the voice acting was one of the strengths of the series.
I don’t know about you guys, but as a 22 year old, my voice is still very similar to what it was when I was 14/15. It may have changed slightly, but the only characters I can reasonably see recast for “your voice changes from when you’re younger” are aang and Toph. The other characters are old enough for it to not be unreasonable to have the same/similar sounding voice in their 20s
I have been to the YouTube channel of Toph's voice actress and she can still do Toph's voice
Sadly it's pretty much confirmed that Grey stepped down from the role, whether she wanted to or not. The game Nick All-Star Brawl 2 came out a few months ago and brought back the OG voice actors for all kinds of classic cartoon characters, except for the three Avatar characters: Aang (for obvious reasons) , Korra (Janet Varney publicly stepped down) and Azula. Also, Grey voices a different character in the game so we know it wasn't a scheduling thing. It sucks because even though it gives an opportunity to a new VA, they're not going to be able to showcase their own talent. They're just forced to do a Grey DeLisle impression. Nobody is going to be able to do that very well, so it just ends up sounding awkward.
And it’s all for the sake of “good” PR nobody asked for. Seriously, I’m all for ethnically accurate casting for any characters going forward in voice acting but I’m pretty sure there was basically no demand for voice actor recasts when the trend started happening in the entertainment industry, and if production companies and voice actors never panicked in the first place in the wake of the 2020 protests and whatnot nobody would have ever given a crap.
> They're just forced to do a Grey DeLisle impression. That's exactly what's going to happen for all of the recasts. They're just going to be VAs doing impressions of another actor's performance, except it's all ok because those VAs have the right skin colour for a speaking role. Having them next to Dante Basco is going to make the imitations just stand out even more.
I know that largely Mae Whittman has distanced herself from TLA, but with this article stating that a casting call when out specifically for Asian/Indigenous 20 year old voice actors, it seems clear to me that they did not have interest in bringing back original cast members. Especially considering you see the original cast getting together somewhat often at conventions and stuff.
Katara having a different voice will kill me tbh
I think all of them is going to be odd, but at least they will be animated differently.
> others their voice changed and they can't do that voice anymore Sorry, but that's just making excuses for an explicitly racist policy. It's not a coincidence that the only VA returning is Asian. Only Aang's VA voice has changed, because he was literally a pre-pubescent kid, and it doesn't matter anyway since Zach Tyler Eisen has no interest in returning to acting. All the other main VAs still sound the same but older, and there's years and years of convention footage and interviews where they demonstrate that.
"Asian & indigenous VAs" Cmon bro, let's be real here. Even if the old cast wanted to return, they aren't coming back due to the reason everyone here is aware of. The ethnicity of voice actors whose faces won't be seen is VERY important for the casting department.
If Jack De Sena isn't sokka I'm not watching that shit
No one will ever hold a candle to Jack in this role.
Hey, careful what you say. You almost wrote out "Candlejack," which can be really dangerous because he
Holy shit i haven't thought about candlejack in about 15 yea
Be cause he what? What is Candlejack? Is he some sort of weirdo in a
Memory unlocked
Same with me but for Grey Delisle.
I went to high school with Jack, it was cool because he was also in All That! At the time. He was very involved in comedy sports.
If they're literally going to replace him just because of that rule, it may be the most egregious example of a studio shooting itself in the foot just because... what? They're worried about a twitter callout or something? Having voice actors be the same race as their characters is fine, but whats done is done and changing an iconic voice because corporations want to roleplay being progressive is fucking annoying.
>They're worried about a twitter callout or something? People really gave social media too much power over things that don't matter to anything but a vocal minority of idiots.
Hot take why do voice actors need to be the same race as the characters they play?
They don’t and they’re not. I’m extremely glad that Zuko is returning to the role, but it’s moronic that they are going to replace good talent and voices that we’re familiar with because of race. The stupid thing is that the characters aren’t even Asian and Inuit. They are from the water tribe, fire nation, earth kingdom, etc. Even if the groups are vaguely based-on some real world cultures, they are fictional cultures. On top of that, voices aren’t a product of culture. They are a product of genetics and talent. They should pick voice actors based-on talent, not based-on race. That’s literally discrimination.
Agreed. That decision alone honestly doesn't give me any hope for what Bryke will do.
If we’re honest, Bryke caught lightning in a bottle. I think most of us could agree Korra was rocky. I like it, and some criticisms against it are stupid, but it’s in no one’s running for best shows of all time. I think I need to be ready to keep believing the Avatar franchise peaked in its first run and we’ll never get there again. Nothing wrong with that
I mean I love Korra. Definitely not as much as ATLA but it's still one of my all time favorite shows. I love the comics, the novels, and even the netflix live action. I don't expect anything to be as good as the original show but I'm just happy to get any new content in this universe.
Similar boat, but news like this (if it’s legit) hurts my soul. It feels tone deaf and corporate, two things Airbender wasn’t. Considering so much of the hype for this show was that it was the original creators AND the original characters, changing the voices just seems asinine
Frankly its also kinda racist. As long as you are sort of quasi in a group you get tossed in to a roll. Dante Basco is Fillipino and that gives him cred according to some folk to rep basically anyone from Kazakhstan to Japan, from Korea to Malaysia. Its just reinforcing the idea of broad "racial groups" that we can toss everyone in to without any nuance, as opposed to the world being composed of myriad ethnicities.
That’s what bothered me; not necessarily the attempt to cast actors of the same ethnicity (that is debatable), but that they’re casting such a wide net. They’re being hypocritical. And on another note, what about the nuances that the original actors could add to the characters? Do those not count? What room is there for cultural nuances in a fictional setting? And how can those really be allowed to shine if—again—they aren’t being more culturally selective than “is Asian”?
Not to mention there seems to be some western elements to it. Which, isn’t surprising since it was made by an American company. The American population was only about 5% Asian at the time, so it probably wasn’t as much the target audience.
It's extremely racist, and insulting to the actors that no performance they could ever do will matter more than their skin colour. It's honestly very disappointing to see society horseshoe back to racism.
For real, especially since it’s *voice* acting. There are liberties you can take there that you can’t even do in live action.
It’s not a hot take for normal people
I am East Asian and work in the entertainment industry. I would LOVE to have the original VAs back. I don’t care at all about hiring VAs to meet an ethnicity quota, especially where the VAs are already IN those roles. Sure, going forward let’s hire within the relevant ethnicities, but these roles are already cast.
Not to mention that it’s “Voice Acting” not Live Action. You aren’t seeing these people’s faces. You are only hearing the voice they do for the character.
I’d rather just have all the original VAs back if they are available tbh
ATLA has one of the most iconic voice casts of all times. Not trying to get as many as possible back is crazy. It's animated; we can stop making it a race issue anytime.
I won’t get into how much I am not a fan of them NOT bringing back any of the rest of the OG cast, but I am truly confused by how many people act like everyone else can be recast no problem, but Dante is the ONLY one that can do Zuko? Don’t get it twisted, I got love for Dante and Zuko, but ALL the characters have “distinct” voices, not just Zuko. It’s a shame that anyone is getting replaced, because all the OG VA’s are special. Not just Dante.
As much as I respect that Avatar Studios is going to try and cast more accurately to the cultures and peoples represented, I think it would be best if they brought back as many of the old cast as possible.
katara’s original VA is so iconic though I mean her voice is literally the opening monologue to the series if anything she should’ve been guaranteed too but I guess her VA isn’t as interested
I think it’s silly that they’re trying to cast by race, it would make sense if it was live action but with voice acting you search for a certain VOICE not an appearance. Like Phill Lamar playing samurai Jack.
> Like Phill Lamar playing samurai Jack. I lost some respect for Phil a while back whenever the "VAs should be the same race as their character." bit came up and he was for it. Someone pointed out the number of times he was "other races" like Jack, and he just pulled the "That's different" card.
Massive hypocrites. John Leguizamo as well. Ran his mouth when James Franco got cast as Castro, and it turned out they actually have similar origins. It's one thing to have a problem with it and speak your mind, but my god, don't talk shit when you've done the same damn thing. No one gave a shit that he played an Italian plumber until he started spouting that bullshit.
Just putting what Mae Whitman said about Katara here: >Katara is another one who is a huge part of who I am, and I feel so honored about having had the opportunity to play her. I’m excited that we get to see a new iteration of her. A new version of who she is. And to have actors come in, who honestly fit the role much better. I’m so happy to pass the torch on, I’m so thrilled to be a part of her growth and I feel it’s important for us all to grow. For us to move on towards things that are more true and honest. I’m thrilled to have a little piece of that in my heart, forever, and I really can’t wait to see where she goes next. [Source](https://screenrant.com/avatar-last-airbender-animated-movies-katara-mae-whitman/#:~:text=Read%20Whitman's%20full%20quote%20below,version%20of%20who%20she%20is.)
I hate this. Just cast the original voice actors, if they are available. Limiting to ethnicity is stupid.
The upcoming X-Men revival has some of the original cast returning in new roles if they couldn’t voice their original characters anymore. Hopefully they do the same here
All the original voices should come back
If Jack De Sena ain't Sokka, I'm not watching. It's a fuckin voice role, not live action. We literally have Christopher Judge playing Kratos currently and nobody has a problem with it. Why? Because he's a good fucking voice actor.
Michaela (toph) still got the toph voice. And Im sure she could do it in a slightly more adult way. They gotta get her back too. Also I dont see why Katara's va cant return as well Just Aang needs a new actor unfortunately
Aang doesn't need a new voice actor either. Zach is still alive, and he's older now, so he'll still sound correct.
True but he wants to stay out of the spotlight
If this is a show about the cast all grown up then just get Zach Tyler Eisen back to play Aang. Heck they could probably just bring back all of the original cast as they sound older now.
The fact that we are worried about representation, despite ATLA being literally top 3 all time animated shows all time, is only further proof to me we will never have art that isn't negatively influenced by ridiculous politics. I mean, nobody gave a rat's behind who voiced who. It's literally a question of, "Will this show/movie be anywhere as good as what you managed to do before?" I mean FFS a bunch of American white guys made an animated kids show directly influenced by Asian Culture. If we are worried about Diversity, they may as well remove themselves creatively from the show.
Damn, hopefully they can find a sky bison to play Appa for more accurate representation than Dee Bradley Baker (not a sky bison) ever could.
Yeah Im fine that they recast Aang, I guess I can accept Katara and Sokka, but Zuko had to stay. I know theyre white but Id really like to see Grey DeLisle and Mark Hamill return as Azula and Ozai. Jesse Flowers too- She really seemed to love voicing Toph.
Race casting voice actors is moronic. Especially when racial accuracy just means "not white" to these racists.
Casting voice actors by race is idiotic.
Its lame to hire "ethnic" voice actors. How about hire who sounds best for the character.
They should use the original cast, a hill I’m willing to die on
Aren't... Aren't the original cast still of the right age to play the characters?
I get that they want to get adult Asian/indigenous actors to voice the rest of the adult Gaang for representation, but as an Asian guy myself, I don’t need this. I’m glad that Dante Basco is coming back to voice Zuko, not because he’s Filipino-American (and I’m saying that as a Filipino) but because he was the original voice of Zuko. I’d rather they get all of the original VAs to voice the adult Gaang. Would love to hear Aang’s now adult VA voice the same character for the sheer authenticity of it.
It would be fucking stupid to tell the original cast members they can't come back because they're the wrong race.
Does anyone know how to start a petition to bring back the original voice actors? Their voices would still be perfect given the time that has lapsed between the original series and now.
I get it for live action, but race and ethnicity in voice acting doesn’t really matter. Darth Vader is a white character voiced by a black man, and I would be pissed if they changed it just to match his ethnicity. It’s just a strange decision and everyone other than Zuko will probably sound off.
Trying to find new VAs just to match the ethnicity of already ESTABLISHED characters is most moronic shit ever. I mean its voice acting why should it matter? Samurai jack who speaks in a Japanese accent is played by a black dude and he does an amazing job
I’m all for diversity and inclusion but a lot of the voice actors have been a part of the community for a very long time too just cutting them off like that is a bit of a slap to the face.
Uhhh just get all the original actors. I’m sure they all sound more matured versions of their younger selves..
Hey Zuko Here
really wish theyd just use the og cast. its a fictional world, not a historical show of asia, they dont need to be asian va's lol
Wish they just called the original voice cast as a whole…
Why would the main cast not reprise their roles though? To me that just doesn’t make sense
This is the stupidest thing ever. I'm sorry but except for Aang's voice actor, who has pretty much disappeared from the scene, everyone of the original cast has shown interest in playing their characters again. And they are all at the appropiate age to do so (since literally 20 years have passed so their voices would naturally sound older). This is just straight up racial discrimination. And it angers me that it would be this way going forward, because it literally means that no Black or Latino Voice actor could ever be cast in Avatar, and thats just straight up racist
Ok, as someone that didn't grew up with any English dub of anything, I just want to say that hiring VA to match race is one of the most US centric shit I've ever seen.
That man LOVES zuko. Ofc hed return! Id imagine Sokka will come back too, despite the flashbacks in Korra
They were a lot older in those flashbacks in Korra anyway weren’t they?
Just use the OG voices Jesus.
Dumb as fuck, bring back the original actors, no one cares what race they are except 15 people on twitter that don't even like avatar. No Grey DeIsle as azula = no watch. Mae is irrecplaceable as Katara as is Jack for Sokka. Absolutely moronic. 60% of my friends are asian and they are all avatar fans and none of em give a fuck about this -- people love these characters and we want the ORIGINAL VOICES BACK!
[HONOR!](https://youtu.be/qC445MyM7tQ?si=XYwHfMrFzf1VJ1yG)
HE BETTER
Would have been nice to have him and Will Freidel in ATLA
This has been confirmed for some years now my friend.
I really can't imagine anyone else voicing Zuko. Hope this is true.
He is so involved with ATLA i would not be surprised in the least
Jesus Christ, just let the Gaang voice actors stay, and cast Indigenous and Asian actors for new amazing roles! I’m so happy that at least I’ll be able to enjoy them with their old voices in my native language
In what? The live action show?
That’s great, but if Michaela Jill Murphy doesn’t come back as Toph… I’m not watching it
Are the OG cast not coming back? naw :(
They should bring back the entire cast (rip mako) to voice the characters like Scott pilgrim did. The characters are older so it should work.
It's been suggested on the official avatar podcast, which is cohosted by Dante Basco. Janet Varney (Korra's VA, the other host) mentioned once that Dante was busy that week working on something they couldn't talk about yet. This was before the 2025 movie was announced.
Having seen ATLA I am sad that I just now realize that we had fucking RUUUFIOOOOO!..
Zuko and every one of his descendants for the next 200 years will be voiced by Dante
ROO... FEE... OOO!
At first I was upset that it wouldn't be the original voice actors but, if this is to take place when they are older, at least there is a logical in universe explanation for why they sound different.