Two Canadian actors cast in Netflix's "Avatar: The Last Airbender"
Two young Canadian actors have been cast in leading roles for Netflix’s new live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Their names are Gordon Cormier and Kiawentiio, and they’ll bring the beloved animated characters to life in the new rendition of the early-2000s show.
Cormier, 12, will play Aang, whose air-bending powers help the protagonist’s quest to bring peace.
“Aang is a reluctant hero, struggling to deal with the burden of his duties while still holding on to his adventurous and playful nature,” Netflix said in a news release about the show.
The 12-year-old attended the Vancouver Young Actors School, and he enjoys skateboarding, according to his Instagram account.
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Mohawk singer-songwriter Kiawentiio, 14, will play Katara, who is a water-bender. She’s known for her role as Ka’kwet in CBC’s Anne with an E.
“It’s official,” Kiawentiio said of her role on Instagram. “Thank you for all the love.”
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The Canadians are joined by Ian Ousley, 16, as Sokka and Dallas Liu, 17, as Zuko.
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Showrunner, executive producer, and writer Albert Kim from Sleepy Hollow and Nikita first got introduced to Avatar when his daughter watched it — and said he’s thrilled to be part of the reboot.
“A live-action version would establish a new benchmark in representation and bring in a whole new generation of fans,” he said in a news release. “This was a chance to showcase Asian and Indigenous characters as living, breathing people. Not just in a cartoon, but in a world that truly exists, very similar to the one we live in.”
Netflix has not yet set a release date for the new live-action show, but Canadians can stream the original animated series to get caught up.
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