More casting on M. Night Chameleon’s next movie, Avatar: The Last Airbender. It’s based on the anime cartoon of the same name, and the name is probably going to be the most recognizable thing about it.So far he’s stuck with hiring lesser-knowns to fill out the cast, and that trend continues. According to a press release issued today, Aasif Mandvi, Shaun Toub, Cliff Curtis, and Keong Sim have all joined the cast of the film. Aasif Mandvi’s name may be familiar to Daily Show fans. He’s a regular correspondent for Jon Stewart. According to the press release, “Mandvi is set to play the role of Commander Zhao, an ambitious and hot-tempered Fire Nation commander. Toub, last seen in IRON MAN and THE KITE RUNNER, is cast as Uncle Iroh, the retired Fire Nation general and devoted surrogate parent to Dev Patel's character Zuko. Curtis is set to play the ruthless ruler Fire Lord Ozai. Keong Sim has been cast in the role of Earthbending Father.”
Already in the cast are Noah Ringer as the titular Airbender, Nicola Peltz who plays the Waterbender Katara, Jackson Rathbone in the role of Katara's brother Sokka, and Slumdog Millionaire star Dev Patel who plays Prince Zuko, prince of the Fire Nation.
Here’s my question. Is he filling the cast with unknowns because his usuals saw his last two movies and were getting tired of being made fun of for their association with him… or is this what he actually wants? Maybe I’m just cynical but I can’t imagine anyone with better options actually wanting to work with Shyamalan after The Happening. M. Night has already made Mark Wahlberg a punch line, who’s next?
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