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Netflix’s new fantasy epic Avatar: The Last Airbender has been caught up in a ‘woke’ row after film chiefs toned down ‘iffy’ sexism in the live action remake of the beloved cartoon classic.
All eight episodes of the show, which reportedly cost more than £94million to make, dropped on the streaming giant today, sending fans of the original 2005 animated series into a frenzy.
It stars Gordon Cormier as 12-year-old Aang, the current Avatar and last survivor of his race, as he learns to master his mythical powers to control the four elements (water, earth, fire, and air) and tries to save the world from the genocidal Fire Nation.
However, Avatar’s latest reimagining – the second since the critically-panned 2010 flop by Sixth Sense director M Night Shyamalan – has stirred up controversy among die-hard fans after it was suggested the traits of one of the cult classic’s most beloved characters had been ditched for Gen Z audiences.
In particular, they singled out how the boomerang throwing hot-head Sokka (Ian Ousley) – who was branded ‘sexist’ in the original for joking that ‘guys are better at hunting and fighting’ while ‘girls are better at fixing pants’ – had been toned down.
The remake stars Gordon Cormier (pictured) as 12-year-old Aang, the current Avatar and last survivor of his race, as he learns to master his mythical powers to control the four elements
But the show has faced controversy for toning down the ‘sexist’ jokes cracked by beloved character Sokka (Ian Ousley) in the original for the new remake
Speaking about the shift to Entertainment Weekly, Kiawentiio Tarbell (left)– who plays Sokka’s ‘waterbending’ sister Katara – said some of the comments in the original show were ‘iffy’
Speaking about the shift to Entertainment Weekly, Kiawentiio Tarbell – who plays Sokka’s ‘waterbending’ sister Katara – said: ‘I feel like we also took out the element of how sexist [Sokka] was. I feel like there were a lot of moments in the original show that were iffy.’
Some fans were left concerned over the suggestion of Sokka’s problematic comments had been dumped, arguing they were key to how his character’s development, which sees him shed his ‘sexist, misogynistic views’ as he matures.
The latest iteration of Aang’s adventure has been met with a mixed reception from critics.
The Guardian’s Jack Seale celebrated the show as a ‘sparkling return for one of the greatest fantasy series of all time’, giving it an impressive four out of five stars.
Praising the young cast for their take on the characters, Seale wrote: ‘Ousley and Kiawentiio strike up a nicely spiky sibling relationship as Sokka and Katara, while Cormier gives Aang the right mix of boyish cheek and inherent authority,’ adding the Airbender franchise had ‘confidently revived itself’.
The Hollywood Reporter was less gushing in its review, however, branding the remake as a ‘major letdown’, plagued by a ‘clunky writing’ and ‘awkward performances’.
The series previously sparked a fierce online backlash following the release its trailer in January, with social media users slamming the show’s ‘whitewashed’ casting – despite the Asian heritage of some of the actors.
Netflix ‘s new fantasy epic Avatar: The Last Airbender has been caught up in a ‘ woke ‘ row after film chiefs toned down ‘iffy’ sexism in the live action remake of the beloved cartoon classic
The latest iteration of Aang’s adventure has been met with a mixed reception from critics
Kiawentiio Tarbell, Gordon Cormier and Ian Ousley attend Netflix’s ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ world premiere at The Egyptian Theatre Hollywood on February 15, in LA
The ethnicity of the characters was not mentioned in the original show but the creators have said that the Water Tribe was inspired by the Inuit people, the Earth Kingdom by monarchical China, the Fire Nation by Imperial Japan, and the Air Nomads by Tibetan Buddhist monks.
Now, many fans are furious that the live-action remake will not feature indigenous actors from those communities – especially in the role of Sokka – and the trailer was met with fierce criticism.
In addition, social media users ferociously bashed the network for choosing stars with ‘lighter’ skin when they did include people of color.
‘The Sokka casting and lack of people darker than light beige really is jarring,’ one person wrote.
‘It’s so unbelievably uncomfortable,’ agreed someone else.
Another user added, ‘Real. It just feels really weird.’
The series previously sparked a fierce online backlash following the release its trailer in January, with social media users slamming the show’s ‘whitewashed’ casting
Firebenders Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, left, and Dallas Liu also star in the hit Netflix remake
Sebastian Amoruso, left, and Kiawentiio in a scene from the series Avatar: The Last Airbender
Daniel Dae Kim plays the tyrannical Fire Lord Ozai, leader of the warmongering Fire Nation
‘Every time I see that white man and the colorist casting I get p*ssed off all over again,’ read a fourth tweet.
Controversy has swirled around the casting ever since the stars were announced in early 2022, after some social media users claimed that Ousley had lied about being of Cherokee heritage in order to get the role.
Ian, 21, who previously starred in 13 Reasons Why, was born in America and grew up in Texas.
His managers described him as a ‘mixed-race, Native American’ who is a ‘Cherokee tribe member,’ however, someone on X said they contacted the three federally recognized Cherokee tribes and none of them had him as a member.
Ian has not publicly addressed the accusations.
Gordon Cormier, who is of French and Filipino descent but grew up in Vancouver, Canada, plays Aang. The 14-year-old previously starred in Netflix’s remake of cult science fiction classic, Lost In Space.
Gordon Cormier, who is of French and Filipino descent but grew up in Vancouver, Canada, plays Aang (pictured at an event in LA on February 15)
Ian Ousley, Gordon Cormier, Kiawentiio and Dallas Liu attend the after party for Netflix’s ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ world premiere earlier this month
As well as being an actor, Cormier is an accomplished martial artist and a professional skateboarder.
Katara, played by Kiawentiio, is a First Nations actress born into a Mohawk family, who hails from Ontario, Canada.
Dallas Liu plays Prince Zuko, a royal heir to the throne of the warmongering Fire Nation.
The 22-year-old American was born in in Los Angeles, California. He holds a black belt in karate and has competed international in the Japanese martial.
He previously starred in the 2021 Marvel film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
