Netflix casts Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, Ken Leung and Lim Kay Siu in key live-action ‘Avatar’ roles

Three actors have been announced to join the growing cast of the highly anticipated live-action series “Avatar: The Last Airbender.”

Iconic roles filled: Actors Paul Sun-Hyung Lee (“Kim’s Convenience”), Ken Leung (“Lost,” “X-Men: The Last Stand”) and Lim Kay Siu (“Anna and the King,” “Night Watch”) have been cast in key roles for the upcoming Netflix project, Deadline reported.

Lee is set to play Uncle Iroh, who will serve as a mentor to his nephew, Prince Zuko.
Siu will play Aang’s best friend Gyatso, while Leung will play the villainous Commander Zhao.
The new cast members are joining previously announced actors Gordon Cormier, who will take on the role of Aang, Kiawentiio Tarbell as Katara, Ian Ousley as Sokka, Dallas Liu as Zuko and Daniel Dae Kim as Zuko’s father and Fire Lord Ozai, the Fire Nation leader.

A promise of authenticity: Albert Kim, who serves as executive producer, showrunner and writer of the show, has committed to bringing an authentic adaptation of the beloved Nickelodeon animated series, according to a press release.

“This was a chance to showcase Asian and Indigenous characters as living, breathing people,” he wrote. “Not just in a cartoon, but in a world that truly exists, very similar to the one we live in.”
Kim assured fans that he would not modify certain elements just to make the new iteration different. “I didn’t want to modernize the story, or twist it to fit current trends,” he said. Aang is not going to be a gritty antihero. Katara is not going to get curtain bangs.”
“Our byword has been ‘authenticity.’ To the story. To the characters. To the cultural influences,” Kim added. “Authenticity is what keeps us going, both in front of the camera and behind it, which is why we’ve assembled a team unlike any seen before — a group of talented and passionate artists who are working around the clock to bring this rich and incredibly beautiful world to life.”

Production for the series has started in a custom-built facility in Vancouver using a virtual stage by Pixomondo Virtual Production, a similar technology to the one used in Disney’s “The Mandalorian.”

Featured Image via ET Canada (left), Avatar: The Last Airbender (right)

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