Netflix has cast three more roles for its live-action adaptation of Nickelodeon animated series “Avatar: The Last Airbender,” including fan-favorite character Uncle Iroh, the streaming service said Tuesday, as production on the show began in Vancouver.
Paul Sun-Hyung Lee (“Kim’s Convenience,” “The Mandalorian”) will play Uncle Iroh, a retired Fire Nation general and the wise and nurturing mentor to his hot-headed nephew, Prince Zuko.
Additionally, Lim Kay Siu (“Anna and The King,” “Nightwatch”) has joined the show as Gyatso, a kind and caring Air Nomad monk who is the guardian, father figure and best friend to Aang.
Last but not least, the live-action “Avatar: The Last Airbender” has cast Ken Leung (“Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” “Industry”) as Commander Zhao, a scheming and ambitious Fire Nation military officer who’s eager to leverage an unexpected encounter with a desperate Prince Zuko to advance his personal goals.
These new cast members join previously announced stars Gordon Cormier as Aang, Kiawentiio as Katara, Ian Ousley as Sokka, Dallas Liu as Zuko and Daniel Dae Kim as Fire Lord Ozai.
Netflix’s “Avatar: The Last Airbender” series is described as “an authentic adaptation of the award-winning and beloved Nickelodeon animated series” that is “reimagined as a live-action adventure.”
Along with announcing this new casting and start of production Tuesday in Vancouver, Netflix also revealed specific details about how “Avatar: The Last Airbender” will be shot using “a new, custom-built facility using some of the same cutting-edge technology that was used for Netflix’s ‘The Midnight Sky’ and ‘1899,’ and Disney’s ‘The Mandalorian.’”
Per Netflix, “The state of the art stage, designed and operated by Pixomondo (PXO) Virtual Production, is 84 feet across and 28 feet high with 23,000 square feet of stage space and more than 3000 LED Panels, making it one of the biggest virtual production volumes in North America.”
According to the streaming service, “The virtual production stage which allows for visual effects to be done in real time in camera, combining multiple environments on a single stage, will set a new standard for immersive storytelling.”
“We’re thrilled to start production on this incredible project, and we’re especially excited to work with the technology-benders at PXO to create the wondrous world of ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ using the most advanced techniques available to filmmakers anywhere in the world,” “Avatar: The Last Airbender” showrunner Albert Kim said in a statement Tuesday.
Kim (“Sleepy Hollow,” “Nikita”) serves as showrunner, executive producer and writer on Netflix’s “Avatar: The Last Airbender,” a role he took on in August of this year following the 2020 exit of the original animated series’ creators, Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, from the Netflix adaptation.
Alongside Kim, Rideback’s Dan Lin (“The Lego Movie,” “Aladdin”) and Lindsey Liberatore (“Walker”) serve as executive producers, as well as Michael Goi (“Swamp Thing,” “American Horror Story”). Goi, Roseanne Liang (also a co-executive producer), Jabbar Raisani and Jet Wilkinson direct.
See the new “Avatar: The Last Airbender” cast members below, courtesy of Netflix.
