Sequel to Avatar cartoon artificially replaces white voice actors with DEI choices

There appears to be a sequel produced for the Last Airbender cartoon from nearly 2 decades ago, and a writer at the Federalist reports the original white voice actors were replaced by Asian actors based on racial background rather than genuine talent:

When The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender, a sequel to the beloved 2005 series that’s set to release later this year, was announced several years ago, fans were initially overjoyed. This would be the first animated foray into the world of Avatar since 2012’s tepidly received Legend of Korra. Early expectations were that the original voice cast would return for this sequel series, preserving the amazing original performances.

Instead, the core cast was replaced, sidelining actors who remain active in the industry. It wasn’t pay disputes or scheduling conflicts responsible for the changes but a deliberate shift toward race-based casting standards.

During a Q&A session on social media site Reddit, the film’s casting director, Jenny Jue, claimed, “Since the original show was released, there’s been more emphasis in [voice acting] to match actors’ ethnic/racial background to the characters they’re portraying.”

The “emphasis” Jue is referring to is entirely constructed by loud, out-of-touch leftists with an axe to grind or something to gain from restricting white actors from getting parts. For instance, Korean-American voice actor SungWon Cho has been one of the most prominent advocates of race-restrictive casting. In a 2023 interview, Cho argued characters should be cast “authentically,” meaning actors should match the race of the roles they play.

Yet Cho’s standard apparently only applies to other people. Cho himself has voiced a wide range of non-Korean characters, including the Riddler in Batwheels, the Greek god Zeus in Apotheon, and the Norse character Ratatoskr in God of War Ragnarök.

Cho isn’t alone in his racist hypocrisy. TV and movies are constantly swapping white characters for nonwhite ones in the name of social justice.

Consider the bonkers decision to cast black woman Caroline Henderson as a Viking warlord or Jordan Peters as a gay, black, disabled King Edward. Severus Snape may be explicitly described as white in Harry Potter, but that didn’t stop HBO from casting black actor Paapa Essiedu and causing a racial crisis.

In a flashback, Harry’s father, James, bullied Snape by hanging him from a tree, a moment meant to show James wasn’t as noble as Harry initially believed. With a black actor cast as Snape, that scene inevitably resembles a lynching.

Prior to this racial hysteria, fans didn’t care who played their favorite characters as long as they did a good job. Kratos, protagonist of the God of War series, has been voiced by black actors since 2005. Their performances were widely praised, and audiences accepted them without controversy.

Leftists argue that actors whose skin tone matches their characters make for better performances. But the evidence suggests such initiatives are merely a justification to hire unqualified people based solely on their complexion.

Does J.K. Rowling approve of Harry Potter being appropriated for what looks like another horrific blanket indictment of whites? I've read 4 of the books in the past, and can't recall if James Potter was ever portrayed as a bully that alarmingly. Rowling may maintain a good stance in favor of women's right to privacy and dignity, but if she waived creative control over HBO's series development, that doesn't reflect well on how she's approached the adaptations.

Now if this kind of racial discrimination is still prevelant in Hollywood, wouldn't there be grounds here for filing a lawsuit? I guess the impeding problem is that any actors who dared would find themselves blacklisted, and they don't have the courage to brave that. It could also be argued this constitutes a denial of creative license for the creative staff - which has doubtless been taken away by higher echelons in the industry over the past decade - except that for all we know, said creatives are possibly in agreement with said echelons too. In which case, how could they be called "creative" anymore?

As for the Korra cartoon, if there's anything it may be recalled for, it's possible allusions to lesbianism. I recall it may have seen a Dark Horse adaptation, but that doesn't mean it was a true success, and this "sequel" to the Avatar cartoon proper is only bound to make clear what's gone wrong even with pseudo-anime creations. No wonder some people prefer to just watch the real deal instead, provided they don't succumb to PC as well.