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Secrets And Glimpses Of The Last Airbender Filming
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gargle
06/23/09

In reply to Secrets And Glimpses Of The Last Airbender Filming
Nice to see io9 condoning whitewashing again. I guess science fiction really is too white-dominated to give a shit about anything that exists in reality.
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Alexis
06/23/09

@gargle: So, I guess io9 should ignore it entirely because the casting sucks? That knocks off about half of the sci-fi films this year.
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Tzepish
06/23/09

In reply to Secrets And Glimpses Of The Last Airbender Filming
Knowing Shyamalan, I'm surprised he didn't cast himself as Zuko or something.
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omgwtflolbbqbye
06/23/09

@Tzepish: He'll probably have a small cameo as "the single most intelligent person in the world", and will reveal that the Fire Emipire is actually run by an evil film critic who molest children and puppies when he isn't deriding the works of similarly important and intelligent cinematic savants.
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Alexis
06/23/09

@omgwtflolbbqbye: That was so perfect I could kiss you.

But I won't. Word is, you have cooties. Or Rage. Neither is good.
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Pobre
06/23/09

In reply to Secrets And Glimpses Of The Last Airbender Filming
So, are they going for a trilogy or four-movie set here? I would be severely disappointed at a single movie. There's just too much story to tell. If there's only one movie/book, it'll miss everyone's character arc, but mostly Zuko. Anybody know?
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Slovenly Muse
06/23/09

@Chris Coonradt aka Pobregizmo: I heard trilogy, but I can't confirm that.
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phoenix6666
06/23/09

In reply to Secrets And Glimpses Of The Last Airbender Filming
Looking at the trailer, it seems like he's on the right track at least. Still annoyed by the casting but well, nothing to be done about that really.
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Slovenly Muse
06/23/09

@phoenix6666: But there is: Don't go to the movie. If the casting bothers you, let them know that their blatant racism is going to hurt them financially, because their target audience isn't going to support those sorts of practices. Send them a letter telling them you would have seen it if not for the casting. They want to get two other movies out of this. They'll listen.

I'm not trying to push you do things my way, only pointing out a flaw in your thinking. Just because the casting can't be changed now doesn't mean it's stopped being an issue, or that our responses to it aren't important and can't make a difference.
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Plague
06/23/09

In reply to Secrets And Glimpses Of The Last Airbender Filming
I'm gonna go out on a limb and say this will no Zu Warriors.
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Pope John Peeps II
06/23/09

@Plague: Zu Warriors was the greatest episode of Power Rangers they ever made.
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Barnibus
06/23/09

In reply to Secrets And Glimpses Of The Last Airbender Filming
I have felt little but dread over this since Shamalama used his top down success to muscle in on DiMartino and Konietzko's magical and near perfect creation.
I watched the last four episodes of the TV show last night and was just as awed at their storytelling ability as ever. Those guys knew their world and characters completely. They knew exactly how much to give and how much to hold back to make their three seasons incredible.
I haven't seen a thing of Shamalama's worth watching since Sixth Sense (What do you mean "red symbolizes death?" The whole bloody movie's about death!).
I just can't shake this feeling of dread, but at the same time, I can't help but hope.
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Alexis
06/23/09

@Barnibus: In a way it's frustrating because Avatar's series finale was so utterly complete. Everything, with the exception of one storyline, was wrapped up and the one loose end was left under the implication that it might be finished up later. It was very well animated, suspenseful and actually left you genuinely wondering what might happen at the end. I like remakes and re imaginings when I feel that new blood can refresh the original (BSG, for example) but Avatar is still very new and many people haven't discovered it yet. While this has potential to be a solid movie, is it really necessary to even make it? Hardly.
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Barnibus
06/23/09

@Evlsushi:
Oh dear...
That feeling of dread just worsened.
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Alexis
06/23/09

@Barnibus: hah, hah. Sorry. I just got caught up in my own nostalgia of the show.
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Pope John Peeps II
06/23/09

@Barnibus: How do you muscle-in on a series that's already completed. It exists. Already. It's finished. There's no more. This is a re-imaging of the whole thing, sort of like Star Trek. If you don't like it, don't watch it. You still have the original series.

Also, I'd like to point out that making fun of the director's last name is actually a teeny bit racist, even though it may not occur to you that it is.
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jcous
06/23/09

@Evlsushi: Personally, I admired the closure they gave at the end of the series. Not only is that authentic to the animes they drew inspiration from, but it shows that they were really in it to tell a story, not to milk the series for all the money they can get and then cancel it when it's not popular. The series tells one complete story, from beginning to end, and then it's over. Just like Cowboy Bebop, FLCL, or Samurai Champloo. It's almost unheard of to do that in America, because the studios want a show that can drag on forever and keep making money (Spongebob, The Simpsons).
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Pope John Peeps II
06/23/09

@jcous: Oh right, that lost, ancient art of concise and perfect storytelling, as exemplified in such short, elegant series(es) as Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball GT, Naruto, Bleach, Full Metal Alchemist, Gintama...
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Alexis
06/23/09

@Pope John Peeps II: Are you really going to bring up random series from anime that suck, because the same can be done for American kids TV. All he's saying is that what makes Avatar unique is that it's a finite story, allowing the writers to concentrate on that rather than keeping a dying series going for as long as they can milk it.

Also, I'm pretty tired of the jokes on M.Night's name as well. They are racist.

How do you muscle-in on a series that's already completed. It exists. Already. It's finished. There's no more. This is a re-imaging of the whole thing, sort of like Star Trek. If you don't like it, don't watch it. You still have the original series.

I don't really take much issue with this film being made at all. I like seeing great shows/literature/graphic novels in different mediums. However, it makes me sad to think that all the hard work put into the animated series will go ignored once the movie comes out. Sure, there will be some people that look into the animated series, but it pisses me off to think that many will refer to this franchise as "M Night Shyamalan's Avatar" or after James Cameron sues him "M Night's The Last Airbender." The series is far too new for that.

Star Trek was a dead series that desperately needed a revamp. Avatar is nowhere close to that.
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Hello Mister Walrus
06/23/09

In reply to Secrets And Glimpses Of The Last Airbender Filming
Raising an army of darkness, eh? So that's what Jamal has been doing with his "Millionaire" winnings. That's what I would have done.
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Pope John Peeps II
06/23/09

In reply to Secrets And Glimpses Of The Last Airbender Filming
Well, since it's a world-building set, and something gigantic.... I'm going to say an upside-down Air Temple? One of those amazing looking stalactite temples hanging from a mountain?

Either that, or a tremendous blimp. But that would be booooring.
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mekki
06/23/09

@Pope John Peeps II: Come on, it's going to be Ba Sing Se. That place was enormous and major place in the cartoon.
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Pope John Peeps II
06/23/09

@mekki: Well, I guess? But why would they need to build the largest set ever? It's just a city and a wall?

Besides, will they have the time in the movie to have the war over ba sing se? For sure they'll include Aang visiting an Air temple.
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newgalactic
06/23/09

In reply to Secrets And Glimpses Of The Last Airbender Filming
Is this another "greatest comic ever" movie that will make the fans furious at the blatant disregard for "cannon"?
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Pope John Peeps II
06/23/09

@newgalactic: whenever you disregard "cannon", it usually blows up in your face.
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ggodo, the man from R.O.A.C.H.
06/23/09

@Pope John Peeps II: I hate when it gets loose.
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Alexis
06/23/09

In reply to Secrets And Glimpses Of The Last Airbender Filming
I took away a little bit of the slapsticky stuff that was there for the little little kids, the fart jokes and things like that. We weeded that stuff away and the other stuff came out. We grounded Katara's brother, who's the comic relief in the show. We grounded him, and that really did wonderful things for the whole theme of the movie.

This is not a bad thing. Will this movie not be a bad thing? Perhaps M Night needs an established story to allow him to flex his directorial muscle. Obviously, plot has been a weak point with him lately, but if he focuses on a fully developed story, this might be a great thing for his career.
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Lampbane
06/23/09

@Evlsushi:

The only objection I have was that Sokka doesn't need grounding. He's comic relief, but he's an intelligent, mature, [relatively] sensible comic relief which was a welcome change from the usual "useless" comic relief characters you get. Aang might have been the Avatar, but Sokka was the leader of the group.
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Pope John Peeps II
06/23/09

@Lampbane: Yes, but he's no longer a cartoon. You simply can't do the same things in real life. Unless you want a live action Sokka getting high on desert mushrooms and staggering around? Which would be the stupidest movie ever.
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Lampbane
06/23/09

@Pope John Peeps II:

You need to watch more Cowboy Bebop. Even the movie managed to be a bit silly. Okay, it's not live action, but still...
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Alexis
06/23/09

@Lampbane: Key words: "not live action"
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Evil Tortie's Mom: R.O.A.C.H.
06/23/09

@Evlsushi: I agree, I read that and was all "Hey, but... that sounds like a GOOD idea. How can this be, from MNS?"
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