Amber Midthunder “geeking out” over Avatar: The Last Airbender role

2022 has been a breakout year for 25-year-old actress Amber Midthunder. She landed the lead role of Naru in the Predator prequel Prey, one of the best movies in the franchise. Next up for her is a role in Netflix’s live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender remake, where she plays Princess Yue.

With the animated show a smash hit on the streamer and the fandom enormous, Netflix is pouring a lot of money into its Avatar remake. According to Avatar News, the show has a budget of $120 million USD, with each episode costing in excess of $15 million. For reference, Netflix spent a similar amount on season 1 of The Sandman, which surprisingly, hasn’t been renewed yet.

Of course, some are apprehensive about the remake considering what happened the last someone tried to take The Last Airbender into live action. Yes, I’m talking about M. Night Shyamalan’s 2010 movie. From poor writing to cheap and lazy special effects to awful casting…it’s best if we just forget about it.

Thankfully, the upcoming remake seems to have already righted many of the former wrongs. The cast is certainly excited about what’s to come. “I’m geeking out!” Midthunder told Empire. “I loved Avatar as a kid. I rewatched it recently and I love that character [the Northern Water Tribe’s Princess Yue]. I’m very excited.”

Yue is a key character in season 1 of Avatar; she is the princess of the Northern Water Tribe. She is also a love interest of Sokka. Netflix’s live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender remake doesn’t have a release date yet, but sometime next year seems a pretty safe bet.

Amber Midthunder very proud of Predator prequel Prey

Prey was unlike any other movie in the Predator franchise. It was set in the past, with Comanche warrior Naru fighting to protect her tribe against the Predator. It seems like a mismatch on paper — even Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Dutch struggled to kill a Predator, and he had tons of modern firepower. Midthunder is very proud of the movie:

"It’s been such an emotional experience being with my own people, or other native people, and getting to see what this means to the people that it represents. To be received as well as we’ve been received by so many different types of people [including] indigenous communities. I feel very satisfied, to say the least."

Prey is currently streaming on Disney+. We can’t wait to see Midthunder’s portrayal of Princess Yue!

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