Amber Midthunder shot to fame as the lead in Prey, the best Predator movie since the 1987 original. The movie brought the franchise into completely new territory, as the alien Predator hunted members of the Comanche tribe in pre-colonial America is 1719. Midthunder played Naru, a young hunter who was a match for the alien invader.
Midthunder herself has indigenous ancestry; she’s a member of the Fort Peck Sioux tribe, with a heritage that includes Sahiya Nakoda, Hunkpapa Lakota, and Sisseton Dakota. Speaking to Teen Vogue, she talked about how proud she was of the indigenous representation in the movie, and hopes to continue to represent indigenous Americas in future projects.
For instance, Midthunder plays Princess Yue in Netflix’s upcoming live-action remake of Avatar: The Last Airbender, a beloved Nickelodeon series that takes inspiration for indigenous and east Asian cultures. Accordingly, the show is full of indigenous and east Asian actors, but their identities aren’t the point. The show could be at the forefront of a new wave of Hollywood productions that embrace the multi-ethnic nature of their casts without asking the actors to tokenize themselves, a pressure Midthunder has felt but resisted, since “your relationship with yourself is so much more important.”
Character descriptions for adult versions of Avatar: The Last Airbender heroes
We still don’t know when Netflix’s remake of the original show will air, but we know it’s not the only Last Airbender project making the rounds. Nickelodeon has drafted original show creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko to head up Avatar Studios, which is working on new animated projects.
That includes a a movie starring the heroes of the original show as adults. Insider Daniel Richtman recently released some casting calls for the older characters. Check them out below:
"Aang – “24, male, from a fictional community inspired by the monastic cultures of Asia. Adventurous, kind, with a youthful exuberance and energy, Aang wants to be everyone’s best friend. He prefers to resolve conflict without violence.Katara – “26, female, from a fictional community inspired by cultures of the First Nations of Canada, Indigenous American and Inuit people. Independent, passionate, and determined, Katara is a young woman with a huge heart who often puts the needs of others ahead of her own. She believes in the goodness and potential of others, even if they don’t believe in themselves.”Sokka – “27, male, from a fictional community inspired by cultures of the First Nations of Canada, Indigenous American and Inuit people. Sokka is a charismatic and ambitious man with a wry sense of humor. He’s a natural leader and storyteller, and he’s always looking to help those around him. Courageous and resourceful, Sokka is not afraid to fight for what he believes in.”"
Aang, Katara and Sokka all sound more or less like their younger selves, but more confident and in command of their abilities. We don’t know when this movie will come out either, but suddenly there’s a lot of Avatar in the air.
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h/t ComicBook.com