First Look: M Night Shyamalan's The Last Airbender

Paramount Pictures has released the first photos from M Night Shyamalan's The Last Airbender in Friday's issue of USA Today. Above is the first photo of Aang (Noah Ringer), the "Last Airbender," a 12-year-old regional karate star was who discovered in a Texas open casting call. After the jump we've also included a tv to film comparison of Dev Patel as Prince Zuko.

The Last Airbender

Based on the hugely successful Nickelodeon animated TV series, the live-action feature film is set in a world where human civilization is divided into four nations: Water, Earth, Air and Fire.

The Fire Nation is waging a ruthless, oppressive war against the other three nations. The film's hero, the reluctant young Aang, is the "Last Airbender" — the Avatar who, according to prophecy, has the ability to manipulate all of the elements and bring all the nations together. Aided by a protective teenage Waterbender named Katara (Nicola Peltz) and her bull-headed brother Sokka, Aang proceeds on a perilous journey to restore balance to their war-torn world.

airbender dev patel

The article has a few interesting tidbits about the film's two main stars:

  • Ringer's nickname at school was "Avatar" because many people thought he looked like the character that he now plays in the movie.
  • Slumdog Millionaire star Dev Patel, who plays Prince Zuko, prince of the Fire Nation; earned his black belt in tae kwon do before getting into acting, and started watching the animated television series while filming Slumdog.
  • The teaser trailer will be attached to Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. The Last Airbender is set to hit theaters on July 2nd 2010.

    Discuss: What do you think of the first photos?