Upon its arrival to Netflix, the original Avatar: The Last Airbender had a resurgence in popularity, with new fans just discovering the brilliant cult classic joining old fans who watched it on Nickelodeon as children to create a major cultural boom.
The streaming platform announced in 2018 that a live-action series, with the original creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko on board, was in development. Fans were excited to hear this, especially after the previous attempt at a live action remake by director M. Night Shyamalan flopped spectacularly. Unfortuntaely, however, the two creators exited the project last year, due to creative differences.
DiMartino wrote an open letter on his website, explaining the reason behind their departure. “In a joint announcement for the series, Netflix said that it was committed to honoring our vision for this retelling and to supporting us on creating the series. And we expressed how excited we were for the opportunity to be at the helm," he wrote. "Unfortunately, things did not go as we had hoped."
“Look, things happen. Productions are challenging. Unforeseen events arise. Plans have to change," the open letter continued, "and when those things have happened at other points during my career, I try to be like an Air Nomad and adapt. I do my best to go with the flow, no matter what obstacle is put in my way. But even an Air Nomad knows when it’s time to cut their losses and move on.”
Being that the original creators will not be a part of the Netflix live-action series, many now fear that the project will turn out like Shyamalan's 2010 movie adaptation after all: The film was panned by critics, audiences, and fans of the original animated series. Many reviewers criticized the screenplay, acting, direction, and visual effects. In addition, many criticized the film for whitewashing the original cast.
During a virtual reunion for the original Avatar voice cast, those in attendance shared their thoughts on the upcoming live-action series as well.
“I just don’t know how you fulfill that any better than [the animated] show did,” said Dee Bradley Baker, who voiced Appa and Momo in the original series. “I’m open to whatever they do with the live-action series, which I know nothing about, but it’s like, ‘Well, how do you do this better than the way that it was rendered on this show?’ I don’t know how you do that! I hope you can.”
Olivia Hack, the voice of Ty Lee, added, “Especially when you’re doing the exact same series, but as a live-action. You’re not adding onto it or expanding the universe. You’re doing the same thing, which feels redundant, but I don’t know.”
The show’s voice director Andrea Romano called attention to the film, stating that it was “very disappointing” and revealed how the filmmaker blocked DiMartino and Konietzko’s involvement in the project.
Netflix has not yet announced a release date for the live-action series. Until then, all three seasons of Avatar: The Last Airbender, as well as the sequel series, Legend of Korra, are available to watch on Netflix.