It's been 10 years since Avatar: The Last Airbender ended its run on Nickelodeon, but the show's legacy has survived well beyond that. The show spawned a successful television spinoff The Legend of Korra, and even a live-action film from M. Night Shyamalan that many have viewed as an outright disaster. Despite that, Netflix is giving a live-action adaptation of the series another shot, and it's teaming up with Nickelodeon to turn Aang's journey into a TV show.
Shyamalan isn't around for the ride this time around, and instead the live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender's executive producers and showrunners will be original creators Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko. The series, which starts production in 2019, is presumably based on the adventures of Aang and his friends who seek to defeat Fire Lord Ozai and end the long war with the Fire Nation. DiMartino and Konietzko shared a bit more on their vision for the upcoming series, and how it will differ from the film adaptation The Last Airbender:
We can't wait to realize Aang's world as cinematically as we always imagined it to be, and with a culturally appropriate, non-whitewashed cast. It's a once-in-a-lifetime chance to build upon everyone's great work on the original animated series and go even deeper into the characters, story, action, and world-building.
Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko's statement calls back to a problem some had with The Last Airbender in which white actors were cast as characters that were portrayed in the animation as East Asian and Inuit. As mentioned, that won't be the case in Netflix's live-action series, as DiMartino and Konietzko's statement indicated casting will be culturally appropriate in regards to the original series. Additionally, the two hinted that the upcoming romp will dive deeper into the original story, and show more of the characters, action and the world they created in the show.
Avatar: The Last Airbender premiered for television audiences in 2005, and was a quick hit with children. The series gained various awards in its three-season run, including a Primetime Emmy and a Peabody Award. Many fans point to the show's strong storytelling, as well as the beautiful animation stylized after popular anime as key factors to its continued success and acclaim. The ever-expanding Netflix provided some concept art for the upcoming live-action series of Aang and his Flying Bison Oppa in a field, and it looks like the adaptation may just match the beauty of the original series:
As mentioned, Netflix's live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender kicks off production in 2019. Eager fans will just have to contain their excitement until then, and maybe pop on over to our fall premiere guide and find some new television to distract themselves with.
