Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender Is a Show For Fans By Fans
The showrunner behind Netflix's Avatar wants fans to know it was made by fans.
Netflix has found some big success as of late with live-action adaptations of classic animated tales. One Piece and Yu Yu Hakusho took stories from Japan and brought them to life for a new generation, along with the original fans of the source material. Next year, Avatar: The Last Airbender is the next on Netflix's radar as showrunner Albert Kim took the opportunity to talk about how this new take on Aang and company is made for the fans.
Aside from the upcoming live-action take from Netflix, Avatar: The Last Airbender has some other big projects on the way. With the opening of Avatar Studios, the original creators of the bending universe, Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino, are working on new projects to expand the universe. Beginning in 2025, the first of three new animated films will take us back to the original universe. The movie itself will focus on Aang and his friends as adults, which has been a period that could use some serious exploration.
Avatar: The Last Fanbender
Showrunner Albert Kim addressed the elephant in the room, being that the original creators of Avatar: The Last Airbender departed the show. Kim states that their presence can still be felt via many ideas that will be present in the live-action series, "It ran the range of really nerdy little things that no one except for diehard fans might wonder about — questions about Katara's mom or Aang's parentage — to bigger picture stuff about how to translate what made the original so special into a live-action version."
Kim then took the opportunity to emphasize just how the series' writers' room are big fans of the source material and were aiming to do it justice with their new take, "All of our writers are also fans of the original, so they drew upon their own experiences and the things that they love the best. We made sure to include all those in the show."
Netflix's live-action take on Avatar: The Last Airbender will arrive on February 22nd of next year. From the promotional material, it's clear that the upcoming series is using several elements from the original series to help introduce a new take on the Nickelodeon universe.
Do you think the live-action take on Aang and his friends will live up to its source material? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of bending.