For many life-long Avatar: The Last Airbender fans, the 2010 live-action movie by M. Night Shyamalan made us fearful of other attempts to re-create the beloved animated series. So, when Netflix’s adaptation of The Last Airbender was announced as part of the 2024 TV schedule, many were skeptical. However, things seem to be moving in the right direction, and now, the EP of the new show has opened up about the flack the 2010 film got, and if it’s impacted his series.
M. Night Shyamalan’s Avatar movie had issues, and a lot of them. Fans of the Nickelodeon series were livid about the special effects not being up to par, the changing of many characters and the whitewashing of the cast. So, when the Netflix series’ EP and showrunner Albert Kim took on the daunting project of creating a live-action adaptation of the beloved fantasy epic, thoughts about the 2010 film were reignited. However, Kim tried his best not to look too far into the film as he told EW:
I'll tell you something, I never watched the Shyamalan movie. There was a period of time where I thought I should watch it, but then I thought, I don't really want those images in my head as I start to go forward with our version of this project. So I avoided it purposefully.
Kim was very aware of the criticisms the 2010 project received though. Addressing the film’s casting choices and the special effects, both of which received harsh reactions, the showrunner for the Netflix series said:
I knew what fans didn't like about it in general, but those kinds of pitfalls weren't hard to avoid. For instance, an authentic version of the casting, that's something that we would've done regardless. And, to be fair, Shymalan's movie was made at a time when the technology hadn't caught up yet to what the world deserved. So I knew that the VFX was going to be much better than whatever they did anyway.
As Kim stated, his show has been able to avoid the issues the film faced so far. For example, Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender cast is faithful to the original show, and it features Asian and Indigenous actors – including Gordon Cormier as Aang and Kiawentiio as Katara.
Also, The Last Airbender’s teaser showed off the visually stunning landscapes and special effects that are possible because of the technological advancements in filmmaking and VFX work. As Kim said, Shyamalan’s movie didn’t have the tech they have now, meaning it was nearly impossible to create effects that were super similar to the bending and action sequences in the OG animated series.
While it’s been revealed that there will be changes made to Netflix’s Airbender adaptation, I’m cautiously optimistic about the series. Plus, it seems like they are working hard to make a faithful live-action show that fans of the animated series will love. Hopefully, Kim’s project will live up to the hype and become one of Netflix’s best shows, and those who adore the OG series won’t feel the need to react the same way they did in 2010.
We’ll find all this out when Netflix’s live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender premieres on February 22. In the meantime, you can stream the OG Nickelodeon show with a Netflix subscription.
