Netflix has officially unveiled the first teasers for its live-action takes on One Piece and Avatar: The Last Airbender.
The incredibly popular franchises are the latest manga and anime to get the live-action treatment at Netflix. And, while the world's best streaming service doesn't have the best record with adapting hugely successful Japanese franchises (Cowboy Bebop, we're looking at you), it'll hope this duo will fare far better when they're released.
Speaking of release dates and windows, Netflix confirmed when One Piece and Avatar: The Last Airbender (two of the best anime, in our view) would debut on its streaming platform. One Piece will sail onto Netflix on August 31, 2023, while its live-action spin on Michael Dante DiMartino's Avatar franchise will join the service sometime in 2024.
That's not all, either. At Tudum 2023, the latest installment of Netflix's annual global fan event, the streaming giant unveiled the first footage for its One Piece adaptation. Take a look at the trailer below:
Netflix also released a 30-second teaser for Avatar: The Last Airbender. However, unlike its anime cousin, Avatar's trailer doesn't contain major footage from the forthcoming TV series. Instead, it simply teases the symbols of the anime's four elements-based tribes – those being earth, wind, fire, and water. You can view that teaser below, too:
For the uninitiated: One Piece is one of Japan's highest-selling manga series of all-time. Originally created by Eiichiro Oda in July 1997, it tells the tale of Monkey D Luffy, a young adventurer who dreams of becoming King of the Pirates. Setting off on a perilous journey from his tiny, island home, Luffy embarks on an epic adventure – with his newly-formed crew and seafaring ship in tow – to find a legendary treasure and earn the title he's craved for so long.
Meanwhile, Avatar: The Last Airbender was originally an animated fantasy TV show, developed by DiMartino and Bryan Konietzo in February 2005, for Nickleodeon. Set in an Asiatic world where people can telekinetically manipulate the elements, it largely follows a boy named Aang, the last survivor of the Air Nomads, who embarks on a quest alongside his friends – Katara, Sokka, and Toph – to end the Fire Nation's war against the other tribes.
It's unclear if either or both TV adaptations will make it onto our best Netflix shows once they're released. After all, we had high hopes for Cowboy Bebop's live-action series in late 2021, only for Arcane – an animated Netflix series set in the world of League of Legends – ended up becoming Netflix's new TV darling at the time instead. With little in the way of positive reviews, and a lack of support from fans (casual and diehards alike), Netflix cancelled its Cowboy Bebop TV series after one season. Here's hoping One Piece and Avatar: The Last Airbender can perform better.
For more Netflix coverage, find out how to sign up to Netflix or read our best Netflix movies hub. Additionally, check out more of our Tudum 2023 articles, including the first extended sequence from The Witcher season 3 and a first teaser for the new mind-boggling sci-fi show from Game of Thrones' TV show creators.
