Last Airbender fan film points the way for Netflix’s live-action adaptation

Over a decade after it ended, Nickelodeon’s Avatar: The Last Airbender remains beloved by fans for its epic sweep, memorable characters and tight focus. Netflix is remaking the show in live-action, with original series creators Bryan Konietzko and Michael DiMartino both on board, but we haven’t heard anything solid about it for a while, and with shows everywhere on hold because of the coronavirus, we’re likely not going to for a bit.

But the superfans over at RE:ANIME are picking up the slack. Not long ago, they released an immaculately produced fan film adapting the scene from the series finale where Prince Zuko duels his sociopath sister Azula for the throne of the Fire Kingdom.

Does this scene have a major special effects budget? No, but the attention to detail and performance is terrific, and Netflix could do a lot worse than to look at this scene when thinking about how to render this stuff in live-action.

We thought that was the final Last Airbender fan film we’d see from RE:ANIME, but then they came out with something else, a comic short all about Sokka getting high out of his mind on cactus juice, adapted from the season 2 episode “The Desert”:

That’s Jonathan Tanigaki as Sokka, doing a great job of translating the cartoon version of the character to live-action. He even sounds a lot like Jack DeSena. And the wavy noodle arms at the end are almost uncanny.

The Last Airbender always did a great job of balancing the high-stakes drama and character building with comedy, and clearly, RE:ANIME has a good grasp on both sides of the coin. Here’s hoping Netflix approaches its show the same way, and soon we can forget M. Night Shyamalan disastrous 2010 movie version ever existed.

To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and sign up for our exclusive newsletter.

Get HBO, Starz, Showtime and MORE for FREE with a no-risk, 7-day free trial of Amazon Channels