Netflix has announced the cast for its live-action remake of Avatar: The Last Airbender! So far, so good, but there’s a long way to go:
With Avatar: The Last Airbender returning to Netflix earlier this year, fans have fallen in love with the animated epic all over again, and the timing couldn’t be better; after all, Netflix is making a live-action adaptation! What better way is there to get excited for a new series than to revisit our favorite moments from the original show?
And what moments they were. The Last Airbender tells the story of Aang, the one person in this fantasy world capable of controlling all four elements and restoring balance. The show is backed back to front with unforgettable scenes, and from the start fans were eager to see them rendered in live-action.
Unfortunately, it was recently announced that original series creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko — both of whom were supposed to be heavily involved in the upcoming remake — were departing from the show due to “creative differences.” That’s definitely dampened fans’ enthusiasm for the new show. While neither DiMartino nor Konietzko have opened up about what exactly made them leave, reports suggest that the streaming platform wanted to white-wash and age up the cast, and that they wanted a darker, grittier tone for the series overall.
There’s no confirmation that this is definitely the case, so some are still holding out hope that Netflix won’t go this route — and that this rendition of the story will, at the very least, be better than the 2010 M. Night Shyamalan film, which was met with harsh criticism from viewers for doing some of that stuff. It’s hard to believe that Netflix would make the same mistakes with its show, but stranger things have happened.
Assuming Netflix doesn’t make such fatal errors, here are the biggest moments the show needs to get right. (In addition to the casting and tone, that is. Please don’t do us dirty, Netflix.)