Netflix's live-action remake of Nickelodeon's beloved animated fantasy series Avatar: The Last Airbender was mostly a success when it launched in 2024. Sure, the series massively condensed the original show while taking on a significantly darker, more mature tone. But even so, viewership was solid, and Netflix wasted no time in renewing the remake for another two seasons, meaning they'll be able to tell the whole story.
To say Netflix's Avatar remake was ambitious would be an understatement. The debut season underwent an enormous production, one of the biggest in Netflix's history. The production utilized numerous groundbreaking technologies, including the world’s largest LED video wall in Vancouver. When it comes to production for television, Avatar was on the leading side of the industry.
Looking ahead to season 2 and beyond, we're going to see some of Avatar's biggest battles play out in live-action, including the show's epic endgame. In order to faithfully cover these events, the production needs to be bigger and better. Star Daniel Dae Kim (Ozai) has no doubts that will be the case. "It’s very different. We’re on location a lot more, and season 3, which we’re about to start, is even bigger than season 2," he told ScreenRant.
Fire Lord Ozai's role was significantly expanded for the first season of the remake. Alongside Princess Azula (Elizabeth Yu), he played a large role in season 1, and he'll come even further into the spotlight in seasons 2 and 3 as Aang and the team get closer to confronting him.
Toph will be "slightly more feminine" in Avatar: The Last Airbender remake
Starting with season 2, Miya Cech will play Toph, a blind earth-bending prodigy who will help Aang hone his earth-bending skills. Toph is one of the most beloved characters from the original animated series, a pint-sized bruiser who takes no prisoners. But as Cech told The Direct, her version will be a little different:
"My version of Toph is going to be a little older and slightly more feminine. I feel like I wanted to work into a very humanizing space for her because, you know, she was a cartoon."
It's understandable why Toph might be a bit older, simply because of the reality of making a live-action show; it's hard to find kids who can embody characters for punishingly long hours on set, and that's before you start dealing with child labor laws. Making Toph "slightly less feminine" strikes me as more controversial. In the animated show, Toph is the tomboy to end all tomboys; in a later episode, the gang takes in a play based on their adventures, and Toph is delighted to find that she's played by a huge, muscular man. We'll see how the remake handles things.
Netflix has not set a release date for Avatar: The Last Airbender season 2 yet. It's expected to air sometime in 2026. With season 3 going straight into production, the wait will likely be significantly shorter for the show's final season. In the meantime, season 1 is now streaming on Netflix.
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