Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender cast talk the awful movie adaptation

M. Night Shyamalan's The Last Airbender (2010) is a dire adaptation that Avatar fans try to ignore, but for the cast of Netflix's upcoming live-action remake of Avatar: The Last Airbender, the movie holds some valuable lessons.

Early reviews of Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender suggest that the series is a worthy adaptation of the beloved source material, even if it remixes the story, expanding on some plot points, and condensing certain story arcs. The general consensus is that, yes, it's good.

And while it's not hard to improve on the previous live-action attempt, the cast did look back on M. Night Shyamalan's disastrous 2010 movie to prepare for taking on their roles. If we don't learn our lessons, history is bound to repeat itself. The film was disappointing from all angles; bad casting, poor pacing, extremely lackluster bending, and so on. If you want evidence, look no further than the hilarious scene where it takes a group of earthbenders to move one rock.

"I did watch it once and as a fan I think alongside all other fans I was disappointed," Kiawentiio (Katara) said at the show's premiere, via The Hollywood Reporter. "But I think it’s a good way to see what we don’t want to do. This cartoon has this amazing storyline, we tried to give it the live-action it deserves.”

Next to weigh in on the movie was Paul Sun-Hyung Lee (Uncle Iroh), who didn't hold back on his opinions either:

"“I did watch it, you know? It’s been dragged through the mud a lot, and I get it, as a fan I understand it. The casting is something that didn’t sit well with me either and it was painful, in that sense. Not that the actors were bad, I’m not saying that. Nobody sets off to do a bad adaptation, nobody sets off to offend an entire fan base, but I think decisions were made that didn’t quite sit well.”"

He went on to explain how the industry has shifted for the better and allowed for a more authentic adaptation. “Now knowing more and being in the age that we’re at right now in terms of representation, diversity and inclusivity, we were able to inhabit the world properly in that sense,” he added.

One actor who had a different outlook on the movie was Daniel Dae Kim (Fire Lord Ozai). He saw the positives that came out of it, such as wonderful talents like Dev Patel (Zuko), who went on to have a terrific career. “I did see it. I have a lot of respect for M. Night Shyamalan. He assembled a great group of actors, many of whom are household names today,” he said.

Avatar: The Last Airbender premieres February 22 on Netflix.

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