When Netflix announced it would be remaking the beloved animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender into a live-action show, fans were immediately skeptical. The original show, created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, is considered one of the greatest animated series of all time. Why try to remake perfection? According to Albert Kim, showrunner for the Netflix adaptation, the reason goes deeper than just trying to capitalize on the popularity of the original. In fact, it stems from the disappearance of the original creators themselves.
Why Did The Original Creators Leave The Netflix Remake?
According to Tatler, in 2018, when the remake was announced, DiMartino and Konietzko were on board as executive producers. But in 2020, the two abruptly departed the project over what they described as a lack of creative control.
“We realized that we couldn’t control the creative direction of the series, so we left,” Konietzko wrote on Instagram.
Many fans considered this the death knell for the remake. How could it succeed without the original creators at the helm? Showrunner Albert Kim, however, saw their disappearance as an opportunity to reimagine the story from a new perspective.
“Mike and Bryan’s disappearance from this world left a huge hole,” Kim said in an interview. “Rather than try to replicate their vision, we wanted to build on what they left behind – to take their inspiration and run with it in a new direction.”
“We think of it as a reimagining of the original story in a new context,” Kim said. “It’s what we hope Mike and Bryan would have wanted if they were still with us today.”
Kim wanted to stay true to the show’s roots while bringing something new to the table. This included changing some storylines, diversifying the cast, and expanding on parts of the mythology that were left vague.
Can The Remake Of Avatar Live Up To Expectations?
Though risky, Kim stands by the idea that creating something new is better than trying to copy the inimitable work of the vanished creators. Only time will tell if fans accept this live-action version on its own terms.
The remake faces high expectations from loyal fans. While reaction to early footage has been mixed, Kim believes a fresh take is exactly what the disappeared creators would have wanted. By forging its own path, the remake aims to honor DiMartino and Konietzko’s groundbreaking vision.
There was a live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender film released in 2010 prior to the impending Netflix adaption. M. Night Shyamalan, the film’s director, received nearly universal negative reviews from both reviewers and audiences. A lot of people voiced complaints about the bad acting and scripting, as well as the choice of white actors to play the lead roles of Katara and Sokka.
A whole season was condensed into less than two hours for the film, which led to a hurried and nonsensical plot. In the end, it was a letdown that was unable to recreate the enchantment of the first animated series. The Netflix version seeks to pick up where Shyamalan’s first version failed.
