Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender was released earlier this year and opened to mixed responses. While the show was lauded for its casting and VFX, there were criticisms directed at the writing and quick pacing of the show. There have been no official confirmations about a second season, which would adapt the second season of the animated show, Book 2: Earth.
Many of the actors in the cast of Avatar: The Last Airbender seem to be excited for a second season, including actor Daniel Dae Kim. Dae Kim played the role of Fire Lord Ozai in the Netflix adaptation and mentioned that he would be intrigued to see the true madness of the character in season 2. However, he too was not entirely sure of a second season happening.
Daniel Dae Kim In Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender
While Fire Lord Ozai was voiced by the legendary Mark Hamill in the animated show, Neflx’s Avatar: The Last Airbender saw prolific actor Daniel Dae Kim take on the role. The actor was known for his appearances in Lost, Hawaii Five-O, and Crash. The actor previously voiced the character General Fong in the animated original and was also the voice of Hiroshi Sato in The Legend of Korra.
The actor reportedly prepared intensely for the iconic fight between him and his son Prince Zuko, played by Dallas Liu. The fight shows Ozai’s toxic parenting method and leads to him banishing his son as well as giving him his iconic scar. Dae Kim said in an interview with GQ that it was a demanding scene and that he brought many layers to the performance. He said,
“The physical preparation was intense. In the animated series, he’s shirtless, so I thought ‘Uh oh’. I wasn’t sure how authentic they wanted to be, and sure enough, the showrunner was like, ‘Oh, yeah, we’re gonna do that’. So I started to work out and I started to diet. I’m not immune to vanity, so I thought, well, at least I should try and look pretty good.”
Daniel Dae Kim also mentioned that the stunt team did a great job helping them imagine the Firebending effects that would be added later in post-production. The actor also mentioned how the team choreographed specific movements to complement the effects and explained how certain movements would result in the fire being shown in certain ways.
Daniel Dae Kim Has An Ominous Response For Season 2
Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender received a mixed response upon release, with many praising the efforts but also mentioning that there was still room for improvement. The majority of the reviews responded positively to the VFX and production design while criticizing the writing and pacing of the series. There were some key changes from the show in terms of how certain events were presented.
Due to the mixed response, there has been no official confirmation from Netflix about a second season for the show. However, the cast and crew of the show have shown excitement at a potential second season. Showrunner Albert Kim reportedly said in an interview with Teen Vogue that he would like to explore the backstory of Ozai. He said,
“I’d also like to see what happened to Zuko and Azula’s mom. These kinds of things are crucial to deepening the character, and I would love to see a little bit more of his history and how that informs who he is now.”
Daniel Dae Kim too mentioned that he would love to explore the character more deeply and become more unhinged. The season finale indicated that the Fire Lord had his eyes set on conquering the Earth Kingdom, with his daughter Princess Azula already taking over the nation. Dae Kim mentioned to GQ about the future of his character in season 2,
“A descent into madness sounds like juicy territory for an actor, and it’s not something I’ve explored before on screen. Should we be lucky enough to get a season 2, I look forward to those conversations. Nothing is inevitable in this business and in this industry climate, but there seems to be a lot of excitement about it.”
While there has been no confirmation for a second season, the first one seems to set the storyline for what is to come.
