Netflix recently turned Eiichiro Oda’s iconic Manga series, One Piece, into a live-action fantasy adventure. The early days of Monkey D. Luffy’s exploits, as he worked on setting up his pirate crew in hopes of finding the greatest treasure ever, known as the One Piece, received encouraging reviews, partly because Matt Owens didn’t play too much with the source material.
However, the streaming giant has seemingly changed their approach for their live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender, much to the disappointment of many anime fans. And now, Nico Parker’s comments suggest, How to Train Your Dragon may take a similar controversial route.
Why Fans Are Not Happy With Netflix’s Plans for Avatar
Netflix is all set to premiere the live-action series Avatar: The Last Airbender later this month. The story chronicles the journey of a young boy known as the Avatar. With four elemental nations at war with each other, the new Avatar, Aang, must master the four elemental powers to save a world at war.
The upcoming Netflix show is an adaptation of the animated series of the same name. The Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko-created series ran for three seasons between 2005 and 2008. Set in an Asian and Arctic-inspired world, it received plenty of acclaim due to its unique characters and cultural references.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, cast members Kiawentiio Tarbell (Katara) and Ian Ousley (Sokka) revealed that Sokka’s sexism will be toned down in the live-action version.
This has not gone down well with fans, as they believe cutting away that side of Sokka’s personality ignores a big part of his character development. The idea of adapting an original story but ignoring parts of its source material has never made much sense and yet producers continue to repeat that mistake.
Amid the Avatar controversy, Nico Parker has raised the eyebrows of How to Train Your Dragon fans by making similar suggestions.
Nico Parker Gives an Intriguing Update on How to Train Your Dragon
How to Train Your Dragon live-action reboot is in the works, with Universal Studios planning the release of the movie about a young Viking in 2025. The Last of Us star has been roped in to play Astrid in the adaptation of the much-loved fantasy series.
During an interview with Collider, Parker shared her excitement and shed light on what fans could expect from the live-action story of an unlikely friendship between a hunter and a dragon. She said:
“I think it’s very much its own thing, but I’d like to think so much of that magic is also prevalent in this one. But I think it’s its own film and it’s its own interpretation and everyone has their own version of a character. It’s important not to get too wrapped up, especially because the animated ones are so brilliant. It’s like, let’s not try and just do a play by play of that. And if anyone wants that, they can watch the animated ones. I think it’ll be wonderful, and if it isn’t, I’m having a wonderful time making it anyway. I’ll think it’s wonderful, no matter what.”
While Parker’s comments might make some fans nervous, it’s still very early to speculate how the live-action version would be shaped. Moreover, fans should be happy with the fact that Dean DeBlois, the creative force behind the original trilogy, is set to remain in the director’s chair for the planned film.
