A new live-action remake of the Avatar: The Last Airbender is about to release on Netflix, more than two decades later. It is based on the original animated series, which follows the story of Aang, a twelve-year-old (technically, 112) Avatar who is the only one left from his nation, the Air Nomads.
He travels with his friends Katara, Sokka, and later Toph, to stop the Fire Nation from waging war against the other nations. It’s clear from the Avatar: The Last Airbender‘s synopsis that the animated series sticks to tradition. Yet, it’s also somehow linked to Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight.
Unexpected Link Between Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Dark Knight Revealed
From the trailer of the live-action of Avatar: The Last Airbender, fans have seen that there are no Asian or Hispanic characters since it’s set in a fantasy world. However, ATLA draws heavily from East and Southeast Asian culture and mythology.
It might come as a shocker to many that the OG animated series of ATLA has an unexpected connection with Christopher Nolan‘s film The Dark Knight, which followed a western approach.
The connection is that the final episode of ATLA aired the same weekend (concluded its run with a two-hour TV movie on July 19, 2008) as The Dark Knight‘s release (18 July 2008). This points to an interesting tie between them, despite their differences in styles, genre and format.
Although, ATLA isn’t just linked to the Batman franchise, it’s upcoming live-action is also connected to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Live-Action Avatar: The Last Airbender is Also Related to Marvel’s Shang-Chi
Avatar: The Last Airbender and Marvel’s Shang-Chi share some ongoing similarities that only true fans can observe. Apart from Dallas Liu being cast in the Marvel movie, he will soon be appearing in the live-action as ‘Zuko’.
So, deep down, as Marvel’s Shang-Chi revolves around the whole Asian theme, it has so many elements that make us connect to the typical Asian aura.
Surprisingly, these elements can also be found in the upcoming Netflix show, Avatar: The Last Airbender. But there is one very significant similarity which is displayed in both the movie and series is their combat style.
It’s the infamous Baghuazhang martial art style on which the whole Airbending is based on. ATLA and Shang-chi both have bending combats, with Airbending and Firebending techniques being on full-display.
So, the live-action has some borrowed elements from whole superhero era world of movies, and believe it or not it makes the whole series more engaging and adventurous. Originally planned for 10 hour-long episodes, recent reports indicate the Avatar: The Last Airbender will have 8 episodes instead.
The first season of the show is set to hit Netflix on February 22, 2024. Meanwhile, you can watch The Dark Knight on Prime Video, and Shang Chi on Disney+.
