It’s once more unto the breach for the Avatar: The Last Airbender franchise as the next Netflix series revealed an official trailer for a series, showing more of the tone, special effects, and acting coming to the streamer next month. Can this live-action version harness what made the original a beloved show? Running for three seasons, the animated Nickelodeon series saw its first live-action adaptation with an M. Night Shyamalan movie that garnered generally poor reviews. The new series will include eight hour-long episodes, and based on the episode titles it appears to coincide with most of the first season of the animated show, referred to in the animated series as Book 1: Water.
Following a “Chosen One” character–a boy named Aang, played by Gordon Cormier–the story takes place in a fantasy world of elemental powers. The costumes, dialogue, and setting look like C.S. Lewis’s Narnia movie adaptations colliding with the 2021 live-action Mortal Kombat movie, especially with the similarly elemental mystical power visual effects. Plus several CGI beasties. Will the creatures be as realistic as in The Golden Compass?
Community’s Danny Pudi plays The Mechanist, although he didn’t make this trailer. Keep an eye out for Arden Cho as June and Daniel Dae Kim (Star Trek franchise, Hawaii Five-0, Lost, The Jackal) as the Fire Lord Ozai in this first full trailer for Avatar: The Last Airbender:
Other cast members include Ian Ousley as Sokka, Kiawentiio (Anne with an E) as Katara, Dallas Liu (Tekken, Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings) as Prince Zuko, Ken Leung (Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Inhumans) as Commander Zhao, Tamlyn Tomita (Star Trek Picard, The Man in the High Castle) as Yukari, Yvonne Chapman (Kung Fu) as Kyoshi, Elizabeth Yu as Princess Azula, and Paul Sun-Hyung Lee (The Mandalorian, Ahsoka) as Uncle Iroh. The creator/showrunner is Albert Kim (Leverage, Sleepy Hollow).
Look for the first season of Avatar: The Last Airbender streaming February 22, 2024, on Netflix.
C.J. Bunce / Editor / borg
