Netflix has found its Team Avatar!
In 2018, it has been announced that Netflix is creating a live-action adaptation of Nickelodeon’s beloved animated series, Avatar: The Last Airbender (ATLA). Now, the streaming platform finally gives us an update by dropping the main cast of the show.
Headlining the show are Filipino-Canadian star Gordon Cormier as Aang, Kiawentiio as Katara, Ian Ousley as Sokka, and Dallas Liu as Zuko. Meanwhile, the actress who will play Toph is yet to be revealed.
Avatar: The Last Airbender is set in a fictional world where some people can “bend” one of the four elements– fire, water, earth, and air. Divided into four nations– the Air Temple, Water Tribe, Earth Kingdom, and Fire Nation– the world’s peace is soon shattered when the Fire Nation started invading the other lands. Only the Avatar who can master all four elements can bring balance back to the world, but he vanished.
One hundred years later, Katara and Sokka accidentally reawaken the young Avatar, Aang. With the help of his newfound friends, and the allies he meets along the way, Aang will have to master all of the elements and thwart the Fire Nation’s plans of world domination.
Alongside its cast, Netflix also announced that Albert Kim, who has worked on Sleepy Hollow and Nikita, is serving as the showrunner and writer. Last year in August, the ATLA’s original creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko exited the show due to creative differences with Netflix.
In a blog post, Kim said that this version of the series can establish a new benchmark in representation, as well as bring in a whole new generation of fans to the franchise.
“This was a chance to showcase Asian and Indigenous characters as living, breathing people. Not just in a cartoon, but in a world that truly exists, very similar to the one we live in,” wrote Kim.
The showrunner also pointed out that he didn’t want to modernize the story or twist it to fit modern trends just for the sake of change. Still, Kim stated that they will be expanding and growing the world, adding surprises for existing fans and new viewers.
“But throughout this process, our byword has been ‘authenticity.’ To the story. To the characters. To the cultural influences. Authenticity is what keeps us going, both in front of the camera and behind it, which is why we’ve assembled a team unlike any seen before—a group of talented and passionate artists who are working around the clock to bring this rich and incredibly beautiful world to life,” added Kim.
Directing the series are Michael Goi, Roseanne Liang, and Jabbar Raisani. The show’s release date is yet to be revealed.
