Live-Action AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER Showrunner Hesitated To Take The Job After Cartoon Creators Walked Away

Live-Action AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER Showrunner Hesitated To Take The Job After Cartoon Creators Walked Away

Albert Kim, the showrunner of Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender, says he was originally thrilled but then a little terrified to accept the job after the cartoon creators left the project.

By MarkJulian - Dec 22, 2023 09:12 AM EST
Filed Under: Netflix
Source: Toonado.com

Fans of Avatar: The Last Airbender were very concerned when Netflix's live-action version revealed that the Nickelodeon cartoon's original creators, Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino, would be exiting the project in 2020.

Prior to their departure announcement, the pair had been driving development on the live-action version of the beloved cartoon for two years.

On their decision, Konietzko and DiMartino stated, "Netflix said that it was committed to honoring our vision for this retelling [but] things did not go as we had hoped." DiMartino went on to add the adaptation had "the potential to be good" but "will not be what Bryan and I had envisioned or intended to make."

Albert Kim was named the project's showrunner at approximately the same time that DiMartino and Konietzko made their exit announcements.

"You'd have to be an idiot not to be intimidated a little bit," Kim recently told Entertainment Weekly when asked about being nervous about taking the job, shortly after Konietzko and DiMartino announced they were leaving.

"My first reaction [to being offered the job] after 'hell yeah’ was ‘holy s**t. Do I really want to do this? Is there a way to improve upon the original?’ Whenever you tackle something that's already beloved by millions of fans, you have to ask yourself those questions."

"We don't start the show the way the animated series starts. That was a conscious decision to show people this is not the animated series," Kim explained. "We had to sometimes unravel storylines and remix them in a new way to make sense for a serialized drama. So I'm very curious to see what'll happen in terms of reaction to that."

Netflix's live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender stars Gordon Cormier as Avatar Aang, Kiawentiio as Katara and Ian Ousley as Sokka. 

The show also stars Dallas Liu (PEN15) as Prince Zuko, Paul Sun-Hyung Lee (Kim's Convenience, The Mandalorian) as Uncle Iroh, Daniel Dae Kim (Hawaii Five-0, Lost) as Fire Lord Ozai, Ken Leung (Inhumans, The Blacklist) as Commander Zhao, and Elizabeth Yu  (Somewhere in Queens)as Princess Azula.

The official synopsis from Netflix reads, "Water, Earth. Fire. Air. Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony - then everything changed. A live-action adaptation Aang's story.

The four nations once lived in harmony, with the Avatar, master of all four elements, keeping peace between them. But everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked and wiped out the Air Nomads, the first step taken by the firebenders towards conquering the world. With the current incarnation of the Avatar yet to emerge, the world has lost hope.

But like a light in the darkness, hope springs forth when Aang, a young Air Nomad — and the last of his kind — reawakens to take his rightful place as the next Avatar. Alongside his newfound friends Sokka and Katara, siblings and members of the Southern Water Tribe, Aang embarks on a fantastical, action-packed quest to save the world and fight back against the fearsome onslaught of Fire Lord Ozai. But with a driven Crown Prince Zuko determined to capture them, it won’t be an easy task. They’ll need the help of the many allies and colorful characters they meet along the way."

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bobevanz
bobevanz - 12/22/2023, 9:20 AM
If the creators walk away, you don't take the job. That trailer looked almost as bad as Shyamalan's movie ffs
Conquistador
Conquistador - 12/22/2023, 9:28 AM
@bobevanz - I disagree. That trailer looked a miles better then Shyamalan's effort.

For what its worth though i likes some parts of the movie. Nothing will top the animation though!

Hopefully the creators can be swayed back if season 1 is successful.
GhostDog
GhostDog - 12/22/2023, 9:26 AM
Maybe you should've walked away...

And now the creators will make something infinitely better with a return to the original animated universe
GenD
GenD - 12/22/2023, 9:30 AM
Was the kids arrow done with magic marker?
slickrickdesigns
slickrickdesigns - 12/22/2023, 9:42 AM
Looks at it this way, it can’t be any worse than him night Shyamalandong Avatar.
Order66
Order66 - 12/22/2023, 9:46 AM
So freakin excited for this show. I hold a special place in my heart for avatar and korra. I hope the ending to avatar shows Aang dying in peace and then the birth of korra (not that I want a live action korra show) but just a tease at the end as the camera closes up on a baby korra sleeping in her mothers arms with the theme song playing.
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 12/22/2023, 9:47 AM
I’m cautiously optimistic about this after the teaser…

Interested to see how they have “remixed” and even changed some stuff.

I Hope this turns out well , nothing would make me happier then having a good live action version of ATLA aswell as the original creators doing more animated stuff aswell…

It would be a huge win for fans like myself!!.

Conquistador
Conquistador - 12/22/2023, 9:49 AM
If they're adapting season for season, I'm on board.

3 seasons and done. Kid will still look like a kid if they keep it moving.
Evansly
Evansly - 12/22/2023, 9:49 AM
The reason why the live action One Piece was SO good was because Oda was so involved. If this ends up being well received ill watch it but most anime adaptations tend to lack the heart of the originals
Conquistador
Conquistador - 12/22/2023, 9:55 AM
@Evansly - I enjoyed One Piece, but I won't be telling the truth if i said i was focused the whole time.

I had it on as background noise for a few episodes. The cast were awsome, but some of the choices came of cheesy and just doesn't translate well. I think it will get stale in the next season or 2 if they don't switch it up a bit..

I could be wrong though, but the season finale was dope.

But are well still calling Avatar anime?
Evansly
Evansly - 12/22/2023, 9:59 AM
@UniqNo - That's fair, I went into One Piece completely blind, I didn't want to make a 427 hour commitment to the show.

I actually found a lot of the cheesy aspects to help with the immersion into the world they created but can see how others may have disagreed.

And I can certainly be wrong on called Avatar an anime, it was on when I was more focused on sports so I never really watched it. I more put it into the bucket of things I'll catch with my kids when they are old enough, which I am super excited for. I'm getting closer to watching Dragon Ball with my son which I am super excited for. It'll be a bit before DBZ though
Conquistador
Conquistador - 12/22/2023, 10:05 AM
@Evansly - Tbh i was aware of one piece the anime, but never really sat through a whole episode...so my opiniom may be a bit weak.

Yeah some of the cheesy elements worked, but not all. i really liked the main guy...great choice.

Oh man, my hopes is that with more successful live action adaptions we'll finally get a DBZ adaption....best anime imo. Never really got into Dragon Ball but i loved Z and some of the non canon movies. GT was ok but Super was return to form.

I'll be Watching avatar though.
Evansly
Evansly - 12/22/2023, 10:09 AM
@UniqNo - Yeah I never watched Dragon Ball either which is a big part of why I am excited to watch it with my son.

DBZ is absolutely fantastic and my first introduction to anime as it would come on before Spider-man and X-men. GT definitely went off of the deep end but Super has been mostly great and I have really loved the last two movies
bobevanz
bobevanz - 12/22/2023, 10:16 AM
Remember Witcher? Exactly
Conquistador
Conquistador - 12/22/2023, 10:27 AM
@bobevanz - But you're comparing a live action series adaption of novels to a live action adaption of a cartoon that was an original piece of work.. there's quite alot of difference in my opinion.

For 1 there's no consistent art style to base the work on with novels adaptions.

I say give it a chance...trailer aside, we've not seen a single episode yet.
DocSpock
DocSpock - 12/22/2023, 11:10 AM


How badly have they already burned this down? I don't see anything good coming from this.

bkmeijer1
bkmeijer1 - 12/22/2023, 11:15 AM
I will watch it, and I hope it will be god, but I'm just sceptical. Think it might just be a sign to just stop if the original creators walk away, because they feel their vision won't be honored.
NinnesMBC
NinnesMBC - 12/22/2023, 1:59 PM
I thought this artcile was gonna be about the new released pictures showing Arden Cho as the huntress June and Jet and many others.

The teaser looked good so that's a good first step.
McMurdo
McMurdo - 12/22/2023, 3:29 PM
Gonna be awful. Look at how Uber edited that trailer was.
OriginalGusto1
OriginalGusto1 - 12/22/2023, 10:27 PM
A guaranteed hit!
WarMonkey
WarMonkey - 12/23/2023, 5:41 AM
"Do I really want to do this? Is there a way to improve upon the original?"

No. No. No! There is not a way to improve upon the original you phucking hack. The fact this yahoo thinks he can improve it is why this will suck. I am so sick of these corporate hired hacks that have nothing of their own they created taking others creations and then having the hubris to think they have the talent, skill, knowledge, and creativity of the original writers.

"We don't start the show the way the animated series starts. That was a conscious decision to show people this is not the animated series,"

This guy is a phucking idiot. LOL

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