Good Idea or Bad? Looking at various sci fi and fantasy television projects currently in the works and pondering whether they will fly or crash.
What Is It? Netflix is working on a live-action adaptation of the beloved animated fantasy series Avatar: The Last Airbender which originally aired on Nickelodeon from 2005 to 2008. That series involves a young boy who is awakened from suspended animation and who is the last one on the planet with the ability to control air (known as airbending). As Avatar, he also has the ability to bend the other elements and must learn how to control those powers as he becomes a crucial figure in the war started by the Fire Nation against the Water Tribes and the Earth Kingdom.
What Is in the Works? The live-action adaptation was announced by Netflix in 2018 with original creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko onboard as showrunners and executive producers. But both just departed from the series over creative differences. In Konietzko’s statement following the departure, he indicates that he and DiMartino “ultimately came to the belief that we would not be able to meaningfully guide the direction of the series”. Netflix is continuing on with the adaptation but has not announced who will take over the helm now that the original creators have left.
Good Idea or Bad? I will make a confession at this point: I was never a huge fan of Avatar: The Last Airbender. I acknowledge that it was a very well-done animated series and that it has developed a sizeable and loyal following over the years. But Anime has been doing what that show did for years, and many times just as well if not better. Among American animated shows it definitely stands out, but when you expand the playing field I consider it just another good addition to the many shows out there. Plus, I did not hate M. Night Shyamalan’s Last Airbender movie. Largely because I was not as attached to the animated series (though I had seen the entire first season by the time I watched the movie).
All of that said, I think proceeding with the live-action adaptation without DiMartino and Konietzko is a very bad idea. Despite my lack of passion for the show, I acknowledge that it is a much-loved series that has made a deep impression on audiences young and old worldwide. When I first heard about the new series, I thought it seemed like an iffy idea at best until I heard that the original creators would be closely involved. That suggested the new version would stick closely to the spirit of the original and perhaps give them the opportunity to explore concepts they did not get to in the animated series. But without those two involved, this seems like yet another money-grab taking advantage of the name recognition of a well-known property.
I don’t know if white-washing of the cast is one of the issues that the creators had (that was one of the main complaints about the movie), but that would definitely be another strike against the live-action adaptation. Fans already have an online petition demanding the reboot reflect the same cultural representation as the animated series.
It sure seems like the departure of the creators has delivered a huge blow to the reboot of the new series, and fans will definitely not get behind this one if it is not in the spirit of the original and/or suffers from poor casting choices. At this point, it seems like Netflix would be better off shelving this project as it looks like a bad idea to proceed under the current circumstances.
Notable Facts: The original series first debuted on Nickelodeon in 2005 and ran for three seasons totaling 61 episodes, telling a complete story. It proved a hit with kids and adults and has since become popular worldwide. A live-action, feature film adaptation–titled The Last Airbender–was released in 2010 with M. Night Shyamalan as the director. That film received overwhelmingly negative reviews for condensing the entire first season into one movie and for not having the cultural representation of the series. The planned sequels to the film were scrapped after it performed poorly at the box office. DiMartino and Konietzko created an animated sequel series titled The Legend of Kora which premiered on Nickelodeon in 2012 and ran for four seasons totaling 52 episodes (also telling a complete story). Both of the animated series are currently streaming on Netflix.
Do you think that a live-action reboot of Avatar: The Last Airbender is a good idea or bad? Chime in with your thoughts in the comments below or join the discussion at r/SciFiScroll.
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