The man playing Fire Lord Ozai in the upcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender live-action adaptation, Daniel Dae Kim, has promised that the series will be loaded with comedy.
Kim recently appeared on an episode of the TigerBelly podcast, hosted by Bobby Lee and Khalyla Kuhn, where he discussed the upcoming Netflix adaptation of the popular Nickelodeon cartoon. The actor claimed, "there’s a lot of comedy in this," after joking about bringing Lee on for the show’s second season. He also discussed aspects of the series, including the casting, his character and its current state.
A Second Live-Action Attempt for Avatar: The Last Airbender
The previous attempt to bring The Last Airbender to live-action was panned by critics and audiences, with one of the major complaints being the lack of comedy. The M. Night Shyamalan film adaptation featured none of the humor seen in the original series, which many fans believe to be central to the story. Star Utkarsh Ambudkar, who plays King Bumi in Netflix's version, reassured fans the new show will do the source material justice. "I'm not trying to diss my own people, but... M. Night, I got your back, I ride or die for you, but we're doing something different with this one," said Ambudkar. "That's the most diplomatic way I can say it, and I'm really excited for people to see the action."
Besides the use of comedy, Kim also discussed the casting, which Shyamalan's The Last Airbender film drew criticism for thanks to its use of white actors playing roles inspired by Asian and Inuit cultures. Lee questioned whether there would be any Asian representation in the show, with Kim confirming that there would be, referring to the cast as "all Asian."
To expand on that, Kim also talked about his role in the project, referring to himself as "the Darth Vader character." The actor -- who famously played Jin in J.J. Abrams' Lost -- was announced as the show's antagonist Fire Lord Ozai in 2021. Ozai is the father of Prince Zuko and the ruler of the Fire Nation, one of the four nations and bent on ruling the world. Star Wars icon Mark Hamill previously voiced the character in the original series.
Finally, the Avatar star confirmed that the series had finished filming and is currently creating its VFX. There is no official release date for the new adaptation at the time of writing. The original Avatar: The Last Airbender is available to stream on multiple platforms, including Netflix, Prime Video and Paramount+.
Source: YouTube