Netflix TV executive Peter Friedlander has likened the importance of Avatar: The Last Airbender to another of the streamer's major adaptation projects, The Sandman.
In an interview with Variety, Friedlander was asked whether fans would be getting a glimpse of Netflix's adaptation of the Nickelodeon hit show anytime soon, given that it has been over four years since news of the live-action Avatar broke. The head of U.S. and Canada scripted series explained that since Avatar has such a cultural significance like Neil Gaiman's comic The Sandman, Netflix is taking its time to make sure that its version of the show will do the franchise justice.
The Sandman, The Last Airbender, and Spectacle
"I think it’s going to be what you want it to be," Friedlander said. "It’s pretty special, just as an IP, it’s very special, something like The Sandman, and we want to handle it with deft hands for fans and to also bring new life to it in a way that both honors the original and celebrates its new iteration. It’s a stunning spectacle."
Friedlander went on to discuss the lengthy process of making Netflix's adaptation, as each episode of Avatar features various types of bending that will have to be added in post-production. "These shows are very big productions and it takes a ton of time, both on the production side and in post, so you have to respect the long journey for some of these shows to deliver what hasn’t been done on television before."
Remaking a Modern Classic With Avatar: The Last Airbender
Based on the popular Nickelodeon show of the same name, Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender will tell the story of Aang, a young monk who wakes up from a hundred-year slumber to find that the world has been plunged into chaos by the tyrannical Fire Nation. While most only have the power to wield or "bend" a single element out of water, earth, fire or air, Aang, as the revered Avatar, has the power to bend all four.
Consisting of eight 1-hour-long episodes, Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender features an ensemble cast which includes Gordon Cormier, Kiawentiio, Ian Ousley, Dallas Liu, Paul Sun-Hyung Lee and Daniel Dae Kim. The series' release date on Netflix has yet to be announced.
Source: Variety