A new report suggests that Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender and the world being built by Avatar Studios are not as distantly related as previously believed.
According to Avatar News, Netflix has the rights to adapt the characters and story of Avatar: The Last Airbender and everything Avatar Studios intends to introduce to the lore in the coming years. The outlet reported the upcoming live-action series will include canon info that had not been released by Avatar Studios when writing and filming were taking place, suggesting Avatar Studios contributed bits and pieces to the Netflix series. It should be noted that this has not been officially confirmed.
Avatar: The Last Airbender Creators Left Netflix's Project
The report also suggests that, despite any previous creative differences between Netflix and Avatar: The Last Airbender creators Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino, the relationship between Avatar Studios and Netflix remains a positive one, with each studio praising the other. However, this should not serve as confirmation of any collaboration between the two.
While Konietzko and DiMartino were originally attached to the live-action series at Netflix, the pair announced their departure two years into development on the show. On social media, DiMartino wrote, "Netflix said that it was committed to honoring our vision for this retelling and to supporting us on creating the series. And we expressed how excited we were for the opportunity to be at the helm. Unfortunately, things did not go as we had hoped." He alluded to the typical challenges of production and the constant evolution of projects behind-the-scenes before adding, "What I can be certain about is that whatever version ends up on-screen, it will not be what Bryan and I had envisioned or intended to make."
What Can Audiences Expect From Avatar Studios and Netflix?
Since then, the pair were appointed as co-chief creative officers of Avatar Studios, a division of Nickelodeon dedicated to expanding the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra. While there have been few official announcements about the projects audiences can expect to see, reports have emerged about several films, including a Zuko film, a feature film reuniting Team Avatar and a series centered on the next Avatar in the cycle following Korra.
Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender adaptation is currently in post-production and does not yet have a release date. While details are scarce, there have been several reports suggesting it will adhere to the plot and designs of the iconic animated show. Most recently, director Michael Goi revealed that one of the live-action pilot episode's first scenes closely adapts the opening sequence of the animated series, in which Katara and Sokka discover Aang while on a fishing trip at the South Pole.
The animated Avatar: The Last Airbender is available for streaming on Paramount+.
Source: Avatar News