Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender appears to be one step closer to hitting screens everywhere, now that production on the show has reportedly wrapped.
That is according to series costume designer Farnaz Khaki-Sadigh, who seemingly celebrated the production milestone on social media, writing, "I have loved every second of it... thankful for all the memories and all that I learnt along the way"
Production began in November 2021 after announcing its key cast members, which include Gordon Cormier as Avatar Aang, Kiawentiio Tarbell as Katara, Ian Ousley as Sokka, Dallas Liu as Zuko, Paul Sun-Hyung Lee as Iroh, Elizabeth Yu as Azula and Daniel Dae Kim as Fire Lord Ozai. While Netflix has not provided audiences with too many glimpses at what audiences can expect, there have been a couple of behind-the-scenes images, teasing crucial character interactions and their appearances.
This included a sparring session between Cormier and Kim as Aang and Ozai, respectively. The images posted on social media did not feature them in costume, but gave viewers a look at their fighting stances, hinting at the various fighting styles that may be featured in throughout the show.
Avatar: The Last Airbender creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko were originally attached to the Netflix series, but revealed some time after the show's announcement they had left the project due to creative differences with Netflix. On social media, DiMartino wrote, "Whatever version ends up on-screen, it will not be what Bryan and I had envisioned or intended to make." The pair were replaced by Albert Kim as showrunner and Netflix responded at the time, "We have complete respect and admiration for Michael and Bryan and the story that they created in the Avatar animated series... Although they have chosen to depart the live action project, we are confident in the creative team and their adaptation." Meanwhile, Konietzko and DiMartino were made heads of Avatar Studios, a division of Nickelodeon centered entirely on expanding the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender and Legend of Korra.
Details concerning the upcoming live-action series are scarce, though star Paul Sun-Hyung Lee previously teased a relatively more mature tone for the Netflix show, more akin to later seasons of the animated series. He said, "The themes became way more mature... And you still have that whimsical quality, but the themes were so much deeper and the character arcs were so much more mature. That quality is what they're trying to bring into the first season."
Netflix's live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender series does not yet have a release date.
Source: Instagram