Despite the departure of Avatar: The Last Airbender creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, Netflix is set to go ahead with its live-action adaptation of the series.
According to North Hollywood Buzz, the upcoming series is scheduled to enter production in mid-November. It will take place in Vancouver under the working title, "Trade Winds." Filming will reportedly begin on Nov. 16 and will wrap on May 17, 2022. Albert Kim will serve as showrunner on the series.
A previously surfaced description of the series suggested that the Netflix adaptation will feature major deviations from the source material. These include changes to central characters such as Aang, and the nature of the series' bending abilities, which will reportedly be treated as a more mystical force.
As an example, the character description for Aang states that he was "adopted at birth, Aang has struggled with questions as to how he fits in. But his loving parents have worked hard to make him feel accepted. Aang has grown up to become generous, kind-hearted and cheerful. Aang had also been gifted with an incredible mystical power. He doesn’t really understand it, but it could be the key to saving the world from a global conflict. It's a responsibility he’s reluctant to accept because it'll take him away from his family, friends, and everything he knows."
Additionally, Katara and Sokka will still lose their mother, but it will be due to a supernatural event and not due to a Fire Nation raid as depicted in the animated show. Zuko, who served as one of the animated series' deuteragonists, has also been rewritten. His description revealed that he will be competing with Aang for a key role in a mysterious "project," the details for which have not yet been revealed.
DiMartino and Konietzko were previously involved in the development of the show but left due to creative differences. In an announcement, DiMartino wrote of the Netflix adaptation, "Whatever version ends up on-screen, it will not be what Bryan and I had envisioned or intended to make." The creative duo have since been appointed co-chief creative officers for Nickelodeon's Avatar Studios.
The two have teased that they have a variety of different ideas they will bring to life through Avatar Studios. On the Four Nations podcast, they teased, "We have all the ideas and ideally we're going to get to, over the years, explore all of them and get to make them, but it'll take some time. If we make all this stuff, you guys will just be podcasting for about the next 20 years or so."
No release date for Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender series has been announced.
Source: North Hollywood Buzz