10 Most Exciting Things To Expect From Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender

Netflix’s upcoming live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender is an exciting development for several reasons, especially after the streamer’s success with One Piece. Following the failure of M. Night Shyamalan’s live-action The Last Airbender movie in 2010, it seemed like the iconic Nickelodeon show would never work in this format. However, Netflix may prove that assumption wrong by rebooting the series as a TV show rather than a movie, giving the adaptation more time to find its footing and capture what made the original great.

Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender already fixed the movie’s biggest problem, a promising start for the adaptation. However, the jury is still out as viewers eagerly await season 1’s expected release in 2024. As the release date for Netflix’s live-action The Last Airbenderdraws nearer, anticipation is likely to grow. It seems the excitement is warranted; everything that’s come out about the project so far promises a faithful and fun take on the original series.

10 Netflix’s The Last Airbender Fixed The 2010 Movie’s Casting Problem

The Netflix series’ doesn’t whitewash its characters

When Shyamalan’s live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender came out in 2010, it was met with immediate backlash for whitewashing its characters. The Last Airbender is heavily inspired by Eastern cultures and historical events, but the 2010 movie’s cast was overwhelmingly white. This was insulting to the cultures that inspired it, and it also prevented the movie from feeling authentic. Netflix’s version of the series avoids this issue by casting Asian American and Indigenous actors in its major roles.

9 Azula And Ozai Are Appearing In The Last Airbender Season 1

Netflix is making positive changes to the animated show

Netflix’s The Last Airbender remake also makes changes to the original show by including Fire Lord Ozai and his daughter, Princess Azula, in season 1. In the animated series, neither of these characters appears until season 2. However, the Netflix version has already cast both characters and released images of them in costume, confirming their inclusion. This is a positive change because it will allow the adaptation to start developing two of its most important antagonists early. This will allow the live-action The Last Airbender to let the villains grow organically and avoid rushing their characterizations.

8 Netflix’s The Last Airbender Is Tweaking The Supporting Stories

Longtime fans will have new storylines to look forward to

Another exciting aspect of Netflix’s The Last Airbender remake is that it’s tweaking some of the original series’ subplots. The inclusion of Azula and Ozai in season 1 all but confirms this, as both characters will need fresh storylines for their season 1 roles. This may not be the only change Netflix makes to the original. And while a faithful adaptation is desired, minor adjustments mean that fans who know the details of the original narrative will have new storylines to engage them.

7 The Last Airbender’s Stills Promise A Faithful Adaptation

The Netflix show’s sets and costume designs are promising

The Last Airbender‘s stills also provide a glimpse of the show’s sets and costume designs, which already appear far more faithful than those of the 2010 movie. The images of Iroh, Zuko, Ozai, and Azula all contain similar outfits to the ones seen on their animated counterparts, and the limited view of the show’s sets also appear to be extremely close to the settings of the original series. This should raise the overall feeling of authenticity and lead to a more satisfying experience for fans of the Nickelodeon show.

6 Takeshi Furukawa Has Experience Creating Faithful Scores

Furukawa is a suitable replacement for Jeremy Zuckerman

While it was disappointing when The Last Airbender‘s original composer, Jeremy Zuckerman, left the show, the arrival of Takeshi Furukawa provides a strong glimmer of hope for the remake’s score. Furukawa has experience creating scores that are based on iconic soundtracks, as he did with Star Wars: The Clone Wars. It might not be as good as having the original composer, who crafted an incredible soundtrack for the animated Avatar: The Last Airbender, but it’s hard to imagine the show finding a better replacement than Furukawa.

5 Netflix’s The Last Airbender Can Learn From The Failed 2010 Film

The live-action series can learn from the movie’s mistakes

Another positive aspect of Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender remake is that it has the 2010 film to use as a touchstone for how not to adapt the series. The Last Airbender movie failed for a number of reasons, including whitewashing its cast and flying through events at breakneck speed. Netflix’s version can learn from those mistakes. This is hugely important in terms of the sets and costume designs the show will use as well, and it can help the show find the right way to bring bending to life in a live-action format, which remains one of its biggest challenges.

4 Netflix’s The Last Airbender Will Have Longer Episodes Than The Animated Show

This will give it time to flesh out its storylines and characters

One aspect of Netflix’s live-action format that will benefit The Last Airbender is that it will likely have longer episodes than the original series. While it may not have as many total episodes, the longer length of individual episodes will help it fully flesh out its stories and characters. This will also help give the series the extra breathing room it needs to create a reasonable pace that hooks audiences without leaving gaps in the narrative. The Last Airbender can potentially cover multiple episodes of the original show in one of its own, but it should also have the flexibility to adapt it episode-for-episode when necessary.

3 The Last Airbender’s TV Format Will Allow It To Tell The Whole Story

The movie wasn”t able to cover the full narrative

With the second version of a live-action The Last Airbender coming in the form of a TV show rather than a movie, it should have the time necessary to tell the whole story. This was a huge problem with the 2010 movie, which was only able to tell a portion of The Last Airbender‘s expansive narrative. The TV format should also allow space for world-building, so fans who are new to the series can get caught up in the intricate setting of the original show.

2 Netflix’s The Last Airbender Will Have Modern Special Effects

This will help the adaptation overcome its biggest challenge

One of the biggest challenges of adapting The Last Airbender in a live-action format is that it’s hard to make bending look realistic. Luckily, the world of special effects has grown exponentially since failed 2010 movie, which will make it much easier to craft realistic looking bending. Modern CGI should be able to make bending look realistic without any major issues, especially if The Last Airbender‘s budget is as substantial as expected. With this in mind, the bending in Netflix’s The Last Airbender should be a pleasure to watch.

1 Avatar Studios Projects Will Build Hype For The Overall Franchise

Other shows may increase interest in The Last Airbender

The world of Avatar: The Last Airbender is growing with leaps and bounds, as Avatar Studios is working on more movies and TV shows set in the world Aang and his friends inhabit. This should help drive interest in the franchise overall, and some of these spinoffs could even enhance the original story. At the very least, they should help Avatar: The Last Airbender stay fresh in the minds of fans during the wait between seasons, which could be lengthy considering how long it’s taken to finish season 1.