The Avatar: The Last Airbender cast and crew chat about bringing the live-action series to Netflix. The original animated series was a critical and fan favorite produced by Nickelodeon Animation Studio and ran for 61 episodes over 3 years from 2005-2008, even launching a successful spinoff, The Legend of Korra. The Netflix series is the second attempt to bring the franchise to live-action after a critically panned film was released in 2010.
Netflix’s Live-Action Avatar: The Last Airbender – Cast, Trailer, Release Date & Everything We Know
Production on Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender has begun, and here is everything that’s been revealed about the live-action adaptation so far.
Screen Rant’s own Scott Mantz attended the Avatar: The Last Airbender premiere last week at the Egyptian Theater and chatted with members of the team. From Katara herself, Kiawentiio Tarbell, to the original voice actor in the animated series for Toph Beifong, Michaela Jill Murphy, the attendees were full of praise for the new interpretation. Screen Rant also spoke with Iñaki Godoy, lead of the recent Netflix hit One Piece, the live-action adaptation of a popular manga and anime series.
Things We Learned On The ATLA Live Action Red Carpet
Kiawentiio (Katara) Details The Horrors Of Avatar: The Last Airbender Boot Camp
Screen Rant: What were the biggest challenges physically preparing for this show?
Kiawentiio: Physically, it was quite a challenge to be in bootcamp and to train my body to the level that Katara gets it to. We did a bootcamp a month before we started filming, and I had never really experienced anything like that before. So, that was definitely a challenge for me to gain the strength that Katara has and deserves.
(Source: Screen Rant Plus)
Arden Cho Praises Avatar: The Last Airbender Team’s Dedication
Screen Rant: Last Airbender fans are very, very passionate. How do you think they are going to love the live-action version?
Arden Cho: I’m just gonna say, I think they’re gonna love it. I feel like everyone has been very thoughtful with this process, from casting, creating, filming, post, acting, all of it. I feel like everybody really loves and cares about the project. I’m just gonna be bold and say they’re gonna love it.
Screen Rant: In terms of all of the stunts and the training and the preparation, what were the biggest challenges for you?
Arden Cho: Not to spoil too much. But you know, I feel like in this first season, we just sort of like, meet a lot of the adults. And so I didn’t have to get too dirty and messy for this. But it was fun. There was something I’ve never done before. That’s for sure.
(Source: Screen Rant Plus)
A. Martinez Shares That Katara (Kiawentiio) Improved Pakku’s Water-Bending Performance
Screen Rant: What were the biggest challenges for you to prepare for [this role]?
A. Martinez: There was a lot of training to try to get the waterbending together; it was pretty arduous. I gotta say, throughout the entire process, I was held aloft by the young people in the cast. Especially by Kiawentiio, who played Katara, whose character came across the entire globe to see my character and was terribly disappointed by my character. She is such a brilliant young person, and she helped me enormously. I actually thanked her one day for having my back to a degree that’s beyond the call of duty. She said, “My pleasure, and just so you know, you did really good acting today.” I thought, “Well, there’s a trade off. That’ll work.”
Screen Rant: Are you in for a season 2?
A. Martinez: I don’t know. I think if you look at the way the [show] fell out, Pakku ends up having a reunion with Gran Gran toward the very end of it. I don’t know that I would be in season 2, but hope springs eternal.
(Source: Screen Rant Plus)
Matt Yang Hopes To Honor Dee Bradley Baker Through His Appa and Momo Performances
Screen Rant: What were the biggest challenges for you because of all the unique work that you did?
Matt Yang: One, I’m playing these nonverbal characters, and really, they’re the tether to Aang and his old life. They’re his touchstone to his old life, and I’ve even got them up here as the pins. To try and do that, and honor Dee Bradley Baker who did the characters originally, and really to try to add depth to the world? That was a heavy lift, but I think we pulled it off.
(Source: Screen Rant Plus)
Joel Montgrand (Hakoda) Explains Why New ATLA Live-Action Will Be An Improvement
Screen Rant: What were the biggest challenges for you to prepare for this?
Joel Montgrand: I guess not trying to do too much. There’s already this winning formula. We know who these characters are, and we love them. You don’t need to come in, suddenly knock it all down, and say, “I’m making this new and mine.” They’re great. Let’s represent them.
Screen Rant: Let’s say it goes into a second season. Are you in?
Joel Montgrand: Are you kidding me? Yeah, I’m gonna be jimmying it up like a mofo to get those vests right. Get those triceps popping. Hakoda’s a big boy.
(Source: Screen Rant Plus)
Thalia Tran (Mai) Likens The ATLA Set To Being At Disney World
Screen Rant: What can fans expect, especially the diehard fans who are familiar with the cartoon? How is this live-action series going to exceed their expectations?
Thalia Tran: I think the first thing that’s going to exceed everyone’s expectations is how much everybody just embodies their character. It’s literally like they just popped to live-action straight from the original series. From the stunts to the visuals, just how much love went into the series as a whole. It’s like being in Disney World for the first time, and everything just comes to life around you. I think it just really has that magic.
Screen Rant: How did you prep for the role? What kind of training did you have to do?
Thalia Tran: Prior to doing this role, I had already done martial arts training. That was certainly super helpful coming into this. But when I first booked this role, I of course had to do a couple of rewatches of the show. My friends [and I] had already been big fans of the show, and I couldn’t tell them yet, but I was like, “I’m rewatching the show!”
(Source: Screen Rant Plus)
After Rebooting ATLA, Would Daniel Dae Kim Try Lost Again?
Screen Rant: Everybody’s rebooting shows these days. If they asked you to do a reboot of Lost, would you do it?
Daniel Dae Kim: That’s not up to me. That depends on the creators and their vision because that’s what Lost was always based on. If they come calling, you know, I’ll pick up the phone.
(Source: Screen Rant Plus)
Ken Leung Reveals The Biggest Similarity Between Aang And Actor Gordon Cormier
You’re starting the year off great. What can you tell us about your role in Joker: Folie à Deux?
Ken Leung: I don’t think I can tell anything about my role in Joker 2. I’ll say this! I don’t know if you know the show Industry; I’m in it with Harry Lawtey. We’re both in it, so it was really great to see him on set; a friendly face on a kind of scary, daunting project.
The actor who plays Aang in Last Airbender, Gordon Cormier, is fantastic. Tell us about your experience working with him.
Ken Leung: It’s almost like Aang in that he has this burden; he has this responsibility that is unspeakable. And yet, just like Aang, Gordon comes at this responsibility with such a goofy looseness. He is Aang, so he’s the ideal actor to play this role.
(Source: Screen Rant Plus)
Paul Sun-Hyung Lee Breaks Down Iroh’s Affection For Zuko In ATLA
Screen Rant: Your character gives us a lot of levity.
Paul Sun-Hyung Lee: Yeah, in the original series, that’s who he is. You don’t really know his story’s, so he’s kind of this goofy uncle that’s always around. But he uses humor to lighten the situation because everything is dire. They’re on this almost impossible mission to capture the Avatars, and he has such a deep affection and love for the Crown Prince Zuko. Iroh’s lost his son, so he becomes a surrogate son, and he gives him the love and compassion he’s lacking from his own father.
It’s been a joy working with Dallas [Liu] and being able to play those light moments, but also play those emotional moments as well.
How awesome is Gordon as Aang?
Paul Sun-Hyung Lee: God, this kid, he’s the Avatar! They caught lightning in a bottle, and he brings it. He’s got the right energy; he’s the right size with the right goofy spirit. He’s a really fine actor as well, and all the physicality that he brings to Aang? He trained tirelessly, and he’s athletic to begin with. He’s a joy. He’s an absolute joy to be around, and I’m so happy for him. I’m excited for him and for the rest of the cast, because they deserve it.
Last question: will we see you on the big screen in The Mandalorian and Grogu movie?
Paul Sun-Hyung Lee: Fingers crossed. I didn’t even know they were doing a movie until just recently, so I would be insane to say no to that. Of course, I would love to be there. But you never know, so I’ve learned never to expect anything and to be grateful for what you have. At the end of the day, if I’m not in that? I still have a body of work and a universe that I love and no one can take away from me.
(Source: Screen Rant Plus)
Avatar: The Last Airbender Showrunner Explains How He Found The Perfect Aang
Screen Rant: ATLA has a very strong, devoted fan base. What kind of liberties, if you will, did you take when it came to adapting it as a live-action series?
Albert Kim: Well, first and foremost, we wanted to make sure that we were true to the spirit of the original. Everything we did, whether it was taking it from the original series or coming up with some story element or character that wasn’t there, was all put through the stress test. Does this feel like Avatar? I think once you look at it through that lens, those expectations kind of fall away. You follow your internal compass about all of that.
How did you find the right Aang?
Albert Kim: It was funny. We saw Gordon, and something about him just felt like Aang. We saw a lot of other talented performers, but after every session, I would huddle with the producers and would discuss those people. And then we’d say, “But what about Gordon?” And we just kept going back to Gordon, because there’s something about him that is just the essence of Aang.
Even when he was on camera or when he was running around on set, he was like Aang. Everyone in the crew kept saying that.
(Source: Screen Rant Plus)
Michaela Jill Murphy (Toph Voice Actor) Shares Hopes For Her Character In ATLA Live-Action
Screen Rant: We’ve got to get you onto season 2.
Michaela Jill Murphy: Sure! By all means. I might not match; I’m very Irish, so I might not fit into the world. But, hey, if they need some some Irish settlers coming into town? You know where to find me.
Screen Rant: What do you hope for your character in live-action?
Michaela Jill Murphy: I don’t know. There hasn’t been a Toph live-live action yet, so I don’t know if it’s present here. I don’t know if it’s in season 2. I don’t really know where she’s going to exist – if she’s going to exist. It’s an adaptation, so I’m hoping that she is just as badass and independent and stubborn as the original. And as I am!
(Source: Screen Rant Plus)
Iñaki Godoy Sends Love Back To One Piece & Luffy Fans
Screen Rant: What has your life been like since One Piece dropped?
Iñaki Godoy: Man, I feel like I’ve received like a lot of love from from from the fans, which is obviously really amazing. And I’m so grateful for it. But besides that, it’s still me, you know? I’m still doing my thing. I still eat the same food, and I still go to the same places. So, not much has changed, really.
People recognize me sometimes in certain places, but I’m still just doing me, man. Just being myself.
Screen Rant: Who eats more you or your character?
Iñaki Godoy: Who eats more? Oh, my God. Geez. Monkey 100%. I eat a lot, but Monkey’s made out of rubber, so his stomach is rubber too. There’s no way I can beat that. No, no, no, definitely Monkey. Definitely Monkey eats more.
(Source: Screen Rant Plus)
Avatar: The Last Airbender (Live-Action)
Based on the acclaimed animated Nickelodeon television series, Avatar: The Last Airbender is an action-adventure fantasy series developed by Albert Kim. The series follows Aang, a young man training to harness the four elements to live up to the title of Avatar – the one who will restore balance to the world.
- Cast
- Gordon Cormier , Dallas Liu , Kiawentiio , Ian Ousley , Daniel Dae Kim , Paul Sun-Hyung Lee
- Release Date
- February 22, 2024
- Seasons
- 1
- Streaming Service(s)
- Netflix
- Franchise(s)
- Avatar: The Last Airbender
- Writers
- Albert Kim , michael dante dimartino , bryan konietzko
- Showrunner
- Albert Kim
