Ahead of the premiere of Netflix’s live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender, the cast shares their thoughts on M. Night Shyalaman’s infamous movie adaptation. The Netflix show marks the second time the widely popular animated series of the same name has been adapted into live-action. Unfortunately, the first adaptation was a major misfire. Shyalaman’s The Last Airbender is often considered one of the worst movies ever made due to miscasting, poor writing and direction, and terrible interpretation of the source material.
During the world premiere of Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Hollywood Reporter spoke with the cast about Shyalaman’s movie version. Of the cast, Kiawentiio, Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, and Daniel Dae Kim saw the movie and shared their thoughts. Kiawentiio noted that she was “disappointed” and that the iteration largely showed this new cast and crew what not to do. Lee highlighted the “painful” casting choices due to several Asian characters being whitewashed, and Kim emphasized his respect for Shyalaman while also noting that this is the right adaptation. Check out their statements below:
Kiawentiio
: I did watch it once and as a fan I think alongside all other fans I was disappointed. But I think it’s a good way to see what we don’t want to do. This cartoon has this amazing storyline, we tried to give it the live-action it deserves.Lee
: I did watch it, you know? It’s been dragged through the mud a lot, and I get it, as a fan I understand it. The casting is something that didn’t sit well with me either and it was painful, in that sense. Not that the actors were bad, I’m not saying that. Nobody sets off to do a bad adaptation, nobody sets off to offend an entire fan base, but I think decisions were made that didn’t quite sit well. Now knowing more and being in the age that we’re at right now in terms of representation, diversity and inclusivity, we were able to inhabit the world properly in that sense.Kim
: I did see it. I have a lot of respect for M. Night Shyamalan. He assembled a great group of actors, many of whom are household names today,” he shared. “I think there’s a time and a place for every kind of iteration of a show…This is the right
Avatar
for right now.
Can Avatar: The Last Airbender Do Better Than Shyalaman’s Adaptation?
Hearing the cast’s criticism of Shyalaman’s adaptation raises further hope that Avatar: The Last Airbender will do better because it demonstrates how much some cast members understand the source material and what went wrong with the 2010 movie. Meanwhile, this understanding is already being reflected in a few elements of the TV series. The most apparent difference between the adaptations is that Netflix has a much more representative cast.
6 Things Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender Show Is Already Fixing From M Night Shyamalan’s Movie
Despite only a two-minute teaser being released, the live-action reboot of Avatar: The Last Airbender is already doing things the 2010 film did not.
As Lee stated, the most significant issue with the movie was the casting. The miscasting erased a considerable component of the characters’ identities in the cases of Sokka and Katara. Today, the film doesn’t hold up at all as the industry has slowly been working towards becoming more inclusive and representative. Netflix correctly casting the characters assures that their identities reflect the original show and that the new series recaptures the original animated world, which was inspired by several Asian cultures.
There is also clearer adherence to the source material in that characters left out of the movie, like Suki and the Kyoshi Warriors, are in the show. Still, concerns persist, given the original creators’ departure and fears of the show being rushed and mischaracterizing some of its main characters. So far, the first reactions to Avatar: The Last Airbender have been mixed. Some reviewers found it miles better than the movie, but the criticism was the cast’s performance and story issues. Nevertheless, the Netflix version is on the right track and has the right spirit to succeed, but only time will tell if it’s enough.
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.
- Release Date
- February 22, 2024
- Cast
- Gordon Cormier , Dallas Liu , Kiawentiio , Ian Ousley , Daniel Dae Kim , Paul Sun-Hyung Lee
- Seasons
- 1
- Writers
- Albert Kim , michael dante dimartino , bryan konietzko
- Streaming Service(s)
- Netflix
- Franchise(s)
- Avatar: The Last Airbender
- Showrunner
- Albert Kim
