The Avatar Thread (The Last Airbender / Legend of Korra)

[Julius]

So, I thought about making a dedicated thread for the Avatarverse (not my name of choice for it, but whatever, it's stuck with the press apparently!) last summer after rewatching The Last Airbender and Legend of Korra, but I didn't think there was enough to drive an ongoing discussion in a dedicated thread, besides more people potentially getting into the show through Netflix, which it owes a lot of its resurgence to. 

However, after Bryan and Mike left the Netflix TLA project, I had a suspicion that it wouldn't end there. So, while Netflix is off reportedly casting a 12 year-old Aang and a 16 year-old Katara - who will be a big sister to Sokka, completely killing his character arc, and probably trying to force Zatara on us all - Nickelodeon has finally decided to acknowledge the golden egg they've been sitting on for years.

From Deadline:

Quote

The Avatar: The Last Airbender franchise is set to get even bigger.

Nickelodeon is launching Avatar Studios, a division designed to create original content spanning animated series and movies based on the franchise’s world.

The original creators and executive producers Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko will run the studio as co-chief creative officers, reporting to Ramsey Naito, President, Nickelodeon Animation.

Avatar Studios will produce content for platforms including Paramount+ and Nickelodeon as well as third-party platforms and theatrical releases.

The first project is an animated theatrical film that is set to start production later this year.

Nickelodeon’s Avatar: The Last Airbender, which follows the adventures of the main protagonist Aang and his friends, who must save the world by defeating Fire Lord Ozai and ending the destructive war with the Fire Nation, aired for three seasons between 2005 and 2008.

It was followed by The Legend of Korra, which launched on Nickelodeon in 2012 and ran for four seasons.

The property has subsequently been translated into a ongoing graphic novel series written by TV series co-creator DiMartino, a live-action feature film starring Dev Patel and directed by M. Night Shyamalan and Netflix is making a live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender series, albeit without the involvement of Dante DiMartino and Konietzko. 

“Avatar: The Last Airbender and Korra have grown at least ten-fold in popularity since their original hit runs on Nickelodeon, and Ramsey Naito and I are incredibly excited to have Mike and Bryan’s genius talent on board to helm a studio devoted to expanding their characters and world into new content and formats for fans everywhere,” said Brian Robbins, President, ViacomCBS Kids & Family.

“Creator-driven stories and characters have long been the hallmarks of Nickelodeon, and Avatar Studios is a way to give Mike and Bryan the resources and runway to open up their imaginations even more and dive deeper into the action and mythology of Avatar as we simultaneously expand upon that world and the world of content available on Paramount+ and Nickelodeon,” he added.

And confirmation from Paramount what to expect: new series, short-term content, spin-offs, and theatrical films. Oh, and the Avatar Studios logo, which looks great! 

Well, I think it's safe to say that that might be able to drive and sustain some discussion beyond returning to The Last Airbender, Legend of Korra, and expanded lore. 

I genuinely never thought this would happen, just considering how they completely kicked Legend of Korra to the curb. You know, when they ordered one season, then ordered way more, then brushed it under the rug and moved brand new episodes over to the Nickelodeon website? And now they're back! 

What do you hope to see come of this? What's your experience with the series to this point? And do you think the cabbage merchant will make his return? 

Personally, I'd love to see adaptations of the graphic novels, as they seem like a natural and relatively straightforward place to start. 

Edited February 26, 2021 by Julius

[BowserBasher]

This is awesome. I was looking forward to the Netflix live adaptation before the creators left, now I have something to look forward to again. 
 

I love both ATLA and LOK and this is great news to see we are going to get some expanded universe stuff. Can’t wait. 
 

Oh and if Cabbage Man is not in it then they’ve ruined it before it’s started. Even better would be a Cabbage Man spin off. 

[bob]

I think the whole Zutara thing has been blown out of proportion.

One person on Reddit for whipped up into a froth about it, and now everyone is taking it as read that's the reason for the age change.

For a start, I don't think the age change is confirmed officially? Even if it is, it could just be that they found a good actress who is older than the actor they found for Sokka.

Whatever happens, unless the live action series is a shot for shot remake, most people are going to be unhappy with it. I think it's good they are doing to make some new content, and not rehash the old stuff.

[Jonnas]

This is... some unexpected and excellent news! And it's not Avaterverse stuff I'm looking forward to, it's the idea that the Avatar name has enough clout these days that a studio dedicated to making great 2D animation can exist and potentially flourish! I'm actually excited to see what kind of projects they'll produce, because a film is a great start.

18 hours ago, Julius said:

Personally, I'd love to see adaptations of the graphic novels, as they seem like a natural and relatively straightforward place to start. 

I'd rather see original stuff from them. First, because what works in a graphic novel doesn't always work in animation (surely they have a higher word count per minute than any Avatar episode, for example).

Second, because that's retreading stories already told. So if they do comic adaptations like that, I hope they stick to animated shorts. For example, I recall hearing that one of the comics features Toph and Bumi having a friendly earthbending match. That's the sort of stuff that would fit a short perfectly, without needing to adapt the whole book.

[Julius]

11 hours ago, BowserBasher said:

Oh and if Cabbage Man is not in it then they’ve ruined it before it’s started. Even better would be a Cabbage Man spin off. 

Hell yes  let's see him go off the deep end and slowly lose his sanity 

9 hours ago, bob said:

For a start, I don't think the age change is confirmed officially? Even if it is, it could just be that they found a good actress who is older than the actor they found for Sokka.

Whatever happens, unless the live action series is a shot for shot remake, most people are going to be unhappy with it. I think it's good they are doing to make some new content, and not rehash the old stuff.

I did say reportedly  and sure, it totally could be the case that they found an older actress than they found for Sokka. But when I look at the rest of Netflix's insanely big catalogue of shows, there is a whole lot of romantic triangle/drama stuff, so I don't think it's so crazy that they would lean harder into the Zutara angle (I mean, it's one way to make things different, that's for sure). 

As for remaking it, I suppose you could argue that, in itself, could be the issue with something like this: the original is almost universally beloved by its fans, is critically acclaimed, and has gained a massive following over the last few years in particular with very high expectations as a result of the original show's quality. Is that fair? Perhaps not, but I feel like it would have been more interesting if they focused on expanding the world, rather than retelling the story in a way which the original creators clearly won't interested in them following through on.

I look at it almost like a Final Fantasy VII Remake situation...except, even if you didn't like that game and loved the original, it was doing a whole lot more than simply retelling and expanding on the original story. It's definitely a difficult and fine line to walk. 

I've always been somewhat wary of live-action remakes of animated content, simply because, unless it was down to budget constraints, there's a reason it was told in that medium. In Avatar's case, bending the elements is something they went with because not only was it a great way to express characters and their heritage, but the show had to be made in a way where fights could take place without blood being spilt and sharp weapons flying around, due to it airing on Nickelodeon. Some level of restraint is often a great thing when it comes to creativity, and I feel like they utilised the medium incredibly well. 

Hey, I hope the first attempt at adapting that story to live-action goes well, but if it doesn't - like with most remakes, I guess - there's still the original to fall back on. 

And yes it is the first attempt. I don't know what you're talking about. 

3 hours ago, Jonnas said:

This is... some unexpected and excellent news! And it's not Avaterverse stuff I'm looking forward to, it's the idea that the Avatar name has enough clout these days that a studio dedicated to making great 2D animation can exist and potentially flourish! I'm actually excited to see what kind of projects they'll produce, because a film is a great start.

I'd rather see original stuff from them. First, because what works in a graphic novel doesn't always work in animation (surely they have a higher word count per minute than any Avatar episode, for example).

Second, because that's retreading stories already told. So if they do comic adaptations like that, I hope they stick to animated shorts. For example, I recall hearing that one of the comics features Toph and Bumi having a friendly earthbending match. That's the sort of stuff that would fit a short perfectly, without needing to adapt the whole book.

Totally agree. There's been some terrific 2D animation in the West over the last decade or so (immediately springing to my mind is Adventure Time and Over The Garden Wall), but simply not enough, and it's been tough seeing fewer and fewer 2D animated films from Western studios. You look at how anime has grown in popularity over the last few years, and how the Demon Slayer movie has destroyed much of the southeast Asian box office over the course of the last few months, and it's clear that there's an audience for quality storytelling in 2D animation. Thank goodness too! 

About the original stuff, don't get me wrong, I hope we see lots of original stuff too! It's just a lot easier to speculate about what we already have I guess  plus, I do think - unless they already have something in mind and fully planned out, which in fairness is totally possible - it would likely have the fastest turnaround time. 

I was thinking of The Search trilogy in particular, and was thinking less of a dedicated series (though I guess a miniseries could work?) and more about a film adaptation of that story. It's one of the only graphic novel sets I've checked out from them (though this news certainly makes me want to go back and get to the others!), and it follows the thread left at the end of the main show regarding Zuko and his mother.

I think it would make sense to adapt it for a number of reasons, the main one being because it serves as something of a continuation to the Last Airbender story, so you know the demand would be there from fans for it, and it would have an established audience. Also, originally it was actually pitched as a television movie, but Nickelodeon rejected it, which means that even if there might be some fat to trim from the print version, they likely have plans around still for that original television movie version. 

I know the Kyoshi graphic novels have been received really positively too, but I haven't read them yet, so can't comment on how well they might translate, but many - if not all, maybe? I'd have to fact check that - of the graphic novels had Michael and/or Bryan work on them. 

As for retreading stories already told, while you could consider it from that perspective, I think it's always worth considering the potential hurdles in other countries to get access to these graphic novels, and adapting these stories would get a lot of fresh eyes on the story. I don't think any ATLA fan who has already read a particular graphic novel would be against it (speaking from my experience with some of the Star Wars canon novels, graphic novels, and fully rigged episodes which haven't been adapted for The Clone Wars, I can tell you that most would probably be ecstatic about it), so long as that's not all they end up with, and by all means, it looks like there's - thankfully - plenty in the works! 

As for Toph vs Bumi, if I'm remembering right, that was from a comic and set in the third Book of ATLA, so I don't think it's a great example of what I mean, though I do agree that would be better off as a short if it was going to end up being adapted. I'm fairly sure that probably ended up in last year's anthology The Lost Adventures, where they collected a lot of those comics in one place, so yeah, definitely not suited to be it's own standalone story like some of the longer stories might be. 

Yeah, I feel like I've pretty much talked myself into catching up on the graphic novels and comic stuff now, though I'll try to save it until I'm caught up Attack on Titan S4 and get up-to-date with My Hero's manga! 

Edited February 26, 2021 by Julius

[bob]

I also think that a lot of fans have elevated Mike and Bryan to an almost god status, and think that if they're involved, it's going to be as good as ATLA.

I'm not saying it won't be, but do we have any evidence that they still know what they're doing? TLOK was good, but wavered towards the end (giant robot fight, I'm looking at you).

The fact that they keep exiting projects could point to something being wrong with them, rather than assuming that they're infallible, and it's always someone else's fault.

I have no idea, I'm just trying to see both sides of the story.

[Julius]

4 minutes ago, bob said:

I also think that a lot of fans have elevated Mike and Bryan to an almost god status, and think that if they're involved, it's going to be as good as ATLA.

I'm not saying it won't be, but do we have any evidence that they still know what they're doing? TLOK was good, but wavered towards the end (giant robot fight, I'm looking at you).

The fact that they keep exiting projects could point to something being wrong with them, rather than assuming that they're infallible, and it's always someone else's fault.

I have no idea, I'm just trying to see both sides of the story.

I don't think anyone's assuming they're infallible, but from the little I've experienced of the graphic novels, I do think it's great to have them on board. What I would say about them leaving the Netflix project due to creative differences is the fact that they chose to leave, rather than being forced out and "creative differences" being the nebulous reason Netflix points to (like we've seen with plenty of potential Star Wars directors since Disney's takeover), gives me a confidence that they understand just how important TLA is to so many people, and aren't comfortable sticking around on a project they're not all-in on. The Netflix project could still turn out great, but the potential of what they could do on Paramount+ is much more exciting to me. 

I view it the same way I view the Star Wars sequels: should George Lucas have been the only storyteller, and the final decision maker on every story decision? No. But I do think his vision - and an overarching narrative - could have helped it immensely. 

While I agree that The Legend of Korra isn't as strong as The Last Airbender, it's worth pointing out that it's so disjointed almost entirely because of Nickelodeon's production decisions, rather than the storytelling skills of Mike and Bryan. With The Last Airbender they had the overarching narrative and character arcs planned out, whereas the end point of The Legend of Korra kept getting pushed back as Nickelodeon ordered more and more from them (it was supposed to be a 12 episode miniseries, then got expanded to 26 episodes, and then later 52) while production was going on, and like I said before, in the latter stages the show got shifted over to the Nickelodeon website from the channel, so clearly they weren't given the backing and support that I think the quality of TLA would justify. Heck, they ran up against obstacles from the start on that show, because Nickelodeon didn't want a female lead. 

I think the escalation of climaxes of each season for these potential end points (Air, Spirits, and Balance) - and each season feeling so separated from the ones around them - shows that they ended up a little hamstrung creatively as a result. Don't get me wrong, there were absolutely some weird decisions made along the way - such as with the example you have - but them having more control, support, and creative freedom, and being able to actually plan something from beginning to end, is a good thing in my eyes. 

I do appreciate you coming from the other side of it though, because I think it makes for decent discussion, and I think having some reasonable level of doubt is justified. Will Nickelodeon continue to give them the support and freedom here that they're stating they will, or will they get that for one project (the film) before potentially going back on it? I suppose the proof will be in the pudding when a few things from this have been aired, and we're either hooked or somewhat indifferent. 

I'm very excited, but I am cautious, and I think there is a lot of pressure on whatever story they choose to tell first.

I'd love to see more stories about the earlier Avatars - for instance, the second Avatar meeting Wan's Avatar Spirit must have been one weird ride, and Kyoshi just seems a natural pick for her own show at some point - but there's also a lot of space to fill between TLA and TLOK (potential graphic novel adaptations, but also original stuff, like the adventures of adult Aang which we got teases of in TLOK), and of course they could always continue Korra's story or move onto the next Avatar. Heck, one of my favourite parts of TLA is the political intrigue and history of the Fire Nation, so they could totally go back a few hundred years and set up different "Houses"/Families and I would be all about it. 

Fingers crossed things go smoothly! 

[Rummy]

My girlfriend turned into the moon.

[Jonnas]

4 hours ago, Rummy said:

My girlfriend turned into the moon.

That's rough, buddy 

[Julius]

Picked up where I left off last year with my Legend of Korra re-watch, starting Book Three earlier this week, and have just seen the end of it again. 

I think the show on the whole has a host of issues, and they're highlighted especially when compared with The Last Airbender, but it's villains really aren't one of them, and Zaheer is no exception. And man did they knock it out of the park with the last few episodes of Book Three, the setpieces and music are just as great as some in The Last Airbender, and I don't understand how you aren't meant to tear up when it all ends. 

I can't remember Book Four being quite as strong, so I'll have to wait and see if this is true when I finish that up again, but right now, towards the end of Book Three feels the closest that they got to recapturing some of the magic of The Last Airbender. There's not too much comedy, respect for the characters and their growth, great music, very good fight choreography (especially the fight Tenzin is involved in), and real stakes. 

It reminds me of the Star Wars prequels quite a bit to be honest. They've both got their own unique issues, but where I think both fell wasn't the aim of the story, but rather the execution of that story. Again, I don't think it quite hits the heights of The Last Airbender, but being unable to put down the last few episodes of Book Three has only given me further confidence that with the right backing, there's still some awesome stuff to come from Bryke and Avatar Studios. 

Speaking of which, there was some news about a month ago I forgot to post here. Just some really short snippets I thought were worth highlighting from the official podcast:

Quote

• Mike and Bryan have planned out an ambitious multi-tiered plan.

• "We're just looking at how we can go deeper into this big, rich largely untapped history -- and future -- in the avatar world."

• Each project will feel like Avatar but have its own unique tone and look.

• They now have the freedom and support to make every avatar project they think up.

• While avatar studios is making animated content, the published material and other content is still part of their "big picture".

Hard to not get excited at the possibilities! The multi-tiered plan sounds a little cinematic universe-esque, which I think we've rarely seen done well outside of Marvel, so I'm hoping it's more along the lines of Star Wars, where it doesn't do something where it leans heavily into the fact that things are related and just has connective tissue instead, like in Legend of Korra.

Could definitely see the same threat covered across multiple books by different Avatars, or heck even an anthology type thing where each book handles different characters from different corners of the world and they all come together for a final season. 

Guess the big question is going to be how this all reaches those of us outside of the US, seeing as I haven't read anything yet about plans to make Paramount+ something available worldwide. 

And there's also some more good news from last week...

...Jeremy Zuckerman will unfortunately not be working on Netflix's live-action adaptation of The Last Airbender, but will be working with Avatar Studios! He's pretty much exactly what John Williams is for Star Wars but for Avatar, I've loved his work with the series so far (who hasn't?) and can't wait to hear what he's got cooking up! 

Lastly, with Avatar Studios' first project - their film - starting production towards the end of this year, I can't help but wonder if we'll get a title and maybe even see a poster before 2021 is up? 

[Julius]

Finished Book Four of Legend of Korra up yesterday.

Yeah, it's definitely got quite a few issues (I think it might have some of the worst pacing of any Book in Avatar so far? Maybe alongside LoK Book Two?) and I think it's definitely a step down from Book Three, but the core narrative and the ideas are there for something special -- they just aren't fleshed out and fully realised, which unfortunately is a thread which runs through the entirety of the show. 

And while I really like the final scene, you know that Nickelodeon had a massive hand in how it played out. The framing of the final shot is set up to parallel the final shot of ATLA, but I can't help but feel the vision for how things played out was reined in a bit.

It's a shame, I think Legend of Korra was just a year or two too early in some of its progressive aspects (alongside Adventure Time), whereas these days companies are tripping over themselves to include gender and racially diverse casts, unfortunately often just for the sake of PR and marketing. 

Zero doubt in my mind that Zuckerman is going to kill the soundtracks he works on fire Avatar Studios, even more so after returning to LoK. It's not that I thought it was weak before, I think it's just given me an even greater appreciation of his work. 

[Julius]

AvatarNews have dropped details on the cast for Team Avatar (and, uh, Zuko) for Netflix's adaptation of Season 1:

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

Think they've kind of nailed the look of all of them, especially in the faces (like seriously Sokka's face shape is pretty much spot on). Still have my reservations about the Netflix adaptation, and obviously looking like the characters doesn't necessarily mean that they'll play their parts well, but I think it's off to a promising start, especially seeing that this is the first time the show will ever be adapted to live-action. Ahem.

AvatarNews also shared that filming runs from 16th November 2021 through to 17th May 2022, with a potential release slated for December 2022. 

Now I think the bigger question marks hang around the other characters that will be in this first season adaptation. Characters like Iroh, Yue, Zhao, and Suki are all a given, but on the Fire Nation side of things, will they cast Ozai only to keep his face covered until we get to the third season like they did in the animated show, or will he have a more prominent role in the flashbacks / visions than we saw previously? Similarly, will they cast Azula for her one line at the end of the season and the flashback to Zuko's Agni Kai, will they not bother and keep her hidden and show her at the start of a potential second season, or could she also have a more prominent role? 

Either way, now we're starting to see castings, I'm definitely a bit more interested than before, maybe even more so simply because of the fact that we have Avatar Studios getting ready to pump some more Avatar into our lives too. Wonder if the Netflix adaptation hits in late 2022 if they'll play it smart and aim for the movie to release Q2 2023, potentially a month or two after the first season of the Netflix adaptation ends? 

[Julius]

In case anyone missed it and would be interested: an officially licensed Avatar tabletop RPG, called Avatar Legends, is up on Kickstarter, and set for release in February 2022. 

As of writing there are 25 days left and it only has two more stretch goals to reach, sitting at over $3.6 million pledged. Think it's safe to say it's doing pretty well! 

Five different eras (Kyoshi, Roku, the Hundred Year War, Aang, and Korra) and it looks really interesting, even for me, as someone who doesn't really play board games, my interest is piqued. Seems like a great gateway into the world of tabletop RPG's. 

And I really want that cloth world map and those dice...

Edited August 8, 2021 by Julius

[bob]

Why is an officially licensed game on Kickstarter? Isn't that a bit odd?

[Sméagol]

24 minutes ago, bob said:

Why is an officially licensed game on Kickstarter? Isn't that a bit odd?

Not necessarily. If it's a niche product Kickstarter is still a good way to test the waters.

[bob]

Yeah, it just doesn't sit right with me when larger companies use it. Doesn't feel right.

[BowserBasher]

On 07/08/2021 at 2:21 PM, Julius said:

AvatarNews have dropped details on the cast for Team Avatar (and, uh, Zuko) for Netflix's adaptation of Season 1:

  More details on their backgrounds (Hide contents)

 

 

 

 

Think they've kind of nailed the look of all of them, especially in the faces (like seriously Sokka's face shape is pretty much spot on). Still have my reservations about the Netflix adaptation, and obviously looking like the characters doesn't necessarily mean that they'll play their parts well, but I think it's off to a promising start, especially seeing that this is the first time the show will ever be adapted to live-action. Ahem.

AvatarNews also shared that filming runs from 16th November 2021 through to 17th May 2022, with a potential release slated for December 2022. 

Now I think the bigger question marks hang around the other characters that will be in this first season adaptation. Characters like Iroh, Yue, Zhao, and Suki are all a given, but on the Fire Nation side of things, will they cast Ozai only to keep his face covered until we get to the third season like they did in the animated show, or will he have a more prominent role in the flashbacks / visions than we saw previously? Similarly, will they cast Azula for her one line at the end of the season and the flashback to Zuko's Agni Kai, will they not bother and keep her hidden and show her at the start of a potential second season, or could she also have a more prominent role? 

Either way, now we're starting to see castings, I'm definitely a bit more interested than before, maybe even more so simply because of the fact that we have Avatar Studios getting ready to pump some more Avatar into our lives too. Wonder if the Netflix adaptation hits in late 2022 if they'll play it smart and aim for the movie to release Q2 2023, potentially a month or two after the first season of the Netflix adaptation ends? 

Im remaining both optimistic about this but worried. From what I’ve heard they may have changed a lot of the character back stories, though it may only have been for the casting calls to hide what it was actually for. 
I’ll wait till I see some trailers and episodes. They really need to nail the effects for the bending as that’s one of the major parts of the show. 
 

I think I’m more interested in the Nickelodeon studios and what they are going to come up with, being the original people involved. All in all though having new Avatar content is going to be awesome. 

[Julius]

1 hour ago, BowserBasher said:

Im remaining both optimistic about this but worried. From what I’ve heard they may have changed a lot of the character back stories, though it may only have been for the casting calls to hide what it was actually for. 
I’ll wait till I see some trailers and episodes. They really need to nail the effects for the bending as that’s one of the major parts of the show. 

Yep, pretty much exactly how I feel. I want it to be good, I think it could be good, but expectations are rightly going to be through the roof, and they need to show they can deliver a show worth of The Last Airbender title. 

As for the bending, that's definitely a good concern to have, and one I hadn't really thought of too much until now. They really need to just throw money and time at it, because it'll suck if the - ahem - first time we see bending in live-action was rubbish, to the point of being anticlimactic. Especially when it was an element of the show born through initial necessity and by design - a way to show fighting and violence without blood in 2D - rather than desire, I do question how it will show here. 

I think another concern I have is over the actual appearance of the settings. I think Avatar has some fantastic settings and architecture, and ATLA in Book One set the tone and expectations for the rest of the show in this regard, so I have very high expectations for how places like Omashu and the Air Temples are going to look here. 

1 hour ago, BowserBasher said:

I think I’m more interested in the Nickelodeon studios and what they are going to come up with, being the original people involved. All in all though having new Avatar content is going to be awesome. 

Yep, same here! 

This could be fun, but thankfully if it's not, I don't think we're missing out on too much if it turns out to be a disappointment. Yeah, it'd suck, but we still have the original go back to.

I actually wonder if it could be a weird step backwards - ATLA has awesomely been growing in popularity and exploded after coming to Netflix, and I think it's a great gateway into other forms of animation. It's western 2D animation heavily inspired by anime and a world heavily inspired by, well, Asian culture. If the live-action show is great, is there the potential that it is seem as the best way to experience the show, and then the original show isn't used as much as a potential gateway into enjoying other works of animation? Just a curious thought, I could be way off base, but Book One is probably the weakest of the original series (if I had to pick one), and I think is the only one with the genuine potential to be eclipsed. I seriously don't see how you could outdo Book Two and Three, though. 

But either way, like you, I'll take a new story over a retelling every day of the week, especially if it's a retelling of something more popular (like the original show) rather than something more niche (the graphic novels). A lot of pressure on them to deliver, but that's where almost all of my hopes and interests are pinned right now! 

Also, as an aside, was talking to some friends earlier and it turns out that not one, but two of them have also watched Korra - I had no idea! Naturally, this resulted in us convincing another friend to give The Last Airbender a chance 

Edited August 13, 2021 by Julius

[Ike]

I rewatched Legend of Korra last year. I actually actually  ended up liking it more this time that my first viewing. I think Nickelodeon being strict on the series ended up hurting it though particularly with the restricted episode count, seems rather apparent when

Spoiler

Korra got her bending back, she just got them back without any kind of journey or self improvement, she was just moping about.

The ending would have made more sense if they had built it up more, but it felt like it came out of no where and felt like it was certain a particularly audience when it first was aired. They show Korra and Asami were growing more close in the last season but it was still bit of a jump.

Been meaning the play the game for a while as well, need to get round to it at some point.

[Julius]

Some minor but noteworthy updates today. 

First up, Brian Robbins, president and CEO of Nickelodeon and chief content officer of kids and family for Paramount+, gave a bit of an update on how Avatar Studios is doing. 

Quote

One of the other big projects that we're working on, on the theatrical front is Avatar. We signed a deal to bring the original creators of Avatar back into the studios. They started Avatar Studios, and they're well on their way in development on a series of CG films and a new Avatar series.

Not sure if he's talking out of turn, but given his position it seems unlikely so...new series confirmed I guess? That's not too much of a surprise, but I think that's the first time anyone's mentioned CG in relation to Avatar Studios, and specifically the films (also the wording about the films...does he mean a number of films, or a series, as in, an ongoing story in the films?). 

Makes me a little nervous considering how rarely CG animation is done well in the style you'd expect to see from Avatar, I'd have to imagine they'd be going for that 2D-looking cel-shaded look (a good example would be Beastars). I'm hoping that it's not an entirely CG series or perhaps that he was speaking out of turn about their production process, as I think CG is best used sparingly in most cases in animation where you aren't going for a fully 3D look or for action-heavy sequences (it's limited use in Ghibli movies, Attack on Titan, and the big battles in the Berserk movies come to mind). 

Anyways, Joan Hilty has also today been announced as Executive Editor for Avatar Studios. 

She's been serving as an editor at Nickelodeon recently and before that at DC, first working as an editor in 1995, so it sounds like we're in capable hands. 

Honestly, feels like we've had more frequent news updates on Avatar Studios so far this year than I was anticipating. Fingers crossed that we see something - even if it's just concept or a title card - by the turn of the year. 

[Julius]

Daniel Dae Kim has been cast as Melon Lord Father Lord Fire Lord Ozai in Netflix's upcoming adaptation. 

It's not Kim's first Avatar rodeo, either. He actually voiced Hiroshi Sato in Legend of Korra! 

[BowserBasher]

As much as the Netflix one was getting a lot of hate, I do think I’m going to give it a go. I won’t expect much so going in with low expectations may help. 

Much more interested in what will be coming from the Avatar Studios stuff though. 

[Happenstance]

My avatar is Godzilla. He's a very big boy!

[Julius]

Been a little while since I've updated with casting news for the Netflix live-action adaptation, but with yesterday's announcements it's time to dig in. 

Firstly, last month on the 16th, there were three additional castings that were made official at the time production started for the show:

From left to right we've got Paul-Sun Hyung Lee cast as Uncle Iroh, Lim Say Kiu cast as Gyatso, and Ken Leung cast as Commander Zhao.

There were some details on production also included in this Deadline article which I thought were cool to hear about. 

Quote

Netflix also revealed that it will partner with Pixmondo for the upcoming series, which has started production in Vancouver.

Written by Albert Kim, Netflix bills the series as an authentic adaptation of the award-winning and beloved Nickelodeon animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender reimagined as a live-action adventure.

...

With Pixmondo, filming for the series will take place in a custom-built facility using some of the same technology that was used for Netflix’s The Midnight Sky and 1899, and Disney’s The Mandalorian. The stage, designed and operated by Pixomondo (“PXO”) Virtual Production, is 84 feet across and 28 feet high with 23,000 square feet of stage space and more than 3000 LED Panels, making it one of the biggest virtual production volumes in North America.

The virtual production stage will allow for visual effects to be done in real time in camera, combining multiple environments on a single stage, will set a new standard for immersive storytelling.

“We’re thrilled to start production on this incredible project, and we’re especially excited to work with the technology-benders at PXO to create the wondrous world of Avatar: The Last Airbender using the most advanced techniques available to filmmakers anywhere in the world,” said Kim.

Kim will serve as showrunner, executive producer and writer of the series with Rideback’s Dan Lin (The Lego Movie, Aladdin) and Lindsey Liberatore (Walker) executive producing, along with Michael Goi (Swamp Thing, American Horror Story). Roseanne Liang is co-executive producer and Goi, Roseanne Liang and Jabbar Raisani will serve as directors.

Also wanted to share this clip of Hyung Lee getting emotional over how this cast is great for representation and inclusion, and I agree - think they've done a great job with the casting! 

 

And speaking of casting, there's the news we got yesterday:

In case that image ever goes down, from left to right and top to bottom: Elizabeth Yu has been cast as Azula, Maria Zhang has been cast as Suki, Tamlyn Tomita has been cast as Yukari, Yvonne Chapman has been cast as Avatar Kyoshi, and Casey Camp-Horinek has been cast as Gran Gran. 

For anyone else wondering who the heck Yukari is, she's an original character for the Netflix live-action adaptation of the show -- she's Suki's mother, as well as the mayor of Kyoshi Island. In the original show the mayor was male and had no relation to Yuki. 

I'll be honest, this is a change which makes me a little nervous? What was so cool about the Kyoshi Warriors was that they were strong and independent characters, and I always got the sense that they'd all gone through some sense of loss; off the top of my head I don't think Suki ever mentions her parents in the original show, so I kind of assumed that like a lot of the other characters in the show that she was either an orphan or separated. Either way, I just don't want her to be asking for permission from her mother to help Team Avatar, coming to loggerheads with her over their difference in opinion, before she either runs away or Aang and the team somehow prove themselves, and so her mother is now happy for Yuki to support them/be friends with them/whatever. 

Oh and also: Netflix just better see this through, unlike how they treated their Cowboy Bebop adaptation. At the very least they've got the castings spot on so far from my point of view.  

Edited December 17, 2021 by Julius

[bob]

Maybe she's only in it for a bit until she gets killed off by the fire nation, thus giving Suki a bit of back story/personality. I've never understood the fan love for Suki, she's so bland. It would be good to expand her character a bit.