Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender will depict events never actually seen in the original series, says showrunner
Jan. 19, 2024Exclusive: Albert Kim opens up about the differences between Avatar: The Last Airbender’s original series and the new adaptation
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Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender series will bring certain events from the original series' lore to life for the first time, says showrunner Albert Kim.
Within the Avatar universe, said temple – only accessible via flying bison during hero Aang’s lifetime – was said to have been destroyed in an attack led by Fire Lord Sozin in 0 AG. Every airbender but Aang, who escaped to the Southern Air Temple and became trapped in ice in suspended animation, was killed in the assault, which went on to spark the Hundred Year War. The Nickelodeon cartoon begins with Katara and Sokka, two siblings from the Southern Water Tribe, discovering the frozen Aang.
During the interview, Kim goes on to reveal that antagonist Azula features much more heavily in the new series' first chapter than she did in the animation’s, since he and the writers “had the advantage of knowing a lot of things that are ahead”. May December’s Elizabeth Yu brings her to life this time around, while Ian Ousley, Kiawentiio, and Gordon Cormier play Sokka, Katara, and Aang respectively.
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“We play to that,” he continues in the new issue, which features Halo season 2 on the cover. “We know how big a character Azula becomes in the series, so we had the benefit of hindsight in fleshing out her character and being able to tell a story with her in it in season 1.”
Elsewhere, Kim explains that the Netflix show will be less ‘adventure of the week’, which is a format the animated series used in its first season, and more of a serialized drama. “We all knew that there were things we wanted to change, but not just for the sake of change. There had to be a reason for the change.” As for what they changed exactly, Kim won’t elaborate, but fortunately fans won’t have to wait too long to find out…
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Avatar: The Last Airbender releases on February 22. The above is just a snippet of our interview, available inthe latest issue of SFX magazine, which features Halo season 2 on the cover and is available on newsstands from Wednesday, January 24. For even more from SFX, sign up for thenewsletter, sending all the latest exclusives straight to your inbox.
Tara is the NYT bestselling author (or co-author) of 30 movie and TV companion books including the upcoming official history of Marvel Studios. She’s also a freelance journalist with bylines at print and online publications such as: SCI FI Magazine, Total Film, SYFY Wire, Today.com, Fandom, Fandango/Movies.com, Fancast, Newsarama, Star Wars: Insider, Walking Dead Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, LOST: The Official Magazine, Alias Magazine, 24 Magazine, andVFXWorld.com. She is also the U.S. Editor for the world’s premiere sci-fi/fantasy publication, SFX Magazine. She is the host and producer for SYFY Wire’s official podcasts for USA Network’s, Colony, HISTORY’s Project Blue Book official podcast, and the Lost retrospective, Through the Looking Glass co-hosted with Maureen Ryan.
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