Teenagers Aang, Katara and Sokka set out on a dangerous quest in a new fantasy series from Netflix. The heroes are accompanied by a furry flying bison, Appa, and a winged lemur, Momo. Together, they must confront the sinister Fire Nation and bring peace to a world torn apart by war.
Avatar: The Last Airbender (also known as Avatar: The Legend of Aang) is widely considered one of the best-animated series of all time. The show follows a boy named Aang who can manipulate water, earth, fire and air, and is set in a magical world inspired by Asian culture.
In 2021, Netflix began work on a live-action version of the famous anime. Find out who plays the iconic characters and watch the trailers for this new series.
Avatar: The Last Airbender release date
All eight episodes of the series are available now on Netflix.
Take a look at the first images of the characters in the Fire Nation below:
Avatar: The Last Airbender plot
The Avatar live-action show is said to be a direct adaptation of the original animated series, and will not take the 2010 live-action film remake into account.
In the world of Avatar, characters can control and manipulate one of the four elements – water, earth, fire, or air – by ‘bending’ them telekinetically. However, only the Avatar has the ability to master all four.
The plot of the show follows Aang, the last surviving bender of his nation and the current Avatar. Aang joins forces with his friends Katara and Sokka to try and end the war with the Fire Nation by defeating Fire Lord Ozai. However, Aang is also being pursued by the exiled prince of the Fire Nation, Zuko.
In a blog post on Netflix, Albert Kim, the showrunner, stressed the importance of staying true to the cultural roots of the story, rather than modernising it or fitting it into current trends. However, it will expand on plot lines more and explore emotional beats with more nuance.
Netflix
As the official description for the series goes:
Alongside his newfound friends Sokka and Katara, siblings and members of the Southern Water Tribe, Aang embarks on a fantastical, action-packed quest to save the world and fight back against the fearsome onslaught of Fire Lord Ozai. But with a driven Crown Prince Zuko determined to capture them, it won’t be an easy task.
Avatar: The Last Airbender cast
Avatar features many fascinating characters – here are the actors that are portraying them in the live-action series:
- Gordon Cormier – Avatar Aang, 12-year-old boy and the last airbender
- Kiawentiio – Katara, 14-year-old girl from the Southern Water Tribe
- Ian Ousley – Sokka, Katara’s older brother, 16-year-old warrior of the Water Tribe
- Dallas Liu – Prince Zuko, heir to the throne of the Fire Nation, who is tasked to capture Aang
- Daniel Dae Kim – Lord Ozai, commander of the Fire Nation’s armies and Zuko’s father
- Maria Zhang – Suki, Kyoshi Warrior in the Earth Kingdom
- Paul Sun-Hyung – Uncle Iroh, retired general of the Fire Nation and Zuko’s uncle
- Elizabeth Yu – Azula, Fire Nation princess and Zuko’s sister
- Momona Tamada – Ty Lee, right-hand woman to Azula
- Thalia Tran – Mei, also a supporter of Azula
- Lim Kay Siu – Monk Gyatso, Ang’s mentor and guardian
- Ken Leung – Commander Zhao, leader of the Fire Nation army
- Amber Midthunder – Princess Yue, member of the Northern Water Tribe
- Tamlyn Tomita – Yukari, mayor of Kyoshi Island
- Yvonne Chapman – Avatar Kyoshi, the former Avatar
- Casey Camp-Horinek – Gran Gran, Katara and Soka’s grandmother
- Arden Cho – June, a bounty hunter
- A Martinez – Master Pakku, a water-bending master of the Northern Water Tribe
- Nathaniel Arcand – Chief Arnook, leader of the Northern Water Tribe
- Meegwun Fairbrother – Avatar Kuruk, a former Avatar
- Utkarsh Ambudkar – King Bumi, King of Omashu
- Danny Pudi – The Mechanist, inventor and engineer of the Earth Kingdom
- Lucian-River Chauhan – Teo, son of the Mechanist
- Ruy Iskandar – Lt. Jee, senior officer in the Fire Nation
- Hiro Kanagawa – Fire Lord Sozin, former leader of the Fire Nation
- C.S. Lee – Avatar Roku, former Avatar
- François Chau – The Great Sage, leader of the Five Sages
- Ryan Mah – Lt. Dang, officer in the Fire Nation
- Randall Duk Kim – Wong Shi Tong, ancient spirit
- George Takei – Koh, the Face Stealer, ancient spirit
Fan favourite Toph, one of the most powerful earthbenders and a close companion of Ang, does not yet have a confirmed actress.
Netflix
Avatar: The Last Airbender crew
Initially, the creators of the original animation, Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, were involved in the series’ development. They were supposed to work as producers and showrunners. However, they left the project in 2020.
In an open letter to Avatar fans, DiMartino explained his decision as follows:
I realized I couldn’t control the creative direction of the series, but I could control how I responded. So, I chose to leave the project. It was the hardest professional decision I’ve ever had to make, and certainly not one that I took lightly, but it was necessary for my happiness and creative integrity.
In an Instagram post, Konietzko added:
Though I got to work with some great individuals, both on Netflix’s side and on our own small development team, the general handling of the project created what I felt was a negative and unsupportive environment.
Netflix
In 2021, Netflix announced the new team for the Avatar: The Last Airbender. Albert Kim (Sleepy Hollow) serves as the showrunner, executive producer, and screenwriter. Dan Lin (The Lego Movie), Roseanne Liang (Creamerie), Lindsey Liberatore (Walker), and Michael Goi (American Horror Story) are co-executive producers for the show.
Initially, the music for the series was to be created by Jemery Zuckerman, who developed the soundtrack for the original animation. However, the composer left the project with DiMartino and Konietzko. Finally, the score for the series is by Takeshi Furukawa.
Avatar: The Last Airbender trailer
The first official trailer of the series promises a spectacle full of magic:
Get a better look at Aang, his friends and his enemies with the second trailer:
How to watch Avatar: The Last AirBender live-action series
The live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last AirBender will be exclusive to Netflix. If you haven’t signed up for Netflix, you can do so on the website, with plans starting from £4.99/$6.99 per month.
