“It was the hardest professional decision I’ve ever had to make.”
And just like that, Avatar: The Last Airbender fans felt a collective gut punch.
When the announcement was made in 2018 that showrunners Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko were going to make a live-action series from their award-winning animated series, fans rejoiced. The only live-action adaptation had been the dud of a movie made by M. Night released in 2010. They had widespread hopes that this series would wash the poor taste of that film out of their mouths.
Now, with a sudden announcement from DiMartino, it seems those hopes are wrecked.
Image courtesy of The Dark Mamba on Deviant Art.
“In a joint announcement for the series, Netflix said that it was committed to honoring our vision for this retelling and to supporting us on creating the series. And we expressed how excited we were for the opportunity to be at the helm. Unfortunately, things did not go as we had hoped.” DiMartino said in a released statement on Facebook.
It appears there was some dissension between Netflix leadership and the vision DiMartino wanted to express in the new series. ” 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.” DiMartino said.
The series is not canceled, at time of writing, but it is clear that the two masterminds behind the universe will no longer be involved. This means that fans could face something new and exciting, or revisit the horror of 2010.
“Netflix’s live-action adaptation of Avatar has the potential to be good. It might turn out to be a show many of you end up enjoying. But what I can be certain about is that whatever version ends up on-screen, it will not be what Bryan and I had envisioned or intended to make.”
