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Avatar Showrunner on Making Series Without "Last Airbender" Creators

Avatar: The Last Airbender Showrunner Albert Kim on moving on without original creators Bryan Konietzko & Michael Dante DiMartino and more.

With Netflix and Albert Kim's (Sleepy Hollow, Nikita) upcoming take on Avatar: The Last Airbender set to hit screens in February 2024 – and the WGA & SAG-AFTRA strikes officially over – Kim is getting the word out about what fans can expect from the live-action series. In the following highlights from an interview that hit earlier today, Kim addresses his initial feelings when he learned that original animated series creators Bryan Konietzko & Michael Dante DiMartino stepped away from the project after two years of helping develop the project over creative differences. In addition, Kim discusses how the Netflix series is adjusting some of the storylines to fit a serialized drama format while other events are directly adapted.

Though the idea of "being able to bring this story to a new generation" appealed to him, Kim admits to EW that the public departure of Konietzko and DiMartino did raise some moments of doubt. "You'd have to be an idiot not to be intimidated a little bit. My first reaction after 'Hell yeah!' was 'Holy s—! Do I really want to do this? Is there a way to improve upon the original?' Whenever you tackle something that's already beloved by millions of fans, you have to ask yourself those questions," he explained. But Kim did get a chance to meet with the creators prior to their leaving the project to get a sense of the series and their thoughts. "It ran the range of really nerdy little things that no one except for diehard fans might wonder about – questions about Katara's mom or Aang's parentage – to bigger picture stuff about how to translate what made the original so special into a live-action version, Kim revealed. But with that said, the showrunner made it clear that the Netflix series is his & his team's vision. "This is 'Avatar: The Last Airbender,' but it is our version of 'Avatar: The Last Airbender,'" Kim added.

Kim also offered some insight into how the live-action series will approach the animated series' mix of one-and-done episodes and serialized arcs. With the adaptation set up in an eight-episode/hour-long episode format, fans of the animated series will see a combination of direct adaptations of certain moments as well as a more remixed approach. "We don't start the show the way the animated series starts. That was a conscious decision to show people this is not the animated series," Kim revealed. "We had to sometimes unravel storylines and remix them in a new way to make sense for a serialized drama. So I'm very curious to see what'll happen in terms of reaction to that." And for any fans out there worried about the "'Avatar' geek credentials" of the writing team, Kim wants you to know that you can relax. "All of our writers are also fans of the original, so they drew upon their own personal experiences and the things that they love the best. We made sure to include all those in the show," Kim shared.

And here's a look back at the teaser for Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender live-action series that was released over the summer, set to hit screens in February 2024:

Here's a Look at Who's Who in Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender

Along with Gordon Cormier (Aang), Kiawentiio (Katara), Ian Ousley (Sokka), Dallas Liu (Zuko), Elizabeth Yu (Azula), Paul Sun-Hyung Lee (Iroh), Daniel Dae Kim (Fire Lord Ozai), Maria Zhang (Suki), Tamlyn Tomita (Yukari), Yvonne Chapman (Avatar Kyoshi), and Casey Camp-Horinek (Gran Gran), here's a look back at the rest of the full cast, as well as who they will be portraying & their position in the upcoming series:

**Water Tribe**

Amber Midthunder (she/her; Prey, Roswell) as Princess Yue: The compassionate spiritual leader of the Northern Water Tribe.

A Martinez (he/him; Cowboy Bebop, Ambulance) as Pakku: The veteran waterbending master of the Northern Water Tribe and a fierce defender of their traditions.

Irene Bedard (she/her; Pocahontas, The Stand) as Yagoda: An empathetic healer who serves as a role model for her tribe's female waterbenders.

Joel Oulette (he/him; Trickster, Ruby and the Well) as Hahn: A strong and skilled warrior with an unwavering loyalty to his tribe.

Nathaniel Arcand (he/him; Heartland, FBI: Most Wanted) as Chief Arnook: Father to Princess Yue and the respected leader of their tribe.

Meegwun Fairbrother (he/him; Burden of Truth, Mohawk Girls) as Avatar Kuruk: A previous Avatar with a haunted past.

**Earth Kingdom**

Arden Cho (she/her; Partner Track) as June: A tough and persistent bounty hunter known for her ruthless efficiency.

Utkarsh Ambudkar (he/him; Ghosts, World's Best) as King Bumi: The ancient and mercurial ruler of the Earth Kingdom city of Omashu.

Danny Pudi (he/him; Mythic Quest, Corner Office) as the Mechanist: An eccentric inventor and engineer who's doing his best to raise his son in a war-torn world.

Lucian-River Chauhan (he/him, Encounter, Heartland) as Teo: The idealistic and high-flying son of the Mechanist.

James Sie (he/him; Stillwater) as the Cabbage Merchant: A long-suffering vegetable vendor in Omashu.

**Fire Nation**

Momona Tamada (she/her; Secret Headquarters, One: Thunder God's Tale) as Ty Lee: An energetic and upbeat teen and one of Princess Azula's best friends.

Thalia Tran (she/her; Raya and the Last Dragon, Little) as Mai: An unflappable and deadpan teen who, along with Ty Lee, is one of Princess Azula's closest allies.

Ruy Iskandar (he/him; Yes Day, Benders) as Lt. Jee: The first officer of Prince Zuko's ship.

Hiro Kanagawa (he/him; Altered Carbon, The Man in the High Castle) as Fire Lord Sozin: The ruthless and ambitious previous ruler of the Fire Nation and grandfather of Fire Lord Ozai.

C.S. Lee (he/him; Dexter, Warrior) as Avatar Roku: A wise and benevolent past Avatar from the Fire Nation.

François Chau (he/him; The Expanse, American Gigolo) as The Great Sage: The venerated spiritual leader of the Fire Nation and guardian of Avatar Roku's shrine.

Ryan Mah (he/him; The Good Doctor, Snowpiercer) as Lt. Dang: Commander Zhao's second-in-command.

**Spirit World**

George Takei (he/him; Star Trek, Resident Alien) as the voice of Koh: An ancient, predatory spirit.

Randall Duk Kim (he/him; Kung Fu Panda, John Wick) as the voice of Wan Shi Tong: Appears in the form of a giant owl and is also known as the Spirit of Knowledge.

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