Posted in: Anime, Netflix, streaming, TV | Tagged: anime, avatar, Avatar The Last Airbender, bleeding cool, Bryan Konietzko, cable, michael dante dimartino, streaming, television, The Last Airbender, tv

Avatar: The Last Airbender: Netflix Reponds to DiMartino, Konietzko

Only hours after Avatar: The Last Airbender creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko took to their respective website and Instagram account to announce that they were no longer involved with Netflix's live-action series adaptation ("Many of you have been asking me for updates about the 'Avatar' live-action Netflix series. I can finally tell you that I am no longer involved with the project. In June of this year, after two years of development work, Bryan Konietzko and I made the difficult decision to leave the production"- DiMartino), the streaming service has responded.

Issuing a statement to The Verge, Netflix didn't exactly dispute the accusation that creative differences lead to the split, instead reaffirming their faith in Nickelodeon and executive producer Dan Lin's Rideback production company: "We have complete respect and admiration for Michael [Dante DiMartino] and Bryan [Dante DiMartino] and the story that they created in the Avatar animated series. Although they have chosen to depart the live-action project, we are confident in the creative team and their adaptation."

DiMartino dropped a ten-ton implication that the streamer's commitment to their vision didn't remain as strong as when it first started. "Unfortunately, things did not go as we had hoped," he wrote on his website earlier today. "Look, things happen. Productions are challenging. Unforeseen events arise. Plans have to change. And when those things have happened at other points during my career, I try to be like an Air Nomad and adapt. I do my best to go with the flow, no matter what obstacle is put in my way. But even an Air Nomad knows when it's time to cut their losses and move on."

While DiMartino wished the upcoming series well, he wanted to make it clear that it will not be what he and Konietzko envisioned: "And who knows? 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." Konietzko wasn't so diplomatic in his Instagram post, where he says that duo believed that "we would not be able to meaningfully guide the direction of the series," also referencing what he felt was Netflix backing away from its earlier creative promises. The award-winning Nickelodeon animated series ran for three seasons (from 2005-2008) and spawned the sequel series Legend of Korra, which aired for four seasons (from 2012-2014).

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