Posted in: Movies, Netflix, Preview, streaming, TV | Tagged: avatar, netflix, preview, The Last Airbender

Avatar: The Last Airbender Showrunner on Not Watching Shyamalan Film

Avatar: The Last Airbender EP/Showrunner Albert Kim hasn't seen M. Night Shyamalan's 2010 film - but he's heard the complaints about it.

Yesterday, Albert Kim (Sleepy Hollow, Nikita) offered some insights into how his and Netflix's upcoming take on Avatar: The Last Airbender came to be. Specifically, Kim shared his initial feelings when he learned that original animated series creators Bryan Konietzko & Michael Dante DiMartino had stepped away from the project after two years over creative differences. In addition, Kim discussed how the Netflix series adjusted some of the animated series' storylines to fit a serialized drama format while other events were directly adapted. Now, the executive producer/showrunner is sharing his thoughts on that adaptation – M. Night Shyamalan's (Unbreakable, The Sixth Sense) 2010 take on the animated series. To say that it wasn't well-received would be kind, including criticisms of "whitewashing" characters when it came to casting, the quality of the film's visual effects, and Shyamalan's overall approach to the story.

"I'll tell you something, I never watched the Shyamalan movie," Kim revealed to EW during a recent interview. "There was a period of time where I thought I should watch it, but then I thought, I don't really want those images in my head as I start to go forward with our version of this project. So I avoided it purposefully." But just because he didn't see the film doesn't mean that Kim didn't hear the rumblings against it. "Now, that's not to say I hadn't heard the criticisms of it.  I knew what fans didn't like about it in general," Kim added. "But those kinds of pitfalls weren't hard to avoid. For instance, an authentic version of the casting, that's something that we would've done regardless. And, to be fair, Shymalan's movie was made at a time when the technology hadn't caught up yet to what the world deserved. So I knew that the VFX was going to be much better than whatever they did anyway."

But even with the first season of the Netflix series ready to roll in February, it doesn't sound like Kim will be checking out the film anytime soon. "I do remember when we were well into production, [EP/Director] Michael Goi had said, 'You should just watch the Shyamalan version for fun now.' I'm like, 'No, I've gone this far. I'm just going to skip it. I don't want to.' He kept trying to tease me into watching. I think I'm going to carry through with my track record of not having seen it," 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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