The creators of the hit animated show Avatar: The Last Airbender have left the planned live-action adaptation at Netflix. Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko announced their departure on Instagram today.
The live-action adaptation was announced back in September 2018. Not much has actually been confirmed about the cast, crew and episodes but having the original creators really sparked a lot of confidence. Now, that confidence has been somewhat shaken after their departure.
Things are never that simple when it comes to producing a show, and we’re sure that there are multiple obstacles to overcome. However, this sudden departure really doesn’t bode well for the upcoming live-action show. To summarize their views, it looks as though Netflix are planning to take the Avatar in a different direction.
Here is what Michael Dante DiMartino had to say.
You can read Michael’s full post here.
Based on what Michael has said, it seems that Netflix are going down a route that deviates from their planned vision.
“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.”
The creators have always been incredibly passionate about The Last Airbender so for them to cut ties with the adaptation must mean that we will see some drastic changes. Michael then directed us to Bryan Konietzko’s statement.
The same underlining message is conveyed in Bryan’s statement. However, his seems to have a bit more of a punch.
You can read Bryan’s full post here.
“When Netflix brought me on board to run this series alongside Mike two years ago, they made a very public promise to support our vision. Unfortunately, There was no follow-through on that promise.”
Yikes. Bryan also goes on to say that the working environment was “negative” and “unsupportive”. Bigger yikes. It is difficult to predict what impact that will have on the overall series but it is not looking good. Netflix haven’t had the strongest history when it comes to live-action adaptations. We really thought Avatar would be the one to break the curse. Especially with the original creators onboard.
Time will tell. Hopefully soon we will get a better idea as to what we can expect. It is safe to say that the optimistic feeling we once felt has vanished. To echo Uncle Iroh and Michael- “Sometimes life is like a dark tunnel. You can’t always see the light at the end of the tunnel, but if you just keep moving you will come to a better place.”
Maybe we just have to remain as hopeful as we can for now. What do you make of this news? Let us know your thoughts in the comments. Keep your eyes peeled for more news regarding Avatar: The Last Airbender.
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