Back in September 2018, fans of The Last Airbender franchise rejoiced when it was announced that Netflix would be developing a live-action adaptation. While the infamously abysmal The Last Airbender live-action from M. Night Shyamalan would normally have fans wary around the prospect of adapting the beloved animated series, the involvement of Last Airbender creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko seemed to indicate that the project was in good hands.
Since the original Avatar: The Last Airbender cartoon became available for streaming on Netflix, there’s definitely been renewed fan interest in the property. The sequel series The Legend of Korra is scheduled to be released on Netflix August 14.
On his personal blog DiMartino revealed that he and Konietzko have departed Netflix The Last Airbender over creative differences.
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.
When Bryan and I signed on to the project in 2018, we were hired as executive producers and showrunners. 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.
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.
I started to reevaluate what is truly important in my life and what I wanted to do with what’s left of it. I took some advice from Uncle Iroh. I looked inward and started asking myself the big question: “Who are you and what do you want?”
I also sought wisdom from Stoic philosophers who were big on differentiating between what is within our control and what isn’t. 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. It was the hardest professional decision I’ve ever had to make, and certainly not one that I took lightly, but it was necessary for my happiness and creative integrity.
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.
I also want to be clear that this doesn’t mean the end of my involvement in the Avatar universe. These stories and characters are important to me and the renewed interest and excitement in Avatar and Korra has been inspiring to see.
Writing this letter has left me with a very heavy heart. I know many of you will be disappointed and frustrated by this news. I get it. I share your disappointment and frustration. I also recognize this creative setback is small compared to the problems we’re all facing as a society right now.
Thankfully, Iroh offered some wisdom for that, too: “Sometimes life is like this 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.”
May we all keep moving and come to a better place.
Thanks for reading and for your continued enthusiasm for the Avatar universe.
With gratitude,
Michael Dante DiMartino
I’ve been thinking about this and wondering, what could Netflix have decided to do that would violate the integrity of the original series? The movie white-washed Ang and made him white, what if Netflix decided to make Ang black because there are no black people in the original animated series and after all, all things must appeal to all people, and if people complain about Ang’s change in race, we’ll just say they are racist, like was done with the Fantastic Four movie when Johnny Storm suddenly became black. That worked out well, right? The new Batwoman is black so why not Ang? I doubt Netflix will comment on this until the show’s casting is announced, but it seems logical, and no doubt they’ll think it is brave and creative. Rather than make an original series with all of the black characters they want, let’s just make this one little change in The Last Airbender. . .
Thank you James Van Hise for offering the racist “what if” version and spread nonsense. We appreciate when assholes like you show up to offer such thoughtful nuance. What is this based on? Do you have an inside source or any new information to offer? No. You do not. Your thoughts are based on nothing but your own racism. Fuck you. We’re sorry you’re not allowed to lynch folks anymore and as a result have all this free time you use to spread hate on message boards and in comments. Shove your tiki torches and confederate flags up your ass, you ignorant piece of shit.
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