Netflix Making An Avatar: The Last Airbender Live-Action Remake

The beloved Nickelodeon cartoon series Avatar: The Last Airbender is getting another reincarnation: this time as a live-action series at Netflix. The original creators Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko are attached as executive producers and showrunners, and are promising to do this one right--with some pointed commentary at the 2010 live-action film.

"We're thrilled for the opportunity to helm this live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender," DiMartino and Konietzko said in the announcement. "We can't wait to realize Aang's world as cinematically as we always imagined it to be, and with a culturally appropriate, non-whitewashed cast. It's a once-in-a-lifetime chance to build upon everyone's great work on the original animated series and go even deeper into the characters, story, action, and world-building."

That statement is a not-too-subtle jab at the M. Night Shyamalan's The Last Airbender, which was criticized in part for a whitewashed cast. The movie was generally panned for more than just casting problems, though, and was widely criticized for an overstuffed story and stiff, languid action sequences--a far cry from the fluid martial artistry depicted in the animated series.

Avatar: The Last Airbender premiered on Nickelodeon in 2005 and ran for three seasons, gaining a passionate fanbase. It followed the adventures of Aang, the latest incarnation of the legendary Avatar--the one being on the planet who could master all four essential elements. He emerged to a world that had been ravaged by war, including a violent purge of his own people, the Airbenders. It was followed by a sequel series, The Legend of Korra, which featured a fiery young woman as the new Avatar reincarnation after Aang passed away. The series has also spawned a wide variety of graphic novels and an upcoming young-adult novel.