Netflix’s live-action remake of Avatar: The Last Airbender offers plenty to be excited about, from thrilling CGI bending to deep characterizations.

Netflix’s upcoming live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender is an exciting development for several reasons, especially after the streamer’s success with One Piece. Following the failure of M. Night Shyamalan’s live-action The Last Airbender movie in 2010, it seemed like the iconic Nickelodeon show would never work in this format. However, Netflix may prove that assumption wrong by rebooting the series as a TV show rather than a movie, giving the adaptation more time to find its footing and capture what made the original great.

Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender already fixed the movie’s biggest problem, a promising start for the adaptation. However, the jury is still out as viewers eagerly await season 1’s expected release in 2024. As the release date for Netflix’s live-action The Last Airbender draws nearer, anticipation is likely to grow. It seems the excitement is warranted; everything that’s come out about the project so far promises a faithful and fun take on the original series.

Netflix’s The Last Airbender Fixed The 2010 Movie’s Casting Problem

When Shyamalan’s live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender came out in 2010, it was met with immediate backlash for whitewashing its characters. The Last Airbender is heavily inspired by Eastern cultures and historical events, but the 2010 movie’s cast was overwhelmingly white. This was insulting to the cultures that inspired it, and it also prevented the movie from feeling authentic. Netflix’s version of the series avoids this issue by casting Asian American and Indigenous actors in its major roles.

Netflix’s The Last Airbender Is Bringing On New Storyline.

Another exciting aspect of Netflix’s The Last Airbender remake is that it’s tweaking some of the original series’ subplots. The inclusion of Azula and Ozai in season 1 all but confirms this, as both characters will need fresh storylines for their season 1 roles. This may not be the only change Netflix makes to the original. And while a faithful adaptation is desired, minor adjustments mean that fans who know the details of the original narrative will have new storylines to engage them.

The Last Airbender’s Stills Promise A Faithful Adaptation

The Last Airbender‘s stills also provide a glimpse of the show’s sets and costume designs, which already appear far more faithful than those of the 2010 movie. The images of Iroh, Zuko, Ozai, and Azula all contain similar outfits to the ones seen on their animated counterparts, and the limited view of the show’s sets also appear to be extremely close to the settings of the original series. This should raise the overall feeling of authenticity and lead to a more satisfying experience for fans of the Nickelodeon show.