A new casting call for Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender suggests the series is adding Avatar Kuruk to its lineup. Netflix first entered development on a live-action Avatar series in 2018, thus igniting hope that there could be something to wash away the disappointment of M. Night Shyamalan's The Last Airbender. For years, though, there were few updates, and in 2020, Avatar's original creators Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino exited the project. Albert Kim has since come on board as showrunner, and the series kicked off production late last year after adding several people to its cast.
Expected to be a reimagining of the beloved animated show, Netflix's Avatar will dive right into Aang's story. Newcomer Gordon Cormier will play Aang for the series, while Kiawentiio and Ian Ousley are on tap to play Katara and Sokka, respectively. Dallas Liu plays Zuko, Avatar's first major villain. Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, Elizabeth Yu, and Daniel Dae Kim help round out the cast. Avatar season 1 will be made up of 8 1-hour episodes, and there is a good chance it won't premiere until early 2023.
The series is still in production on season 1, as is clear from a recent casting notice flagged by Knight Edge Media. Avatar is reportedly looking for a man of Indigenous decent in his 30s or 40s to play "Dakota." According to the report, it seems likely that the character is actually Avatar Kuruk, the last Water Tribe Avatar to come before Aang. The casting breakdown is as follows:
[DAKOTA]
Character is male, 30s to 40s, of Indigenous descent. A legendary warrior from the past, he appears as a spirit to deliver a warning to the tribe about the consequences of losing the coming battle. He has a soulful and melancholy demeanor, the result of losing the love of his life during a past war… RECURRING GUEST PERFORMER (EST. 2 EPS)
Kuruk doesn't play a large role in the original Avatar, though he does appear in a sequence wherein past Avatars give Aang advice. Netflix's live-action series has already shown signs of putting a greater focus on some of Aang's predecessors; for example, Avatar Kyoshi will be played by Yvonne Chapman. Should this character actually be Kuruk, it does not sound like he will have a substantial part in the new Avatar and will only be around for about two episodes. However, he could still play a pivotal role in the season-ending battle at the Northern Water Tribe, as hinted at with the mention of a coming battle in the casting breakdown.
Though there might be some apprehension surrounding this new live-action Avatar, there is reason for excitement. This is a great opportunity to explore some untapped areas of the Last Airbender world, such as the stories of each Avatar that came before Aang. The original series managed to weave some of that into Aang's journey, but the new one might bring something fresh to the table. With production still ongoing, it might be some time before Netflix reveals more about Avatar. Until then, fans can theorize about what the streamer has in store.
Source: Knight Edge Media