As time draws closer for the 15th anniversary of the original show, Netflix's live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender show has gotten an honest release update from star Daniel Dae Kim. The series acts as an adaptation of the Nickelodeon animated title revolving around the young eponymous protagonist as he sets out to restore peace to the world and stop the Fire Nation's violent conquest for power. Sleepy Hollow alum Albert Kim is serving as showrunner for the live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender, with filming having wrapped in June 2022.
While appearing on a recent episode of Bobby Lee and Khalyla Kuhn's TigerBelly podcast, Daniel Dae Kim offered a brief release update on the live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender series. Though noting neither he nor his cast know when it will actually premiere, he confirmed the visual effects are currently being worked on. See what Kim shared in the comments and video below:
We don’t know yet, but they’re working on the VFX right now. There’s a lot of comedy in this.
Netflix's A:TLA Doesn't Need To Rush To Its Release
Though expectations aren't high for the live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender show following the failure of M. Night Shyamalan's movie, there is some anticipation among longtime fans of the franchise. The casting for the Netflix series has already proven a far more authentic representation of the Asian community that largely inspired the original show, whereas 2010's The Last Airbender memorably scored backlash for its whitewashed ensemble.
Considering the high bar set by its source material, however, Netflix's live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender series is better off taking its time being released than racing to screens. The streamer already has a rough track record with live-action adaptations of animes, with the Death Note movie scoring mixed-to-negative reviews, albeit still scoring a sequel order, and Cowboy Bebop similarly drawing a polarized response and being cancelled after its debut season.
With much of the cast and creative team behind the live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender teasing the sheer scale of the production, it's also understandable no release date has been set. Netflix exec Peter Friedlander recently indicated the show is being treated in the same vein as The Sandman, which garnered rave reviews for its accurate approach to adapting Neil Gaiman's comics and grandiose production value, further pointing towards the likelihood the show won't arrive until later this year, if not early 2024.
Source: TigerBelly