Netflix's live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender show is still in pre-production. Long before the world's biggest streaming service saw The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra become incredibly popular upon their arrivals in 2020, Netflix announced plans for a reimagining. Original series creators Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino agreed to develop the live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender in 2018. While that excited the show's rabid fanbase, it hasn't been smooth sailing since then.
The last big update on the live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender came in the fall of 2020, not too long after the animated show was topping Netflix's daily charts. However, it was revealed that Konietzko and DiMartino stepped away from the show. Their statement indicated creative differences came between them and Netflix. There hasn't been much news on the new version of The Last Airbender since then, other than Netflix reaffirming its confidence that the show will be a hit.
With no updates on the status of The Last Airbender, fans began to wonder if the show was still happening at all. According to a report from Deadline, though, the live-action series is still in the works. As part of a story about producer Dan Lin and his Rideback production banner agreeing to a first-look deal with Universal Pictures, Deadline revealed that Lin is working on Avatar: The Last Airbender for Netflix. The show is reportedly in some stage of pre-production at the moment.
Avatar: The Last Airbender being in pre-production could have several different meanings. As evident by its title, pre-production is the last stage of development before filming actually begins. This part of production includes various tasks such as casting, building sets, costume tests, and so on. It is unclear where Avatar: The Last Airbender stands, especially since Netflix has yet to reveal who is showrunning the live-action series after the exit of Konietzko and DiMartino. But, this update should quiet concerns that Netflix isn't working on making the show anymore.
After the disappointing live-action movie by M. Night Shyamalan, there is plenty of anxiety among Avatar: The Last Airbender fans about Netflix's adaptation. It is possible that the narrative surrounding the series can shift once more pieces of the puzzle start to fall into place. However, Konietzko and DiMartino didn't shy away from indicating Netflix wanted something quite different than them. There's no question that Avatar: The Last Airbender has the potential to be the next big hit series for Netflix, so hopefully more positive news on it will come, especially if it is in pre-production right now.
Source: Deadline