Rumors make the world of cinema go round. Time and time again, rumors, theories, and little tidbits that make their way into fans' ears are what fuel speculation behind upcoming shows and feature films. Of course, while most of the time these tidbits are amazing, some can be sour notes.
When it was announced that one of the beautifully animated tv series of all time, Avatar: The Last Airbender was going to be adapted into a live-action series, some fans were excited while others were skeptical. As more info began to appear, minds on both sides began to change with the good and the bad.
Who's Making It
Obviously, a series has to be produced by a company of some kind in order to be made. As such, multiple studios over the years have tried to make live-action adaptations of series similar to ATLA and now, the streaming juggernaut Netflix will give it a shot.
Now, this has a good and bad side to it. The bad side is that over the years, Netflix has tried many times to adapt multiple properties and haven't always been successful. However, in recent years, Netflix has gotten better at making adaptations, specifically book to original series types.
Characters
Audiences love a good character, someone that they can relate to or see as a fan favorite for many fans to enjoy and love over the years. The hope for many is that an adaption will keep the spirit of those lovable characters alive and fresh.
From what it sounds like, ATLA will see the likes of Avatar Aang, brother and sister Sokka and Katara, everyone's favorite earth-bender Toph, one of the best-developed characters of all time, Zuko, and plenty of side characters that many consider being the best will reappear in the live-action adaptation for better or worse.
The Story
When creating an adaptation, it's important to keep the original in mind in more ways than one. While keeping the same characters is one step in the right direction, there are other ways to recapture the spirit of the original, specifically with the story.
Everyone who watched ATLA knows the story, how there were four nations with elemental powers who lived in harmony until the fire nation attacked. From what it sounds like, the Netflix series will include many of the same storylines and attempt to reignite the spirit of ATLA.
Composer
With making a movie or tv series, there are always key components necessary in crafting the perfect piece of cinema. Many of the necessary parts are the script, actors, CG, and cinematography but oftentimes, audiences forget about the music.
Music and the composer are critical in replicating some of the best fight scenes from the series, heavy-hitting emotional moments, and humorous beats and, luckily, the live-action ATLA will have that with the composer from the original series, Jeremy Zuckerman, will be returning to lend his amazing score full of some of the best songs to grace animation to the live-action series and recapture the same feel.
No Whitewashing
Rumors can always go one way or another. In the best-case scenario, rumors can boost any fan's expectations for a film while in the worst cases, they can weaken the hype. So when it was rumored that the live-action series would be whitewashing actors, many fans were nervous.
Of course, as far as anyone knows, this was just a rumor and the worries of an all-white cast have been dissuaded with the possibility of an all Asian cast populating the world of ATLA and putting fans' worries at ease.
Live-Action Cast Theories
Alongside rumors, there's another set of ideas that fans utilize all the time: theories. Time and time again, theories have allowed audiences to, in a way, create their own movie and series, sometimes better than the actual series or film as a whole.
Despite there being no cast announced yet for ATLA and none to be announced for a while probably, fans have already been theorizing and hoping who will pop up in the series, so much so to the point that Hollywood should take their advice.
Won’t Be Like The Movie
Any fan of ATLA will always have a bit of apprehension when they hear the term "live-action", due to the fact that they remember the last time they got a live-action adaptation, all the way back in 2010 with the disastrous ATLA feature film.
Directed by M.Night Shyamalan, the 2010 film was a horror show of terrible acting, writing, and an atrocity to ATLA. One way or another, however, the series adaptation won't be like the film. With luck, the Netflix remake can avoid the mistakes the movie made and create a worthy adaptation.
Concept Art
One of the most important things for a show or movie to uphold is the look and feel of the source. If the look and feel are not recaptured, then there's a high chance for failure, like with the live-action adaptation of ATLA that still gives people nightmares.
Thankfully, some concept art can shed a little light on what the show may look like. While it's just one image, it's more than enough to satisfy fans and let them breathe easy knowing that this version won't look like it's predecessor.
Creative Direction
In order to truly capture the essence of a series, one must have a clear creative direction in mind. Without a clear creative direction, whether that be in where the series goes or world-building, the show can easily crumble and fall apart.
Word of the creative direction for ATLA has been mixed in recent months. Originally, it sounded as if the direction was clear and that Netflix knew what it wanted for the show and fans. However, recent news concerning the showrunners has muddied the direction a bit.
Creators Left
It's a good sign when the creators return to help with the adaptation. However, this can always be a double-edged sword, for if the creators remain on, then the adaptation may have potential but if they leave, then all hope could be lost.
Back in August, creators of ATLA, Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko left the live-action adaptation. Stating that Netflix is going a route that may not honor the culture and source material many have come to love is far from the thing fans were hoping to hear.