Image from Netflix by John Staub.
Flameo, hotman! One of the greatest animated series of all time is finally getting a live-action adaptation that won't whitewash all of it's characters. On Tuesday, Netflix announced a "reimagined, live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender" to be helmed by the show's original creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko. This comes right on the tail of the release of The Dragon Prince, from Last Airbender head writer Aaron Ehasz.
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So far all we have is a short announcement and some beautiful concept art by John Staub, but we can at least be sure that the new Netflix series won't be a repeat of the 2010 Last Airbender live-action debacle—the film, directed by M. Night Shyamalan, that whitewashed its original predominantly Asian characters.In a public statement, DiMartino and Konietzko shared their commitment to making sure the cast is as diverse as its source:
It may be a while before additional details emerge, but until then, we'll be watching the original series repeatedly. Yip-yip.Sign up for our newsletter to get the best of VICE delivered to your inbox daily.Follow Nicole Clark on Twitter.“We’re thrilled for the opportunity to helm this live-action adaptation of 'Avatar: The Last Airbender.' We can’t wait to realize Aang’s world as cinematically as we always imagined it to be, and with a culturally appropriate, non-whitewashed cast. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime chance to build upon everyone’s great work on the original animated series and go even deeper into the characters, story, action, and world-building. Netflix is wholly dedicated to manifesting our vision for this retelling, and we’re incredibly grateful to be partnering with them.”