Back in 2018, Netflix announced a “reimagined live-action” Avatar: The Last Airbender, despite the original series being perfect as is. “We’re thrilled for the opportunity to helm this live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender,” showrunners Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, who created the animated show (which has seen a resurgence in popularity since being added to the streaming service), said at the time.
But on Wednesday, the pair revealed that they have departed the project.
“When Bryan and I signed on to the project in 2018, we were hired as executive producers and showrunners,” DiMartino wrote on his website. “In a joint announcement for the series, Netflix said that it was committed to honoring our vision for this retelling and to supporting us on creating the series. And we expressed how excited we were for the opportunity to be at the helm. Unfortunately, things did not go as we had hoped.”
DiMartino said that he “couldn’t control the creative direction of the series, but I could control how I responded,” so he, along with Konietzko exited. They’re not ready to write off the live-action series, however. “And who knows? Netflix’s live-action adaptation of Avatar has the potential to be good. It might turn out to be a show many of you end up enjoying. But what I can be certain about is that whatever version ends up on-screen, it will not be what Bryan and I had envisioned or intended to make,” he wrote.
You can read the entire letter here. Also, watch Avatar: The Last Airbender. The show, not the movie. NEVER the movie.
(Via Entertainment Weekly)