AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER co-creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko have officially parted ways with the planned live-action adaptation at Netflix.
“Many of you have been asking me for updates about the ‘Avatar’ live-action Netflix series,” DiMartino wrote in an open letter he's posted to his website early Wednesday morning. “I can finally tell you that I am no longer involved with the project. In June of this year, after two years of development work, Bryan Konietzko and I made the difficult decision to leave the production.”
When both creators had first signed on to the project it was to be understood that Netflix was committed to collaborating with them on their vision for the series. “Unfortunately, things did not go as we had hoped,” DiMartino lamented in his message to fans.
“Look, things happen. Productions are challenging,” he continued to explain. “Unforeseen events arise. Plans have to change. And when those things have happened at other points during my career, I try to be like an Air Nomad and adapt. I do my best to go with the flow, no matter what obstacle is put in my way. But even an Air Nomad knows when it’s time to cut their losses and move on.”
Perhaps as a way to lick the wounds of fans who are bound to be upset by today's news, DiMartino assured lovers of all things Airbender that he's still involved in the Avatar universe overall.
“And who knows? Netflix’s live-action adaptation of Avatar has the potential to be good,” he wrote. “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.”
DiMartino closed his letter with a bit of wisdom from one of my favorite characters from the timeless series, Iroh: “Sometimes life is like this dark tunnel. You can’t always see the light at the end of the tunnel, but if you just keep moving you will come to a better place.”
To read DiMartino's letter to fans in full, click here.
Well, fuck. I'd been having a pretty good day – all things considered – right up until now. After the dumpster fire that was director M. Night Shyamalan's THE LAST AIRBENDER (2010), I was hoping, nay, praying that Netflix's version would be the live-action adaptation we all so rightly deserve. However, it would appear as if 2020 is going to continue to 2020 all over this highly-anticipated project, and what we'll get is a version that doesn't align with the original creators' intended vision. Granted Netflix's version could still turn out to be amazing but do we really need another live-action take that doesn't honor the source material in a way that the creators are cool with? Quick, someone please point me in the direction of the Cabbage Man's cart so I have something to flip.
What do you think of this news? Are you as upset as I am that the creators of Avatar: The Last Airbender have left the latest attempt to bring their series to the live-action screen? What changes to the story or characters do you think might have broken the final straw before they walked? Let us hear your thoughts and theories in the comments section below.