Bad news for Avatar: The Last Airbender fans. Original series creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko are no longer involved with Netflix’s live-action adaptation.
DiMartino posted an open letter on his personal website, saying he and Konietzko have departed the project due to creative differences. The duo officially cut ties with the project in June 2020.
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DiMartino writes, “When Bryan and I signed on to the project in 2018, we were hired as executive producers and showrunners. 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.”
“And who knows?” DiMartino continues. “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.”
This is certainly a worrying sign for a project many fans were looking forward to with great interest. It was hoped the involvement of DiMartino and Konietzko would result in a much more successful and faithful adaptation than the widely reviled 2010 live-action movie. While DiMartino doesn’t go into specifics about the behind-the-scenes conflicts on the series, it would seem Netflix has a very different idea of what the series should be.
The Netflix series was originally announced in September 2018, along with a piece of concept art featuring main hero Aang and his faithful companion Appa. At the time production was expected to begin in 2019, though that window seems to have passed. It’s unclear exactly how much progress has been made on the series or how close Netflix might be to casting the lead roles and beginning production.
Breaking…
Source: IGN.com Avatar: The Last Airbender Creators No Longer Involved in Netflix Series