2.8.2019 5:04 PM
Apr 26, 2019 Avatar The Last Airbender was a beloved series on Nickelodeon and holds a special place in our hearts here at Channel Frederator. So join us as we chronical through the adventures of. Sokka and his sister Kya - later renamed Katara, must travel the world to find masters for Aang, who is the Avatar. However, they must evade a critical foe, Prince Zuko.
Netflix’s live-action adaptation of The Last Airbender is still a big mystery. We know the animated series’ original creators Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino are directly involved, and we know they’re determined to avoid the pitfalls of M. Night Shyamalan’s reviled movie adaptation. We also know that the cartoon’s head writer Aaron Ehasz isn’t directly involved in this version — he’s busy with his own Netflix animated series, The Dragon Prince.
So when we spoke to Ehasz ahead of The Dragon Prince Season 2 release on Netflix, we had to ask about Avatar. Here’s what he had to say about what went wrong with the movie, how the live-action show can do better, and why he’s optimistic about the upcoming remake.
“I think it’s an opportunity for the fans,” Ehasz tells Inverse. “It’s definitely an opportunity for Mike and Brian to do a live-action telling of this story right, which I think is both going to be a combination of how they cast it, how they creatively cast it, who are the producers and writers involved.”
He also noted that beyond Konietzko and DiMartino, the live-action Avatar remake can also count on at least one more supporter from the original crew.
“The executive who is championing it at Netflix is Jenna Boyd, who was our executive on Avatar at Nickelodeon,” Ehasz says. “So it has a lot going for it.”
One of the toughest parts of bringing Avatar from animation to live-action is accurately capturing the balance of humor and drama that made the original series so great. Shyamalan’s movie never really figured out the comedy side of that equation, and the entire movie suffered as a result.
“Hopefully, also the tone,” Ehasz. “One of the things that was always hard about Avatar that I don’t think translated well to the movie was that it does have this balance in tone that it’s dramatic and epic and emotional, but it’s also funny and quirky and delightful. I think they’ll find that.”
More important of all, Netflix is giving Avatar’s creators the breathing room they need to tell their story the right way, again.
“I know, they have a big challenge ahead,” Ehasz, “but they definitely have more creative freedom, more support, and a better chance to tell the authentic story in a way that I think the fans of Avatar will enjoy.”
Netflix’s live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender is expected to release in 2020 or later.
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The characters Aang, Katara and Sokka, from left to right, undergo substantial changes from their TV series beginnings.
- 'The Last Airbender' movie is adaptation of animated TV series
- Some fans of show boycotted movie because three lead actors are Caucasian
- Movie is being panned by many critics
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Atlanta, Georgia (CNN) -- 'An agonizing experience,' wrote Roger Ebert.
'Colossal folly, the fiasco of the summer of 2010,' said Roger Moore in the Orlando Sentinel.
Merciless reviews are rolling in for M. Knight Shyamalan's latest work 'The Last Airbender,' and if critical reaction to the film is any indication, the casting controversy that had some 'Airbender' fans boycotting the film may be an afterthought. See Techland.com's interview with M. Knight Shyamalan.
'It wasn't what I expected,' 22-year-old Jake Sims said on his way out from a midnight showing in Atlanta, Georgia. 'I'm a fan of the series; I've watched it. This just didn't do justice to the characters. It wasn't nearly as good as the series, but OK if you've never heard of 'Avatar' -- this 'Avatar,' I mean.'
'Avatar: The Last Airbender' was an animated television series that ran for three seasons starting in 2005 on the cable network Nickelodeon.
The series takes place in a world of magic and mysticism where humans are separated into four racially distinct nations, each identified by their dominance of a natural element. A select few from each nation are known as 'benders,' or people who have the ability to manipulate their nation's element.
A legendary leader in this world is the Avatar, a reincarnated being who is the master of all elements. The show follows Aang, a potential avatar who is found to be the last Airbender on earth after his people, the Air Nomads, are wiped out by the Fire Nation.
Aang is on a journey to master all of the elements and bring peace to the world.
The show appealed to fans from a broad range of ages and interests, showcasing martial arts, action, mysticism and comedy. The show also dealt with themes like redemption, internal struggle, honor and friendship.
Like many beloved entertainment franchises, fans are dedicated to 'Avatar.'
Although the animated series has ended, the 'Avatar' world is thriving. With the close of the TV series, fans began writing 'Avatar' fan-fiction with alternate storylines and created role-playing discussion boards online.
Some fans of the show said they boycotted the movie because the three lead actors are Caucasian. Blogs like 'Angry Asian Man' and sites like Racebending.net attacked Shyamalan and the film's parent company, Paramount, for white-washing a franchise that was overtly Asian in appearance and sensitivity.
'We tried to be as careful as we could not to directly base anyone's culture on a [real world] culture because we wanted to borrow ideas,' said head 'Avatar' series writer Aaron Ehasz. 'The series is clearly Asian inspired with obvious Chinese influences. In the case of the water benders, they are definitely based [on] ... indigenous cultures, a la Inuits, but also indigenous people like those portrayed in the movie 'The Whale Rider.'
In fact, to be culturally sensitive in the production of the animated series, Ehasz said the team had a consultant, whose 'job was to read the scripts and essentially make sure they were culturally sensitive.'
In an interview with Indiemoviesonline.com Shyamalan hit back at critics, pointing a 'race-bending' finger at them.
'I'm always surprised at the level of misunderstanding, the sensitivities that exist,' he said. 'As an Asian-American, it bothers me when people take all of their passion and rightful indignation about the subject and then misplace it.'
While Ehasz was responsible for crafting the characters millions watched, he was left out of the creative process of the film. 'I made up the middle of this movie and the ending of this movie, and I have zero credit on this movie,' he said.
Longtime fans like Robbie Park say that lack of involvement was a big mistake.
'That guy should have been with them; the movie team. There were plenty of parts of the movie where there were holes,' he said.
While some fans said they enjoyed the big effects -- like the element bending and martial arts -- some fans missed the characters that kept them watching the show.
'Aang was funny and serious and Katara was weak but strong,' said 26-year-old Nicole Martin. 'None of that came through like it did on TV.'
Dr. Caroline Ruddell, a professor of animation and cinema at St. Mary's University College, said that TV-show fan reaction to the movie will likely be an issue for its box office success.
'When things like anime or animation are exhibited or remade into live action, it's always going to be very difficult. So many of the live action versions of comic books have been panned because their fans are very hard to please,' she said.
Regardless of his involvement in the film, Ehasz said he hopes 'the characters I built come through in this movie, regardless of casting.'
'I hope this is a huge artistic success. I hope that fans who watched the show get something out of it. I hope that this is a way that the show lives on and comes stronger,' he said.
Eugene Rivers, special to CNN, contributed to this report.
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