The showrunner of the live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender, Albert Kim, has just confirmed that the Netflix series includes a violent scene overlooked in the original cartoon.
Avatar: The Last Airbender is the second live-action adaptation of Nickelodeon’s acclaimed animated series of the same name. Before it, there was M. Night Shyamalan’s The Last Airbender in 2010, a feature film which turned out to be a critical and commercial failure.
The challenge is therefore twofold for Albert Kim and his team: in addition to succeeding in honoring the acclaimed animated series, it will be necessary to prove that yes, a live-action adaptation can work and deserves to be created. Fortunately for them, the reactions on social networks to the images and trailers suggest that success is not far away.
However, certain aspects of the showrunner’s approach to the work have already met with disapproval from early fans. And it may be that the latest confession regarding a particularly violent scene will not go unnoticed either.
The live-action version of Avatar: The Last Airbender features a scene too brutal for the original series
It remains to be seen how the most devout fans of Avatar: The Last Airbender will react to what will probably be the most controversial scene of the Netflix series… namely, the genocide of the Air Nomads.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Albert Kim confirmed that the tragedy – avoided as much as possible in the cartoon – would be well represented on screen in the live-action series. The showrunner added that the devastating scene would work in the context of the remake, since the target audience is slightly older.
“The original cartoon is intended for children,” he explained. “But I felt it was important that we see the event that sparks the Avatar story. The most famous sentence is: “Everything changed when the Fire Nation wanted to take power.»I wanted to see it with my own eyes.”
The showrunner also insisted that the Netflix version of Avatar: The Last Airbender would not be darker than the original medium, despite depicting Air Nomads drama. To support his remarks, Albert Kim recalled that seasons 2 and 3 were themselves particularly mature within the franchise: “I think that for fans of the second and third season, it will remain consistent.”
Avatar: The Last Airbender Star Opens Up About “Incredible” Genocide Scene
But Albert Kim isn’t the only member of the Avatar: The Last Airbender cast and crew to speak out about the Air Nomad genocide scene. In the same EW article, actor Gordon Cormier, who plays the protagonist Aang, praised the visual spectacle of this poignant part of the story.
“I think the Airbender Genocide is really cool… Um, no! No! Not like that,” said Gordon Cormier. “I mean, yeah, my whole family is dead, obviously. It’s not a good thing, but seeing it is going to be amazing!”
The series Avatar: The Last Airbender will be broadcast on Netflix from February 22, 2024.
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