Netflix is riding a wave of enthusiasm and confidence following the success of its live-action One Piece series, and it hopes to carry that momentum into its Avatar: The Last Airbender adaptation.
Following the release of a new poster yesterday, the streamer has published the first teaser for the highly awaited series as part of Geeked Week 2023. Check it out in the video below.
Avatar: The Last Airbender will premiere its 8-episode first season on Netflix, February 22, 2024.
Ever since Gordon Cormier was cast as Avatar Aang, Kiawentiio as Katara, and Ian Ousley as Sokka, fans have been optimistic about the series. Based on the impression created by the show's debut teaser, Netflix appears to be rewarding that hope.
Albert Kim (Nikita, Leverage) is serving as showrunner. He previously teased, "A live-action version can not only faithfully translate what had been done in animation — it can bring a rich new visual dimension to a fantastic world. We’ll be able to see bending in a real and visceral way we’ve never seen before."
In addition to Cormier, Ousley and Kiawentiio, the series also stars Dallas Liu (PEN15) as Prince Zuko, Paul Sun-Hyung Lee (Kim's Convenience, The Mandalorian) as Uncle Iroh, Daniel Dae Kim (Hawaii Five-0, Lost) as Fire Lord Ozai, Ken Leung (Inhumans, The Blacklist) as Commander Zhao, and Elizabeth Yu (Somewhere in Queens)as Princess Azula.
The official synopsis from Netflix reads, "Water, Earth. Fire. Air. Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony - then everything changed. A live-action adaptation Aang's story.
The four nations once lived in harmony, with the Avatar, master of all four elements, keeping peace between them. But everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked and wiped out the Air Nomads, the first step taken by the firebenders towards conquering the world. With the current incarnation of the Avatar yet to emerge, the world has lost hope.
But like a light in the darkness, hope springs forth when Aang, a young Air Nomad — and the last of his kind — reawakens to take his rightful place as the next Avatar. Alongside his newfound friends Sokka and Katara, siblings and members of the Southern Water Tribe, Aang embarks on a fantastical, action-packed quest to save the world and fight back against the fearsome onslaught of Fire Lord Ozai. But with a driven Crown Prince Zuko determined to capture them, it won’t be an easy task. They’ll need the help of the many allies and colorful characters they meet along the way."