Netflix has announced who will be playing Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Zuko in its upcoming live-action Avatar The Last Airbender series.
Gordon Cormier (Lost in Space) will play Aang, while siblings Katara and Sokka will be played by Kiawentiio (Anne With an E), and Ian Ousley (13 Reasons Why). Firebrand – and Fire Nation prince – Zuko will be portrayed by Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings actor Dallas Liu.
Meet the cast of our Avatar: The Last Airbender live-action series! pic.twitter.com/EaPqmuo94eAugust 12, 2021
Original creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko departed the project last year over creative differences. In their place, Albert Kim stepped in as showrunner and writer.
On the casting news news, Kim said he hopes Avatar The Last Airbender "would establish a new benchmark in representation and bring in a whole new generation of fans."
Those who may have fears over the show changing too much from the Nickelodeon cartoon can have their fears allayed. Kim stated he "didn’t want to change things for the sake of change" and added Aang is "not going to be a gritty antihero." There will, however, be "surprises for existing fans."
DiMartino and Konietzko, meanwhile, are working on "very ambitious" plans at the newly-formed Avatar Studios – a separate entity from the Netflix series over on the Paramount+ streaming service.
No further cast news is imminent, nor is there a release date forthcoming. Avatar, it seems, is very much in the early stages of development. It’s not even the only beloved animated project getting the live-action treatment on Netflix.
Cowboy Bebop, starring John Cho as Spike, is coming this fall – complete with new work from series composer Yoko Kanno. For more from the streamer, check out the best Netflix shows.
