The adaptation of Last Airbender Netflix TV has caused fans to wonder: why?

Netflix announced a live adaptation of the animated classic Avatar: the last master of the air, with the creators of the original series, Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, back at the bar. And with that, the fans hold their breath.

The central question here (and in the era of reboots in the broadest sense) is: why not re-imagine a relatively recent television series as another television series? But Netflix's famous approach can offer new opportunities for showrunners and their autonomy was denied the last time they tried to put the show into the world of live action. Mr. Night Shyamalan The last master of the air Notorious for, among others, whiten the protagonists, mispronounce the name of the main character and generally be one of the worst films of all time. Konietzko and DiMartino all disavowed Shyamalan's attempt. ("We were involved, but our involvement had no effect," Konietzko said about the film in 2014, adding, "I do not want to be associated with this!")

Fans should have less trouble with Konietzko and DiMartino calling the shots. In a new statementThe two stressed that they "can not wait to realize the world of Aang as cinematic as we had always imagined, and with a culturally appropriate unbleached cast." The showrunners also promised to go further in the characters, stories and construction of the world. It remains to be seen if this means new intrigues or the integration of comic material. If the latter, the series could fall back into the background of the favorite Zuko fans, whose troubled family history was evoked in the animated series but explored further in the derivative graphic novels, show to the The screen the first time.

The co-creators took advantage of the relative freedom of streaming: the rest of the original program, Avatar: The legend of Korra, pushed the boundaries of the Nickelodeon family with its darker subject, ultimately online for its past (and better) seasons. As Vanity Fair noted at the time, "Korra has become too dangerous, too risky for Nick to look. But this external status made it irresistible for some viewers. Especially teenagers. Korra The comics went even further with respect to the LGBTQ representation: Avatar Kyoshi, a recurring character of the original series, was described as bisexual and the relationship between Korra and Asami was more complete than what had been possible in the series television. At Netflix, where Voltron"S Shiro's recently revealed to be gay, it seems likely that all this will be a fair game.

Konietzko has described the new series, which is set to be shot next year, as a "new and old adventure" and he and DiMartino are not the only ones to come back on the creative side: Jeremy Zuckerman, head of original series score emblematic, also confirmed his involvement via Instagram. With the promise of new material, greater narrative freedom and an exciting vehicle for American stars of Asian descent, cautious optimism seems justified. Reincarnation is, after all, the Avatar area of ​​expertise of the team.