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Posted in: Netflix, Preview, streaming, TV | Tagged: avatar, netflix, nickelodeon, preview, The Last Airbender
Our last two updates on how things have been going with Netflix & Albert Kim‘s (Sleepy Hollow, Nikita) reimagined live-action take on Avatar: The Last Airbender were primarily focused on the more fun, light-hearted side of things. But this time around, we’re getting to hear what Netflix’s head of U.S. and Canada scripted series, Peter Friedlander, has to say about the project from the streamer’s perspective. “I think it’s going to be what you want it to be. It’s pretty special, just as an IP, it’s very special, something like ‘The Sandman,’ Friedlander shared when asked during a recent Variety interview about the series and when viewers will be getting an extended look at the highly-anticipated series. “And we want to handle it with deft hands for fans and to also bring new life to it in a way that both honors the original and celebrates its new iteration. It’s a stunning spectacle.”
These shows are very big productions, and it takes a ton of time, both on the production side and in post, so you have to respect the long journey for some of these shows to deliver what hasn’t been done on television before,” the Netflix executive continued, explaining why production on “Avatar” (and others) has been taking so long. “And that’s what we have for a lot of these types of shows when we’re working on them, whether it’s ‘Avatar’ or ‘One Piece’ or ‘Three-Body Problem,’ these are big, visual spectacles that you have to honor the process and respect that, when you’re breaking ground in visual storytelling, or you’re on the visual vanguard of storytelling, that takes R&D, that takes a lot of trial and error to get it right. But that’s the intent, that’s the hope, is that you’re bringing eye candy matched with impeccable storytelling into these worlds. The journeys are long but hopefully fruitful. Being part of these spectacle shows, each one is bespoke, each one goes on its own journey, and it’s a little bit in between film and television, so you have to break the mold every time you’re working on one of them, and it’s rewarding across the board when we get it right.”
Here’s a Look at Who’s Who in Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender
Along with Gordon Cormier (Aang), Kiawentiio (Katara), Ian Ousley (Sokka), Dallas Liu (Zuko), Elizabeth Yu (Azula), Paul Sun-Hyung Lee (Iroh), Daniel Dae Kim (Fire Lord Ozai), Maria Zhang (Suki), Tamlyn Tomita (Yukari), Yvonne Chapman (Avatar Kyoshi), and Casey Camp-Horinek (Gran Gran), here’s a look back at the rest of the full cast, as well as who they will be portraying & their position in the upcoming series:
Water Tribe
Amber Midthunder (she/her; Prey, Roswell) as Princess Yue: The compassionate spiritual leader of the Northern Water Tribe.
A Martinez (he/him; Cowboy Bebop, Ambulance) as Pakku: The veteran waterbending master of the Northern Water Tribe and a fierce defender of their traditions.
Irene Bedard (she/her; Pocahontas, The Stand) as Yagoda: An empathetic healer who serves as a role model for her tribe’s female waterbenders.
Joel Oulette (he/him; Trickster, Ruby and the Well) as Hahn: A strong and skilled warrior with an unwavering loyalty to his tribe.
Nathaniel Arcand (he/him; Heartland, FBI: Most Wanted) as Chief Arnook: Father to Princess Yue and the respected leader of their tribe.
Meegwun Fairbrother (he/him; Burden of Truth, Mohawk Girls) as Avatar Kuruk: A previous Avatar with a haunted past.
Earth Kingdom
Arden Cho (she/her; Partner Track) as June: A tough and persistent bounty hunter known for her ruthless efficiency.
Utkarsh Ambudkar (he/him; Ghosts, World’s Best) as King Bumi: The ancient and mercurial ruler of the Earth Kingdom city of Omashu.
Danny Pudi (he/him; Mythic Quest, Corner Office) as the Mechanist: An eccentric inventor and engineer who’s doing his best to raise his son in a war-torn world.
Lucian-River Chauhan (he/him, Encounter, Heartland) as Teo: The idealistic and high-flying son of the Mechanist.
James Sie (he/him; Stillwater) as the Cabbage Merchant: A long-suffering vegetable vendor in Omashu.
Fire Nation
Momona Tamada (she/her; Secret Headquarters, One: Thunder God’s Tale) as Ty Lee: An energetic and upbeat teen and one of Princess Azula’s best friends.
Thalia Tran (she/her; Raya and the Last Dragon, Little) as Mai: An unflappable and deadpan teen who, along with Ty Lee, is one of Princess Azula’s closest allies.
Ruy Iskandar (he/him; Yes Day, Benders) as Lt. Jee: The first officer of Prince Zuko’s ship.
Hiro Kanagawa (he/him; Altered Carbon, The Man in the High Castle) as Fire Lord Sozin: The ruthless and ambitious previous ruler of the Fire Nation and grandfather of Fire Lord Ozai.
C.S. Lee (he/him; Dexter, Warrior) as Avatar Roku: A wise and benevolent past Avatar from the Fire Nation.
François Chau (he/him; The Expanse, American Gigolo) as The Great Sage: The venerated spiritual leader of the Fire Nation and guardian of Avatar Roku’s shrine.
Ryan Mah (he/him; The Good Doctor, Snowpiercer) as Lt. Dang: Commander Zhao’s second-in-command.
Spirit World
George Takei (he/him; Star Trek, Resident Alien) as the voice of Koh: An ancient, predatory spirit.
Randall Duk Kim (he/him; Kung Fu Panda, John Wick) as the voice of Wan Shi Tong: Appears in the form of a giant owl and is also known as the Spirit of Knowledge.
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