Earlier today, the following appeared over on Twitter...
A reimagined, live-action “Avatar: The Last Airbender” series is coming to Netflix!
— See What's Next (@seewhatsnext) September 18, 2018
(ᴄᴏɴᴄᴇᴘᴛ ᴀʀᴛ ʙʏ Jᴏʜɴ Sᴛᴀᴜʙ) pic.twitter.com/YsMoE4UguV
This was, to say the very least, quite a surprise: a live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender series wasn't something any of us expected, particularly not in the wake of M. Night Shyamalan's disastrously-received live-action film version, which arrived back in 2010.
But, nope, it's happening: according to The Wrap, Netflix's live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender will be produced in conjunction with Nickelodeon, with original series creators Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko onboard to produce. Filming is expected to begin next year.
Said Konietzko and DiMartino in a joint statement:
“We’re thrilled for the opportunity to helm this live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender. We can’t wait to realize Aang’s world as cinematically as we always imagined it to be, and with a culturally appropriate, non-whitewashed cast. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime chance to build upon everyone’s great work on the original animated series and go even deeper into the characters, story, action, and world-building. Netflix is wholly dedicated to manifesting our vision for this retelling, and we’re incredibly grateful to be partnering with them.”
Here's the part where I reveal that I've never seen an episode of the Last Airbender series. Yes, yes - I know. It's excellent. The fact that so many trustworthy people have told me that it's excellent over the years is precisely how I know today's news is such a big deal. This is a truly beloved property, and (even speaking as a non-fan) it's hard not to be excited for all the folks losing their minds over today's news. It doesn't happen very often, but sometimes good news still happens in 2018.
Says Melissa Cobb, Netflix’s vice-president of Kids & Family Content:
"We are committed to honoring Bryan and Mike’s vision for this retelling and are thrilled to support them on creating a live-action event series, bringing Aang’s epic world of elemental magic to life for global audiences on Netflix.”
Pretty cool. Obviously, there's not much more to go on at this time, but of course we'll keep you up to date on further Avatar: The Last Airbender news as further updates roll in.