First Look At 'Avatar: The Last Airbender' Fire Nation's Highest Officers In Live Action Netflix Series
Everything looks faithful. Even the scar is on the wrong side.
Netflix has released new images from its upcoming live action adaptation of Nickelodeon’s 2005-2008 Nicktoon Avatar: The Last Airbender, expected to premiere next year. As they tweeted: “THE FIRE NATION HAS ARRIVED. Meet Fire Lord Ozai, General Iroh, Princess Azula and Commander Zhao in Avatar: The Last Airbender, coming in 2024.”
Indeed, the new images feature franchise alum Daniel Dae Kim as the ruler of the Fire Nation, Kim’s Convenience and the Star Wars Mandoverse’s Paul Sun-Hyung Lee as Ozai’s older brother General Iroh, Inhumans’s Ken Leung as Commander Zhao, and, being adapted to enter the fray far sooner than the original season’s final moments, Elizabeth Yu as Princess Azula, Ozai’s daughter. Her brother, Prince Zuko, also had a new image released, showing his ponytail for the first time that the character is known for. He’s played by Dallas Liu.
Avatar: The Last Airbender is set in a mystical world where people can manipulate, or bend, the elements. 12-year-old Aang, played by Gordon Cormier, awakens to waterbenders Katara, played by Kiawentiio, and Sokka, played by Ian Ousley from a self-induced century-long icy stasis to discover that his airbending people have been genocided. The Fire Nation is encroaching on global domination. As the Avatar, who can bend all four elements known at the time, Aang must bring balance to the world and works with his friends to defeat the efforts of Fire Lord Ozai and the Fire Nation.
Albert Kim serves as showrunner, executive producer, and writer. Jabbar Raisani and Michael Goi are executive producers and directors alongside directors Roseanne Liang (also a co-executive producer) and Jet Wilkinson. Dan Lin and Lindsey Liberatore serve as executive producers from Rideback. Based on the animated series from Bryan Konietzko and Mike DiMartino, the series was ordered in 2018. When the original series and its sequel The Legend of Korra arrived on Netflix in 2020 in anticipation of the series, its success was huge. So much that when creative differences on this series had Mike and Bryan depart, they formed Avatar Studios with Nickelodeon to build more franchise out of the original continuity, developing several new series and films, the first of the latter set for release on October 10, 2025. In addition, an orchestral concert tour, Avatar: The Last Airbender In Concert, was announced Tuesday for early 2024, with tickets going on sale Friday.
Netflix also promised that more news on their series during Geeked Week, the second of their yearly virtual events, which this year will take place from November 6 to 12. Exclusive news, sneak peeks, and surprises will be showcased from alongside that for Netflix’s other anticipated movies, shows, and games including One Piece, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, Sonic Prime, Tomb Raider, Ultraman Rising, Orion and the Dark, 3 Body Problem, The Brothers Sun, Damsel, Devil May Cry, Leave the World Behind, Yu Yu Hakusho, Damsel, Blue Eye Samurai, Exploding Kittens, and Masters of the Universe: Revolution. Avatar’s day seems to be Thursday, November 9, featured alongside The Dragon Prince, a fantasy series created by original series head writer Aaron Ehasz and starring Sokka’s original voice actor Jack DeSena, and The Umbrella Academy.
