Netflix Avatar: The Last Airbender Gets Another Huge Shakeup, Is The Series Cursed?

This would be the third showrunner change-up since Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender was initially announced. Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, creators of the original Avatar animated series, were initially on board as showrunners before stepping away over creative differences early in the first season’s production. Albert Kim replaced them.

Christine Boylan and Jabbar Raisani are also set to take on the previously announced third season of Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender live-action series. The third season would presumably cover the rest of the animated series, so this should be the last change of showrunners we see. Of course, you never know based on the history of the series up to this point.

Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender live-action series had fans wary from the start, but the show ended up being immensely popular, leading to the green light for the second and third seasons. While the show was undoubtedly popular, reviews were fairly mixed. While reviews of the series admire the effects and production values of the series, it fails to live up to the lofty heights of the original cartoon.

Sources indicate that Albert Kim’s decision to leave Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender series was due to his readiness to move on to new opportunities. Reportedly, Kim wanted to lay a foundation with Season 1, but the long turnaround time has left him ready to take on other projects. The series was ordered in 2018 and finally debuted in 2024, so it’s been a long road.

Albert Kim will still be credited as an executive producer on Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender series. He is also set to join the Disney+ Percy Jackson series, moving from one beloved franchise to another. Other than the showrunner shakeup, there shouldn’t be any other major changes, as the cast of Gordon Cormier, Kiawentiio, Ian Ousley, Dallas Liu, Ken Leung, Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, and Daniel Dae Kim are all expected to return.

The animated Avatar: The Last Airbender series first debuted on Nickelodeon in 2005 and became known as one of the best TV shows of all time thanks to its unique worldbuilding, endearing characters, and compelling storylines. Before Netflix’s live-action Avatar, there was a live-action movie released in 2010 that was widely considered terrible. The animated series got a sequel series in 2012 titled The Legend of Korra that followed Aang’s titular successor.

Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender isn’t the only Avatar-related series in the works. One series will take place after The Legend of Korra and follow an Earthbender Avatar. There is also a film in development that will follow the characters from the original series as adults.