Creators Leave Live-Action Avatar Netflix Adaptation

Avatar: The Last Airbender creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko are no longer working with Netflix on a live-action adaptation of their popular Nickelodeon cartoon. 

In a lengthy blog post posted on August 12, 2020, DiMartino addressed fans about his and Konietzko's departure from Netflix.

“When Bryan and I signed on to the project in 2018, we were hired as executive producers and showrunners,” DiMartino wrote. “In a joint announcement for the series, Netflix said that it was committed to honoring our vision for this retelling and to supporting us in creating the series. And we expressed how excited we were for the opportunity to be at the helm. Unfortunately, things did not go as we had hoped.”

This announcement shocked Avatar fans as the creators' involvement was heavily featured when the project was announced in 2018, especially since fans were not exactly happy with the first live-action retelling of the cartoon series,  the 2010 movie, The Last Airbender, directed by M. Night Shyamalan.

The project is still moving forward with Nickelodeon and producer Dan Lin.