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We’ve got some unfortunate news for fans of Avatar: The Last Airbender. The creators of the original animated series, Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, are no longer attached to the upcoming live-action Netflix adaptation that they were supposed to helm.
This news comes to us through DiMartino’s personal website. DiMartino states that both he and co-creator Bryan Konietzko left the project after Netflix failed to uphold their promise of honoring their vision of the series:
When Bryan and I signed on to the project in 2018, we were hired as executive producers and showrunners. In a joint announcement for the series, Netflix said that it was committed to honoring our vision for this retelling and to supporting us on 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.
Look, things happen. Productions are challenging. Unforeseen events arise. Plans have to change. And when those things have happened at other points during my career, I try to be like an Air Nomad and adapt. I do my best to go with the flow, no matter what obstacle is put in my way. But even an Air Nomad knows when it’s time to cut their losses and move on.
How will this affect the first season? Nobody actually knows. My personal theory is that it will not affect it as much as fans seem to think, as the first season has probably already been written. How will this affect future seasons? Nobody knows. It is very much possible that Netflix might even can the project after its first season due to this.
I also think it is worth to mention that their reasoning for leaving the project is worrying. I always saw Netflix as the place where creators can create whatever they want with almost complete creative freedom. It is disappointing to hear that this is not the case (anymore?). Hopefully, this will not affect future Netflix originals.
Source: Michael Dante DiMartino
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