Culture news Netflix in trouble. The Avatar series faces an unprecedented problem that endangers the next 2 seasons
While the live-action adaptation of the hit animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender has just been renewed for seasons 2 and 3, Netflix is also announcing a change of showrunner.
An unexpected change
The adaptation of‘Avatar, the Last Airbender produced by Netflix, sees the chance to get a season 2 and 3, but with new people at the helm. Albert Kimwho helmed the first season, has chosen to leave the project, passing the showrunner torch to executive producers Christine Boylan and Jabbar Raisani for the next two parts.
This is not the first time that the series has undergone a major change, since Albert Kim had already replaced original creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko at the start of the project. As a reminder, Netflix ordered the adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender in 2018, but it wasn’t released until February 2024 due to these changes.
Albert Kim’s departure is not due to a disagreement with the SVOD platform. He simply chose to pursue other professional opportunities. Its initial goal was to lay the foundations of a universe as rich as that of Avatar. He has already found new projects, notably with Disney’s 20th Television, while retaining his role as executive producer for Avatar.
Fans of the Netflix version of Avatar can be reassured, because the new leaders have already proven their worth with several successful series. Christine Boylan has distinguished herself as a screenwriter for Leverage, Castle, The Punisher and more recently, Poker Face. As for Jabbar Raisani, he has demonstrated his skills in Netflix series such as Stranger Things and Lost in Space. He also directed episodes 3 and 4 of season 1 of Avatar: The Last Airbender in 2024.
A great success
The first season of this live-action adaptation was a real hit, quickly ranking among the ten most watched English-speaking series on the SVOD platform shortly after its release last February.
Netflix is set to spearhead a revival of anime and manga adaptations. A few months earlier, the platform had launched its version of One Piece, eagerly awaited by fans and critics alike. Against all expectations, the series managed to satisfy a large part of the public thanks to a reworked rhythm, an attractive aesthetic and a fidelity that never betrayed the original work.
Everyone thought it was a fluke, but once again, Netflix surprised with the adaptation of Yoshihiro Togashi’s manga, Yū Yū Hakusho. Avatar: The Last Airbender appears to be following the same trajectory of success with its renewal for two more seasons.
For those who wish to discover the series, here is its official synopsis:
An extraordinary boy sleeping for 100 years in an iceberg wakes up with a major mission: he must save the world. An impossible task without his friends.
Avatar: The Last Airbender is currently available on the Netflix SVOD platform.‘