RJ Writing Ink

My Reaction to the Departure of Avatar’s Creators Cutting Ties With Netflix

When I heard that Netflix was making a live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender, I was weary of the news. After all, M. Night Shyamalan butchered the beloved show with his crime against cinema. But then we heard that the series creators were going to be executive producers, and my hopes went up. This was what fans have been wanting for years. But then, earlier this week, we got this announcement:

You heard them, folks. Bryan Konietzko and Michael DiMartino, co-creators of Avatar, are quitting on the Netflix adaptation. As a result, fans around the world have gone into near-mourning about it. As an Avatar fan myself, I don’t blame them: this made me want to give up on the adaptation as well! However, it was Michael and Bryan’s words that kept me (hesitantly) on board. They have a lot of respect for some of the people working on this remake, and I’d hate to see talented people get blacklisted because of the fans hatred. So, I decided to at least give Netflix a chance.

Then, this article from Fandomwire started making the rounds on Twitter.

This Won’t Stop Avatar

even if this article’s true, and the creator’s departure just killed any chance of a live-action series, I don’t think Avatar is doomed. It’s been going through a renassiance all summer, and with new stories and graphic novels poised to come out in the coming months, I see no signs of it losing momentum. In other words, yeah I’m upset about the news, but this won’t destroy Avatar. It may make fans wait years for a proper adaptation, but if the Netflix series bombs, then we can show people how awesome the original was.

Also, I respect Michael and Bryan for their decision to stick to their integrity.

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