Everything you need to know about Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender

Nope, not the big blue one — Avatar: The Last Airbender arrived a few years before James Cameron’s mo-cap odyssey of the same name and is back in a brand new live-action Netflix series.

It’s not the first time the popular kids' show has been brought into the real world though. After starting life on Nickelodeon, Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko’s show has been adapted into the world of comics, video games, novels and even tabletop gaming.

Back in 2010, Unbreakable filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan brought the series to screens with The Last Airbender in what he hoped would be the start of an Avatar movie trilogy.

Unfortunately, audiences had other ideas and while they weren’t too happy with his adaptation (it currently holds just a 5% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes. Ouch), Netflix’s decision to stage a new, live-action series has given fans hope that the streamer will finally do the series justice IRL.

With that in mind, here’s everything we know about Netflix's new Avatar: The Last Airbender series, including its cast plot, trailers and more.

How do I watch Avatar: The Last Airbender?

Avatar: The Last Airbender is available to stream now on Netflix, with eight, one-hour episodes. The show landed on the streamer on Thursday, 22 February.

What are the reviews like?

There’s a change in the air and with it comes a brand new series of Avatar: The Last Airbender, which is available now on Netflix in its entirety. This live-action adaptation of the popular animated series of the same name has been a long time coming. After a fumbled feature from Shyamalan, this new series encountered a handful of speed bumps on its way to the screen. Now it’s finally here the question on everyone’s lips is: did it survive the journey?

Well, according to the reviews we’ve seen — not quite. The Telegraph was fair in its write-up, calling The Last Airbender “solid entertainment: fast-moving, action-packed, with decent fight scenes and some appealing performances, all done on a generous Netflix budget.”

Sadly, other outlets weren’t as kind. The Daily Beast said the show was full of “rigid character archetypes and careful side-stepping of any notable or unique alterations,” while The AV Club refused to pull its punches, adding “there isn’t much to work with in the terrible writing and acting that seldom rises above the level of small-town community theater.” Ouch.

Read more reviews below:

The Telegraph: Adored millennial cartoon becomes Gen-Z crowdpleaser (2-min read)

The Daily Beast: Netflix Should Never Have Taken ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ Off Ice (6-min read)

The AV Club: Latest adaptation lacks the original's magic (6-min read)

What is the plot of Avatar: The Last Airbender?

Originally running on kids’ channel Nickelodeon between 2005 and 2008, Avatar: The Last Airbender is set in a mystical, martial-arts-inspired world where a select few have the power to control the four elements of fire, water, wind and earth.

Known within the Avatar universe as ‘bending’, the series focuses on a 12-year-old named Aang who is the last of his people, the Air Nomads, and the sole remaining ‘Avatar’ — AKA someone with the rare power to control all four elements and connect the spirit world with the physical realm.

Together with his friends Sokka, Toph and Katara, we join Aang on his quest to defeat the Fire Nation, ending their war against the rest of the world and toppling their Fire Lord leader Ozai.

Talk of a new live-action series was first announced back in 2018, with production set to begin a year later in 2019. Originally, the show’s co-creators DiMartino and Konietzko were set to show-run the new adaptation which had been billed as boasting a “culturally appropriate, non-whitewashed” cast and music created by original series composer Jeremy Zuckerman.

Unfortunately, the production hit some snags and their 2019 start date was missed. Shortly after that, DiMartino and Konietzko left the series explaining via Instagram that “things did not go as we had hoped.”

By 2021, the duo had been replaced by new showrunner Albert Kim, with casting news following later that year and confirmation that the series had entered production in Vancouver, Canada.

Meanwhile, DiMartino and Konietzko revealed the birth of Avatar Studios, a new production company that promised to extend the franchise into a number of exciting directions.

As part of this venture, three brand-new animated movies were revealed and have currently entered production.

Avatar: The Last Airbender cast

The first cast details for Avatar: The Last Airbender were unveiled in August 2021, with Gordon Cormier taking on the lead role of Aang.

Joining him are Kiawentiio Tarbell as water bender Katara, Ian Ousley as the resourceful Sokka and Dallas Liu as Zuko, the short-tempered prince of the Fire Nation.

Connecting the live-action to the animated world is Daniel Dae Kim who has voiced characters in the Avatar animated series, video games and spin-offs. He'll play the oppressive Fire Lord villain Ozai.

Paul Sun-Hyung Lee also joined the project as Ozai’s older brother Iroh, with Ken Leung as arrogant Fire Nation officer Zhao and Lim Kay Siu as Air Nomad Monk Gyatso.

Rounding out the series cast is Maria Zhang as Suki, Yvonne Chapman as Kyoshi, Tamlyn Tomita as the new character Yukari, Elizabeth Yu as Azula and Casey Camp-Horinek playing Kanna.

Elsewhere, we can expect brief appearances from the likes of Community’s Danny Pudi and original Star Trek actor George Takei.

Is there a trailer for Avatar: The Last Airbender?

The show's official trailer was released on Tuesday, 23 January which gave fans a closer glimpse at what they can expect from the series.

Watch the trailer below:

The teaser trailer for Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender series arrived before that, inviting us into its world - and what a sprawling world it is.

From flying high on the backs of fantasy creatures to controlling the elements, this live-action adaptation of an already popular IP looks like it's aiming for the heavens in terms of its scope and grandeur. Watch it for yourselves above.

Before this teaser arrived, we got a nifty logo reveal during a Netflix Tudum event. Check it out below.

Avatar: The Last Airbender is out now on Netflix.