“I was a huge fan of the original, and I got introduced to it through my daughter,” Kim said. “It was her favourite show growing up, so I used to watch it with her. But I soon found out I was watching it even without her. As for the live-action adaptation, when the opportunity came my way, I remember thinking, ‘I’m not sure I can improve upon the original.’ But then I realised it was less about improving upon it and more about introducing this incredible world to a new generation of viewers in a new way. VFX technology has reached a point where we can do justice in bringing this fantastic world to life. Plus, this was an opportunity to establish a new benchmark in representation, featuring Asian and Indigenous characters in a way we’d never seen in live-action. That was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up,” Kim added.

The series also includes Liu, an American actor of Chinese-Indonesian descent. Canadian actress from a Mohawk family Kiawentiio (Katara), mixed-race American actor Ian Ousley (Sokka), South Korean-Canadian actor Paul Sun-Hyung Lee (Uncle Iroh), American actress of Chinese descent Elizabeth Yu (Azula), and renowned South Korean-born American actor Daniel Dae Kim (Fire Lord Ozai) are also on the show.

Here are some photos from the Gordon Cormier and Dallas Liu’s fan meet in the Philippines and advanced screening of Netflix’s ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’

“They are the best. We had so much fun,” Cormier said. “Ian and I have the relationship Aang and Sokka have, and Kiawentiio and I have the same friendship as Aang and Katara. It’s like we’re all like our characters in the series. But I can’t say it’s like Aang and Zuko with Dallas and me. Dallas is fun, and there’s no rivalry at all.”

But then Liu revealed that on the set, he regretted not being able to share many scenes with them every time his roommate Ousley would return to their room and tell him stories of how filming their scenes went.

For the series, Cormier had a month-and-a-half-long bending boot camp to study Bagua and Wushu, which is his airbending. “I also learned forms in water, earth, and firebending, but I mostly studied airbending because that’s all I do at the start of the series,” he said. He did as much as he could for the stunts, except when Aang got punched in the face, his head smacked on the ground, or rolled backwards. “The experience was just so fun. I would go home and practice nonstop. On set, in between takes, I’d practice. On my breaks, I’d practice. It became something I’d do whenever I could,” Cormier added.

Spoilers alert*

Cormier’s favourite bending scene in the first season would be the Blue Spirit fight and those that take place in Omashu. He also mentioned liking the part where Zuko swung a staff at Aang and came back up, flung a bowl, did a spin, slammed it, threw the thing at the former, kicked the staff into his face, and ran. “That was fun—just not for Dallas,” Cormier recalled.

Cormier also revealed how they filmed Appa, Aang’s loyal sky bison. “Appa is my best friend. Sorry Katara, but he is my best friend. He’s been around since I was little, and he’s basically a 10-ton flying bison that I like to fly around on and give hugs to,” he said. Cormier described that he wore a harness and strapped onto Appa because of the character’s height. “The whole top half of it was real, and then later, with visual effects, they made the bottom, and it moved from side to side. There’s a saddle in the back, but I always sat on the head—it’s so cool,” Cormier said.

Kim also revealed some of the challenges in turning the animated series into a live-action, given that when acclaimed filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan’s film version flopped. “First, there were the logistical challenges. The original Avatar is a massive, epic story, and there are things you can do in animation that prove incredibly complex to do in live action,” Kim said. “We’re talking about incredible environments and bringing them to life required visual effects that push the limits of VFX technology. The other challenge was figuring out narratively how we could make this feel fresh, yet familiar. It was a process of remixing the elements, pulling apart the narrative threads and putting them back together in a satisfying way that would excite the die-hard fans and intrigue the new viewers.”

During the filming of season one, Cormier was 11 years old, which is very fitting for the 12-year-old character of Aang. However, there is no assurance yet of further seasons of Avatar: The Last Airbender, but all the cast and crew are hopeful. 

“At the start of our story, the world has been engulfed in a century-long war,” Kim said. “People have lost hope and they’ve retreated into their communities for their safety. They’ve refrained from reaching out to others and making connections, making people grow hardened and cynical. It’s into this world that Aang comes. And he represents hope, something that’s been in very short supply. As the Avatar, he’s responsible for bringing light and balance back to this world.”

Here are some scenes fans should expect in the first season of Avatar: The Last Airbender:

After watching the first episode of Avatar: The Last Airbender, I can say there is potential for the series’ success. The actors didn’t make caricatures of the animated characters, and there is sincerity in bringing to the surface the emotional depth of the characters. “The show’s themes are looking past our divisions, overcoming a sense of pessimism and despair, and trying to find that childlike sense of wonder again. It’s all about hope. That’s what the Avatar represents. And I think those themes are universal and timely,” Kim said.

“I hope longtime fans are both satisfied with everything we’ve brought from the original but also surprised by some of the changes we’ve made to the story. I’m hoping new viewers find themselves engaged and immersed the way I was when I first discovered this story. I want them to be drawn into this world and realize they can engage with it without being die-hard fans from the start,” Kim concluded.

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