‘Avatar The Last Airbender’ Fans Are Furious After Creators Quit Netflix Series

“Avatar the Last Airbender” is getting another live-action remake, which fans hoped would correct the mistakes of the 2010 movie. However, the series has already followed the lead of the movie by disregarding the vision of the creators of the animated series, and fans are furious.

Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, who co-created the Emmy-winning “Avatar the Last Airbender” in 2002, both released statements on Wednesday that they were leaving due to creative differences. The outrage among fans seems to be mostly aimed at Netflix, who had claimed in 2018 that they would support the creators’ vision. Some fans even called to cancel the live-action "ATLA" adaptation.

In an open letter on his blog, creator Michael Dante DiMartino explained that he and Bryan Konietzko left the Netflix TV series.

“I realized I couldn’t control the creative direction of the series, but I could control how I responded. So, I chose to leave the project. It was the hardest professional decision I’ve ever had to make, and certainly not one that I took lightly, but it was necessary for my happiness and creative integrity,” he wrote.

DiMartino, who emphasized that the announcement “doesn’t mean the end of my involvement in the 'Avatar' universe,” also added that he believes the new “ATLA” TV series could be worth watching. However, it’s not his creation.

“Netflix’s live-action adaptation of 'Avatar' has the potential to be good. It might turn out to be a show many of you end up enjoying. But what I can be certain about is that whatever version ends up on-screen, it will not be what Bryan and I had envisioned or intended to make,” he noted.

Meanwhile, Konietzko took to Instagram to share several pages of text. He noted that this was “the most difficult decision” to make and claimed that there was a “negative and unsupportive environment” when they tried to develop the show.

“To be clear, this was not a simple matter of us not getting our way. Mike and I are collaborative people; we did not need all of the ideas to come from us. As long as we felt those ideas were in line with the spirit and integrity of Avatar, we would have happily embraced them,” Konietzko wrote.

Like his co-creator, Konietzko also hopes that Netflix’s “Avatar” turns out to be a good show despite his departure.

“Though I am profoundly disappointed by how things turned out, there are wonderfully talented people who are still working on the series, some of whom Mike and I personally hired and got to know well during our time on the project…Perhaps the team that remains might still be able to make something fans of the original and an entirely new audience can enjoy,” he offered.

“Avatar the Last Airbender” previously became a live-action story in 2010 with M. Night Shyamalan’s film. Fans famously hated the interpretation, which whitewashed most of the Asian characters. Audiences also criticized the subpar special effects and the lack of comic relief. Ultimately, the movie didn’t capture the spirit of the beloved animated Nickelodeon series, which ran from 2005 to 2008 and won a Peabody Award.